The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri was one of the Strongest books I have read in a long time.
Nuri Ibrahim is a bee keeper and Afra Ibrahim is an artist. They have a simple life but wonderful life rich in family and friends, and lived in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape.
Afra has gone blind, and they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future, hopefully in Britain. However, on the way, Nuri is sustained by the knowledge that waiting for them is Mustafa, his cousin and business partner, who has started an apiary and is teaching fellow refugees in Yorkshire to keep bees.

What a brilliant read this book was.............You feel you are living the journey with Nuri and Afra praying that they will reach their safe final destination wherever they end up.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing / Ballentine Books for this arc.

A very moving novel centred on the horror of war and one couple’s attempt to escape. Whatever your opinion about the Syrian conflict, Nuri and Afra’s story highlights the very human tragedy behind the news reports and politics. Some people may not agree with the tide of refugees trying to gain access into western countries illegally but, as a parent, I know I would do whatever it takes to keep my family safe. Nuri’s decline into a fantasy world in an attempt to deal with the loss of his son is so well written, the characters just come to life on the pages.
A heartbreaking and very moving book.

My thank to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for this copy.

This was a fairly difficult and upsetting book to read but it was very well written and I came to love the characters and their story. It was very honest and made the plight of asylum seekers very real, but made me understand this more. We are all human and to try and imagine how it would be to have to leave your home country is very hard. I would definitely recommend this.

Thanks to NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A book worth reading if you are willing to see how hard and traumatic life can be like living in a war zone. Nouri and Afra lose their son and in desperation make the decision to escape Syria. Nouri had a life with bees and now he travels across land and sea' at times finding hope and at others hell.
At times a sad read but always engaging. Read and see what happens.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I read this book whilst on holiday and I am so glad that I did to fully appreciate the fantastic story this is so beautifully written. Totally moved me.

This was a beautiful heartbreaking book. I followed Nuri on a horrific journey of loss; of his home, his child, love, dignity and even at times his humanity.
This book is a stark and terrifying reflection of our times. It is truly a gift that this author can describe so much pain so beautifully and still inspire hope.
This book was haunting and I don't doubt for a second that it will stay with me for a long time to come.

Quite simply, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a story that needs to be heard, and needs to be heard now. It is a novel that gives important emphasis and heart to the plight that many humans around the world are facing – forced to flee their homes and lives to seek safety and survival.⁣⁣
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This book tells the story of husband and wife, Nuri and Afra, and the terrible effects of war on them and their lives. They live in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo, where Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra an artist, and days are full of friends, family, food, natural beauty, love. Then, terribly, war forces them away from their home and drives them on a perilous journey in search of safety.⁣⁣
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I loved so much about this book. It is structured in a really interesting way, which has such an effective jolting effect - your stomach lurches as you abruptly enter Nuri’s painful memories. ⁣⁣The images that Lefteri creates for us are stark and striking – there is a beautiful simplicity to the language she uses and the symbols she draws on. The characters are also so drawn so fully – you feel immensely for them, and it is an honour to hear their story. At times I wondered if I would like to have heard more directly from Afra, with chapters narrated by her as well as Nuri. In the end I decided the novel was more powerful as it stands.⁣⁣

Although this is not a book I would usually request, I read this book as the description interested me. However, I was slightly disappointed as I found the storyline very predictable and didn't invest or empathise with the characters. Nevertheless, I can see from other reviews that I am in the minority here and there is a heartwarming element to the story.

What a beautiful book and story. Thank you #netgalley for letting me read it and #ChristyLefteri for telling this story. I am intrigued to learn that Christy wrote this off of the back of her work with the UNICEF when she helped refugees. How tragic the tales.

Nuri and Afra are just a regular couple. Happy in their life and enjoying family life with their young son Sami, suddenly they are in the midst of a war they do not understand or want. After a great tragedy hits them they make a perilous journey to safety and asylum.

Christy tells the story from the eyes of Nuri, the past, the present and then an altered state of his mind. You begin to empathise quite quickly with him, feeling his fears and worries about getting to safety after all the tests he faces. Afra, his wife, is his love and companion and their relationship goes through so many stages, you can't help developing feelings for both of them. The choices they make, you empathise and sympathise with them from the beginning to the end. You see heroes on their journey where you would expect enemies and foes in disguise as friends. Nuri and Afra have left an imprint on my heart and I won't forget them in a hurry. Whilst this story details the hardships of syrian refugees it definitely makes you wonder about all the victims of every war throughout time and location.

For a first book it is so well written. I loved Christy's style. There was something new in the way that it was written where one noun in a sentence changed the time frame of the story or even the scene. Whilst it confused me to start with, I found it so effective when I understood how it was used in the story

I really don't want to give any of this story away as the way it unfolds is what makes it so perfect. This book hold its place amongst my favourite historical tragedies: The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini.
If you loved those then you will definitely love this.
Well done Christy. I can't wait to read your next book.

This story is written simply and beautifully and encapsulates the journey of Nuri and Afra into a relevant, powerfully crafted journey of deep deep loss and the prevailing light of hope.
It is the human spirit and its resilience that ultimately shines through even after such heart-wrenching and deeply destructive events.
It's the story of a city destroyed by a futile war and of a fraught and dangerous journey to find a home.
The narrative switches back and forth as Nuri and Afra are being processed for immigration into Britain to join Nuri's brother and help look after a colony of bees and the dominating and harrowing story of their journey.
It certainly opened my eyes to the life of a genuine refugee; absolutely compelling reading.

What wonderful book, it was sad but very relevant today

The story is told through Nuri ,beekeeper ,his voice sounds like poetry , the story is told through flashbacks remembering the last days and weeks they had before fleeing Aleppo.
The story is heartbreaking but needs to be told, how people went through horrible things to become refugees in countries.
His wife Afra was an artist before the war , she is blind now and suffering from trauma, you don’t listen to her thoughts but see how the trauma effects everything in her life.

I believe these kind of books are needed in this world, with all these scary headlines, it’s the only way to feel what the others feel, it actually helps with compassionate to others.

I could see how talented the writer is, I hope she writes more these kind of books.

A powerful moving story of how the awfulness of war affects the lives of ordinary people and how we very quickly become helpless . Nuri is a beekeeper living in Aleppo with his artist wife Nuri when the war breaks out . His cousin Mustafa is his business partner and close friend who tries to persuade him to flee the country before things get too bad. Things quickly get bad ,Afra loses her sight and they find themselves on the refugee trail across Europe. Written from Nuri’s point of view ,the tale conveys the horrific journey that people make to find sanctuary and the brutal way that others and humanity treat them . Nuri has been affected by the war and seems to hallucinate about his bees in Aleppo and other things. He is distant from Afra ,the story is one of how they find themselves and their relationship again as well as hopefully a new life.

There are books that you love right from the start and books that grow on you as the author takes you on a journey to unexpected places. Lefteri's The Beekeeper of Aleppo is one of the latter.

When I first started reading it, I was really all like, what's the buzz? It read like just another refugee narrative, the story of Nuri & Afra's journey from Syria to England--I was drawing comparisons to Abdulrazak's By the Sea--but as events unfold, it becomes clear that things aren't as they initially appear. An exploration of the strange things our minds do in the face of terror and loss, Nuri's narrative appears to be reliable at first--he's the one guiding his blind wife through their perilous journey--but cracks soon appear, signalling that maybe he's not as reliable and steady as we thought he was.

Lefteri switches seamlessly between present and past, each section linked by a key thought, idea, or image. There is a sense of mystery, a sense of "what are you not telling us?" as you read, akin to Oyeyemi's White is for Witching; not the kind that leaves you unsatisfied, but the type that leaves you hoping that the next word, the next paragraph, the next page will reveal what you really need to know. It's beautifully crafted, like a hook in your soul that draws you further on, deeper in, to a kind of inevitability I felt while reading Blackberry and Wild Rose.

As Lefteri leaves the whimsical and hard truths are revealed, the book turns sad and sorrowful. A heaviness sits in your soul, not just because terrible things happened to this refugee couple, but because terrible things are still happening to real, living refugees in our war-torn world. I admit to tearing up at the end of the book, not something I do very often (as much as I read and feel emotionally, tears are often hard to come by). It also ends with hope.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bonnier Zaffre via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Nuri and Afra live in the city of Aleppo, Syria, with their young son, Sami.
Afra is an artist, and she make a living selling her paintings in the Aleppo marketplace.
Nuri is a beekeeper and, with his cousin Mustafa, he tends to many hives in the countryside outside of Aleppo. Bees are Nuri's passion and he went against the wishes of his parents to pursue dream of life as a beekeeper.
Nuri and Mustafa have made a great success of their beekeeping venture, selling honey and cosmetics made from bee products. They are surrounded by friends and family and have no wish to ever leave their beautiful homeland.

But, war has come to Syria and Nuri and Mustafa's lives are about to change for ever. Mustafa sends his wife and daughter away, to England, for safety and plans to follow them with his son. He tries to persuade Nuri and Afra to leave too, but they cannot bear to be parted from their homeland, clinging to the hope that things will get better.

As the situation in Aleppo worsens, their beloved bee hives are burned to the ground, and Mustafa's son is found murdered. Mustafa takes revenge by killing some of the callous soldiers based in Aleppo, as he suspects they are responsible for the death of his son. He must escape, before the soldiers come for him, and he leaves a hurriedly written letter for Nuri, urging him to follow him to England.

Further tragedy strikes Nuri and Afra when their son is killed by a bomb, while playing outside their home. Afra loses her sight on this day and the last things she has seen is the body of her young son, lying in the rubble.

Nuri and Afra are heartbroken by the death of their only child, but Afra still cannot bear to leave Aleppo, despite Nuri desperately trying to make her realise that things are getting worse and worse. It is not until the soldiers threaten to kill Nuri if he does not join them in the fighting, that he and Afra finally escape Aleppo.

So begins a long and difficult journey to be reunited with Mustafa in England, via Turkey and Greece - desperation forcing them to use their life-savings to pay smugglers to transport them across borders and away from the wretched conditions they find in the refugee camps. They are both broken by the destruction of their homeland and the death of their son, and trying to cope in the best way they can. Both are isolated by their grief and the horrific things they have seen.
Will they ever be able to find each other again, and themselves, again?

The theme of bees runs throughout this book. From Nuri and Mustafa's beloved hives, to Mustafa's new venture teaching people how to keep bees in Yorkshire (which he hope Nuri will help him to make a success). The bees are a symbol of hope and you will yearn with all your heart for some of this hope to become part of Nuri and Afra's lives again.

This book is beautifully written and heartbreakingly sad. I cannot even imagine what is must be like to have your homeland destroyed by war and be forced to leave behind everything you hold dear.

This book will give you a horrific glimpse into the lives of refugees and the conditions they experience, and I defy you not to feel compassion for the situations these people find themselves in.

I have not read anything this haunting and moving since The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini. This book will stay with me for a long time.

It has taken me days to find the words for this book and I don’t think I’ll ever find the words to say how good it truly is so these will have to suffice.

I feel everyone should read this beautiful, emotional and heroic story about the side of refugees we never see or hear of.

This book will stay with me always. It’s rare a book gets into a persons heart but this has done just that. An absolutely beautiful but heartbreaking story that I will read again and again and still cry every time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion. And thanks to Christy Lefteri for telling a story that needed to be told.

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My review: I'm probably using the wrong phrase when I say I enjoy these books but this book is beyond beautiful.

The story follows the Journey of Nuri, a beekeeper and his Wife Afra as they travel across Turkey and Greece to The UK where they are seeking asylum due to the unrest and war that's ravaging their country Syria.

Told from Nuri's perspective the plot is split into before they left Syria when himself and his Cousin ran a Beekeeping business and His Families Journey to the UK after the unrest had started and the unimaginable horrors they face along the way.

The way this book is written from the Description of Syria and the affects of war on an innocent family and the Journey they must make to safety is stunning. I would maybe have liked to hear Afra's perspective but Nuri does such a great job it really doesn't take anything away from the book.

This to me is crucial reading! It really puts things into perspective and makes you take stock of how fortunate we are! Most of us if not all are aware of the unrest and destruction that happens in Syria and other parts of the world and how refugees are desperate to escape to a place of safety. Reading this book really highlights that journey and the aftermath of that often perilous, horrifying process!
Please if you haven't read this I definitely recommend it! It one of those books that will stay with me for a long time.

In The Beekeeper of Aleppo we meet Nuri and his wife Afra. Nuri is a beekeeper and his wife Afra an artist. When ISIS hit Aleppo and they lose their son (and Afra's sight) their situation becomes precarious when soldiers tell Nuri he either joins them or is executed. He is given a few hours grace when he tells them he needs to make sure his wife will be safe as she is very ill and they flee to evade capture and execution.

Travelling through perilous sea journeys and refugee camps that are almost as dangerous as the war torn country they've fled, can Nuri and Afra reunite with Nuri's cousin in the UK?

Although this story is fictional, the characters and events are so beautifully fleshed out that you can be forgiven for thinking these are true events. In a way they are; Lefteri has worked with UNICEF and refugees in Athens so is more than qualified to weave such a tale.

Chapters alternate between the present day and flash backs throughout their journey.

This story is one emotional rollercoaster. The physical distance that Nuri and Afra have to travel in order to find some sort of safety is absolutely mind boggling. The desperation that drives them to take so many risks and terrifying legs of the journey is one that is utterly beyond my comprehension. I have never lived in a war zone - I have seen horrendous footage and read so many heart breaking stories and visited 3rd world countries and seen extreme poverty, but these will never enable me to be able to empathise with such a situation.

It shames me that we live in a time where so much bigotry and racism clouds our humanity. The Beekeeper of Aleppo opens your mind and shatters your heart in a way that is necessary. We should question our border control for those who are in genuine need. Lefteri makes the statistics of the many thousands of displaced people bleed. I genuinely cared for Nuri (I was frustrated with Afra at times, then I reminded myself that she was a woman who was utterly broken).

If you like your endings all wrapped up in a bow then this may not be for you. With all of the horrors of war and the treatment that they have endured Nuri and Afra cannot possibly revert back to the people they were before ISIS decimated their lives.

With the political hot potato that is Brexit and border control being in the news pretty much daily, Lefteri has taken a very brave stance in the face of so much hatred. This book is haunting, heart breaking, eye opening, thought provoking and brilliant.

A compelling 5 star read for me.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Zaffre books for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I adored this book, it is so lyrical yet so sad. If you read the papers or social media, you will see comments and insults against immigrants as being leeches on our society. Stories like this, movingly written, are essential to make us pay attention to the fact that there are people behind the statistics; people with tragic stories, people like us with families, hopes and aspirations, people who saw all of these trodden in the mud. Read this. Recommended.

This is a book about Nuri and Afra who are Syrian refugees.
They leave Syria as they cannot live there any longer and make their way to England, where Nuri's brother has managed go get to.
A very difficult journey for them to get to England. Very interesting, well written book.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri is a very touching story about Syrian refugees. Nuri was a beekeeper. He loved his job, it was his passion, his whole life. He and his family and friends led a simple life, but they were very happy. But then the war came, and everything they knew was shattered to pieces.

The story is told from Nuri’s point of view. He starting his tale when he’s already in England, waiting for the decision if he can stay there for good. We learn his story from the series of retrospective memories mixed with his current struggle with accepting his new life in a strange country.

This is a very sad book. What happened in Syria is unspeakable. This once beautiful country, full of history and breath-taking monuments and landscapes was turned to ruin by people’s hatred. We, as people who was lucky enough to never experienced war, can only imagine the horrors that must have happened there. Nuri and Afra (even though they are fictional characters, they are good representation) experience it all. The loss of everything they loved and cherished. And then some.

But the nightmare of war-torn country was only the beginning of their struggle. They want to flee to England, where Nuri’s cousin Mustafa is waiting for them, but this is a long and hard journey. Other European countries are already flooded by refugees and some of them closed their borders to them. Everyone who hears where they want to go just laugh and shake their head with disbelieve. But there is one thing that keeps them going against the all odds - hope.

The author herself spent time working as a volunteer at a UNICEF supported refugee centre in Athens, where the idea of the book started. So she saw first-hand how those places looked like and she met people who suffered through this terrible war. And those camps were really horrible. I have no doubt, that what the author describes is not far for the truth. Because of never ending flow of refugees, the camps were degrading very quickly and very often people came there to never leave.

It’s important to read about those events, because it’s what really happening in our world. And sometimes, when we sit comfortably in our homes and watch news about refugees flooding whole Europe we are annoyed that they keep coming and make troubles. But we have to wait for a moment and think, really think about those poor people whose life were completely destroyed and who lost everything. And maybe feel a little empathy towards them. I don’t know how exactly the process of applying for asylum in UK looks like, but I can imagine there are some very hard questions for traumatized people.

But even though the book is full of sorrow and loss, there is always a glimmer of hope too. It’s what keeps the people going and living, day by day. I really like how the author showed Nuri’s passion for beekeeping. Descriptions and memories of his time in apiaries back in Aleppo were my favourite parts of the book. And I really love the ending. It was perfect, there were finally signs that after all, everything will be alright.

I think this is a kind of book that everyone should read. It’s really moving and beautifully written. Before I read this book I didn’t know a thing about Aleppo, beside the fact that it was thoroughly destroyed by war. But thanks to this book and all descriptions I actually googled to see how the city looked before the conflict. And it was really wonderful, and we shouldn’t forget that.
Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for th