In spite of the heart-wrenching journey that you follow along with while reading, this book is so beautifully and realistically written. Definitely a read that will stay with you for a while.

Both main characters, Nuri and Afra, experience immense loss, constant struggle, and flickers of hope and love. These main characters, as well as the supporting characters, were all wonderfully done. Each character complimented the next and kept the story moving at a good pace to keep the reader interested. The actions, and reactions, were very believable as well.

The story itself is told in both the past and the present to show the reader what Nuri and Afra went through to get where they are today, still seeking asylum. I found it easy to paint a vivid image in my mind of the settings. Plus, the author included really intriguing tidbits about beekeeping and the bees themselves which I loved.

Where there are bees there are flowers, and where there are flowers there is new life and hope.

I absolutely recommend that everyone reads The Beekeeper of Aleppo because it is so relevant today. Being able to get just a small glimpse of what refugees must go through simply to feel safe is heartbreaking.

What an amazing story! Sadness. Resilience. Over and over again there are casualties of civilians during war. Lefteri tells a masterful tale of a bookkeeper named Nuri and his artist wife, Afra. They live in the hills outside of Aleppo. Everything is lost during the civil war in Syria including Afra’s eyesight. As refugees, Lefteri makes you feel like you are right beside this refugee couple as they make the journey through Turkey and Greece to try to get to Great Britain where Nuri has a cousin as a beekeeper. I know I will be haunted by this story for a long time. It would be an excellent bookclub choice. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed The Beekeeper of Aleppo and found its portrayal of refugee life to be heart-wrenching and grieving. That being said, I had caught on to the plot twist rather early, so it felt to me like the ending was rather sudden. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

My heart is breaking over this book. 💔 I, like so many have seen news reports of war torn countries, and in your head you know it is awful, uncomprehendable, horrifying and just unbelievably sad. But, this author created a book that made me feel like I was right there, walking along with Afra and Nuri. I could feel the nauseating waves in the boat, the heat of the desert, and the smell of the refugee camps. By the end of this book I was emotionally spent.... And then I read the Author note. She was there to help the refugees when they fled Syria. And I believe that is why she was able to create such an amazing book. Thank you Christy Lefteri for helping this lady from Georgia feel empathy, sympathy, and just feel a small sense of what it was like to be Afra and Nuri.

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

What would you do if the unthinkable happened to you? Fortunately many of this never have to cope with this experience. Nuri and Afra give up everything and are forced to leave their beautiful city of Aleppo due to war conflicts. The difficult journey has hope that sustains them for the chance of a new life.

I didn’t connect to the writing. The story was solid, but the writing kept pulling me out of the story. Heavy on telling, not enough showing. The time jumps were also confusing,

I received a free copy from NetGalley. This book showed up on several lists I saw as being popular, so I was looking forward to reading it. I was disappointed. I struggled to finish it and put it down several times. I wanted the character to grow, and even at the end he just felt so stuck to me. Honestly, that was probably the point the author was trying to make. That being said, books of this topic are important during the current humanitarian crisis we face and it was well worth the struggle to finish it, so as to know more about what is going on in the wider world.

In 2016 and 2017, author Christy Lefteri volunteered for UNICEF at a refugee center in Athens, Greece. There, she treated droves of Syrians fleeing the brutal takeover of Aleppo. So many people had suffered through the bombing and shooting by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, nearby countries like Macedonia eventually had to close their borders to asylum seekers. Further European destinations were a pipe dream to families without resources. With The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Lefteri compiles the collective horrors of war into a compelling narrative buoyed by hope, but also laced with brutal realism.

The novel tells the story of Nuri, a former beekeeper from Syria who has arrived in the United Kingdom with his wife, Afra. Back in Aleppo, Afra had been an artist, but the war took her eyesight and the couple’s child, Sami. The couple is overwhelmed with grief from the loss of their son and their home. Lefteri alternates between the relative calm of the UK—where Nuri and Afra are anxiously waiting for their asylum status to be approved—and flashbacks to their journey with lecherous smugglers, treacherous seas, and uncertain flights.

Throughout her storytelling, Lefteri uses the imagery of bees and gardens to help the reader process Nuri’s emotions. When Nuri finds scant internet access to check emails from his cousin Mustafa, Mustafa talks endlessly of the new bee colony they will establish together in Britain. While Nuri is battling bureaucracy to receive healthcare for his blind wife, he dutifully attends to a single bee outside that doesn’t have any wings. Even during the throes of escape, Mustafa tells Nuri, “Spend your money wisely—the smugglers will try to get as much out of you as they can, but keep in mind that there is a longer journey ahead. You must learn to haggle. People are not like bees. We do not work together, we have no real sense of a greater good—I’ve come to realize this now.” These passages are lyrically written and provide a much-needed palate cleanser after scenes of violence and hopelessness.

Nuri’s goal throughout the book is to reach Mustafa, but once he arrives, he’s afraid to contact the best friend he’s been separated from for so long. The emotional and physical journey for him and Afra is nearly insurmountable, they are entirely different people in the UK than they were in Syria. Nuri says, “I do not want Mustafa to know what has become of me. We are finally in the same country, but if we meet he will see a broken man. I do not believe he will recognize me.” Lefteri captures the inner life of a broken man who can’t fully process his own trauma with heartbreaking accuracy.

But even after arriving in the UK, Nuri and Afra’s journey is far from over. Nuri knows the immigration officer "will want to know how we got here and she will be looking for a reason to send us away. But I know that if I say the right things, if I convince her that I'm not a killer, then we will get to stay here because we are the lucky ones, because we have come from the worst place in the world." They have to be coached on how to describe their suffering convincingly. Even then, the immigration officer tells them, “To stay in the UK as a refugee you must be unable to live safely in any part of your own country because you fear persecution there.” Nuri responds, “Any part? Will you send us back to a different part?” He’s met with silence.

The plight of refugees is a hard pill to swallow, but a necessary one. When you’re thrust into a first-person account (even a fictional one), you’re forced to reckon with how war affects identity. At one crowded checkpoint, Nuri detachedly observes the other refugees in the market stalls. “Sometimes I forgot that I was one of these people,” he thinks. No one ever thinks it will happen to them. In Aleppo, Nuri and Afra had a family, their careers, and charming nights with friends eating rich food with fresh jasmine and honeycomb. Even after the worst happens—the loss of a child—how could they move on? One can only hope they are met with compassion along the way, but as The Beekeeper of Aleppo shows us, that’s hardly the case.

A gripping story of displaced life as a refugee. This book does a nice job of juxtaposing the beautiful and the ugly in life. Love in a family can be pulled and stretched almost to the breaking point and yet still hold true.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is an emotional journey, told through the eyes of Nuri, a lifelong resident of Aleppo, Syria, and professional beekeeper. We follow Nuri’s pre-war/pre-exodus life in Syria, interspersed with the story of his perilous flight from his homeland to Western Europe.

As you can imagine, the tale is fraught with danger and uncertainty. Narrowly escaping conscription by ISIS, and clandestine meetings with smugglers and other characters of an underworld borne of violence and extremism - where having the right paperwork and enough money for bribes can make the difference between life and death -, nighttime sea crossings and overfilled, makeshift camps filled with both fellow refugees and those who would prey upon them.

It’s a harrowing, heartbreaking and - somehow still - hopeful story of a man and his family risking their lives and leaving everything they have to escape to someplace where they have a chance at life.

As jarring and ugly as some of the depictions of life in war-torn Aleppo and the hair-raising near-misses along Nuri’s escape were, the thing that truly wrenched my heart was feeling that he was becoming acclimated (and somewhat numb) to the violence and horrors unfolding around him.

It’s a story that needed telling, and I would absolutely encourage you to listen.

I was provided with an electronic copy of #TheBeekeeperOfAleppo by #NetGalley in return for my honest review.

My great thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book early in exchange for an honest review.

“Now, standing there with her face so close to mine, I could see the desire, the determination to hold on to an illusion, a vision of life, of Aleppo.”

This novel is a masterpiece of modern history. I'm still processing it, healing the small wound in my chest that it left, hoping to internalize this sliver of connection to humanity. But I will try to find the words to review it for you.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Nuri, a man who once led a simple, beautiful life. He was in business with his cousin and close friend — the bees they lovingly raised produced honey that fueled a small business. His wife, Afra, was an artist. His son was the apple of his eye. Today, they’re in London, attempting to seek asylum from the Syrian civil war. He is a shell of the man he once was, and Afra is blind.

Through intense and heartbreaking flashbacks, we get glimpses into the events that drove them from their home, the things that cannot be unseen, the journey and desperation that got them where they are today. Because the story isn’t told linearly, much of it comes to the audience through revelation, small and large but always eye-opening.

“[Infants] communicated without words from the most primitive part of the soul. I remembered her laughing about this, saying that she felt like an animal [when she breastfed], and how she realized that we are less human in our times of greatest love and greatest fear.”

The pacing and structure of this novel was excellent. We know they made it to London, because that’s where the present-day chapters take place. But how did they get there? How did Nuri become this version of himself? What happened to Afra’s eyes? Who is this character named Mohammad? What happened to them along the way? Where are the parts of themselves that they seem to have left behind? What will happen to them next?

In the author’s note, Christy Lefteri tells us that she volunteered in refugee camps in Athens, Greece, and that’s where the inspiration for this story came from. It’s clear that she witnessed a lot, and they way she molds those observations into a narrative are empathetic and heart-wrenching.

This is a stunning portrait of trauma, a question of what it means to see and experience traumatic things, and a simultaneously devastating and hopeful. It’s easier (and human), when dealing with terrible truths like war, to keep them at a distance. Our brains find it hard to wrap themselves around such terrible truths. This novel breaks down that barrier in a way that helps it resonate deep inside.

A heart wrenching portrayal of the refugee experience. This book will be great book club selection for discussion. It's timely topical, exceptionally written, & an important read at a time in which there is much conflict & immigration in the world. I'm looking forward to including in the next poll for my book club.

4.5 stars

Let me start off by saying that this is a book everyone needs to read, especially given the current environment we live in with the immigration issue at the forefront of topics recently here in the Western part of the world. Though I have read plenty of books over the years about the immigrant experience from different viewpoints, including from the refugee and asylum perspectives, few of those books have been as haunting and affecting as this one. The story of Nuri and Afra and their harrowing journey to escape the conflict in Syria, the tremendous losses they endure one right after the other -- the loss of their home, their livelihoods, their family, their precious child, even their own souls – ordinary citizens caught up in horrible circumstances not of their making, already having to suffer through so much loss and devastation, yet somehow still finding the will to live, to push ahead through the grief and the desperation and finally arrive at their destination, only to face an uncertain future. This is one of those stories that reminded me once again just how much we often take for granted as we go about our daily lives and how we should be so much more grateful than we usually are for everything we do have.

This was a heart-wrenching, emotional read that brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet it was also thought-provoking and relevant to so much of what is going on in the world today. I will admit that it did take me a little while to get used to the book’s unique format (with the last word of each chapter acting as the bridge that starts the flashback to the past in the next chapter), but the beautifully written story as well as the realistically rendered characters (all of whom I adored) more than made up for my brief struggle with the format. Nuri and Afra are characters that I know will stay with me for a long time to come, as the penetrating sadness around their story is one that is difficult to forget. With that said though, there were also moments of hope amidst the desperation, such as when Nuri and Afra finally make it to their destination (not a spoiler, since we are already told this from the very first page) and are met with much kindness from the people they end up staying with at the refugee center as they wait for their asylum applications to be processed. These interactions at the refugee center in present time brought a certain element of hope to the story, which helped to balance out the overwhelming sadness of the past narrative recounting Nuri and Afra’s harrowing journey – at the same time, it made their story all the more poignant and powerful.

Part of what made this story feel so realistic was the fact that the author Christy Lefteri based a lot of it on her previous experience working with refugees as a UNICEF-sponsored volunteer in Athens, Greece. In addition to that though, there was also Lefteri’s personal connection as a daughter of refugees (both her parents fled war-torn Cyprus back in the 1970s), which combined with her volunteer experience to produce such a powerful and inspiring story. I know my review probably doesn’t say a whole lot, but in a way, the vagueness is a bit deliberate, as I feel the story already speaks for itself and nothing I say will be able to do it justice. All I’m going to say is that this book definitely deserves to be read – and sooner rather than later!

Received ARC from Ballantine Books (Random House) via NetGalley.

This is a gripping, emotional, & timely tale about refugees trying to escape horrid situations to find a better life. The main characters are Nuri & Afra & Mustafa. They have to leave Syria if they want to continue to live. Mustafa is an older relative that had bee hives in Syria where Nuri worked. He & his family have had to leave already & head to England. The story is told in the present time & with flashbacks in a very creative way. There is a lot of heartbreak in this story but I feel like it left me with hope in the end. I can only hope this becomes the case more for people seeking refuge from bad situations. Highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to Random House for an advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Beekeeper Of Aleppo
By: Christy Lefteri

*REVIEW* 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I'm going to voice an unpopular opinion about The Beekeeper Of Aleppo. I didn't fall in love with this story, but I didn't dislike it either. I'm on neutral ground. I'm not going to rehash the plot. You've all read it. I'd like to discuss the impactful message it presents. I have nothing but complete respect and earnest sympathy for the struggles and hardships faced by immigrants and refugees. These people, fictional or real, are so much stronger and courageous than I will ever be. My reason for not loving this book is the overwhelming sadness. I didn't expect this to be a happy story. I can take sadness to an extent, but in this case, the feelings of depression, grief and hopelessness simply overwhelmed the story to a point where I didn't want to read it anymore. On the other hand, it's beautifully written and unbearably heartbreaking, and I understand why it's beloved by so many readers. This is a story that needed to be told. I greatly appreciate the unflinching portrayal of the human spirit in all of its fragile and enduring forms. In society today, this book is extremely relevant for the obvious reasons of immigration tragedies due to a large influx and needed reforms to prevent such things from happening. The Beekeeper Of Aleppo is a gritty sharp edged look at the war torn refugee experience through the eyes of the unfortunate souls who lived it. It's something everyone should read because the story clings to you and makes you think about the world as it is and as it could be. Do consider picking this one up if you haven't already.

This novel delves into timely and important subjects with great heart. Lefteri spent several years working in Greece as a UNICEF volunteer, helping refugees from Syria and Afghanistan. Her empathy and passion for their cause is more than evident in her writing, which essentially felt like an amalgamous character study of those she most certainly encountered in her work. Perhaps that's where I felt a little disconnected from this book, as it was hard for me to feel an urgency to pick it up without a good deal of narrative drive. The book begins where Nuri and Aftra end up, so there isn't a question if they will make it to their ultimate destination. There is also a sort of plot twist that is not at all a surprise, and I'm not sure if it was meant to be, or if it was to illustrate the state of Nuri's PTSD. The illustrative imagery and symbolism of the bees, flight, and our dream life versus reality was lovely, as was the push and pull of husband and wife finding their way back to each other after immense loss.
"I realize I have forgotten to love her. Here is her body, here are the lines on her face, here is the feel of her skin, here is the wound across her cheek that leads into her, like a road, all the way to her heart. These are the roads we take."
In the end I would say that stories of refugees are something we could use more of, not less, and I respect Lefteri for putting this work into the world. Increasing awareness, creating empathy for those that happen to be born into a different life, or a life that could just as easily become ours is so vital these days. I honestly think it would have been a more impactful read had it been written by someone of Syrian descent or had been a nonfiction account. Since I've already started looking for some recommendations, I think that this book had an impact on me, regardless. So far the recs I've seen are: The Newcomers by Helen Thorpe, We Crossed a Bridge and it Trembled by Wendy Pearlman, and The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar.
Thank you so much to the folks at Penguin Random House/Ballantine for a complimentary advance copy!

Oh, this book... this book is beautiful, heartbreaking, thought provoking, and just a little bit frustrating. I spent a good portion of the beginning being frustrated with Afra and how she acted, but as more of her story came to light the more I realized that she had every right to be the way she was. I loved Nuri and found myself rooting for their journey and dying to find out what happens. I wish this book had 3 more chapters. I just wasnt ready for the sudden ending.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a beautifully told, heartbreaking story that puts a face on what it means to have survived the brutality of Aleppo and journeyed on the long, arduous road of a Syrian refugee. Nuri was a beekeeper in Aleppo. After the death of their son from a bomb and facing dire circumstances, Nuri and his wife Afra make the decision to leave Syria. Their ultimate quest to reach England is plagued with a myriad of obstacles.

Christy Lefteri’s style of writing is lyrical and her portrayal of each character really captures their essence and brings them to life on a spectrum of levels. Learning of the refugees plight sharply contrasts the life my family and I have and makes me so grateful for my life here in America. Like many stories of the holocaust, this is a sad but necessary story that desperately needed to be told.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and Christy Lefteri for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is astonishing, mesmerising, absorbing, overwhelming, heartbreaking, moving, poignant, exceptional. Christy Lefteri has produced a quite incredible work of fiction that extends beyond television news and what is printed in the papers: giving a voice to the men, women and children living amongst the Syrian conflict; humanising the suffering, misery and despair of refugees through excellent storytelling and characterisation; and opening our eyes to the dark reality of war on a much deeper level. The novel, influenced by the author’s volunteer work in an Athens refugee centre and the stories of these families, centres around a beekeeper and his wife. As their lives are torn apart by war they venture to escape from Syria and embark on a treacherous journey through Turkey and Greece toward Britain. This is a captivating book of the darkness in loss and light in human spirit, finding love in the midst of war, the bee symbolising life and hope in a shattered world. Lefteri’s fiction is well researched, written and conveyed, and the author should be commended for utilising the power of storytelling in such a responsible way. This is one of my favourite books of the year and highly recommended.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri is the story of Nuri Ibrahim, a Syrian refugee in England. He and his wife, Afra are trying to claim asylum. As they go through the process, Nuri recalls his life in Syria as a beekeeper with his cousin, Mustafa and the turning point when his beloved country was no longer safe for him or Afra. Mustafa journeys ahead to England and eagerly waits for him there. The story switches back and forth between the present day in England and Nuri’s recounting their journey as refugees. From being smuggled out of the country under the darkness of night to being held as a camp in Greece while their request is processed. Nuri sees the different people who are running from horrors in their home countries. He hears the stories of the horrors they each suffered. He even witnesses horrors himself inside the camp. Will they be safe once again? Will Nuri and Afra be granted asylum? Will they be reunited with Mustafa?
The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a beautiful story of the human suffering that the political warfare creates. A man who lived a simple life finds himself running for his life because he refused to take up arms. He is a man who is battling his own demons and memories as he tries to take care of his wife in a country which looks at them with suspicion. It is a book that needs to read slowly as you take in the scene, the situation and the actions the characters take as they try to survive. According to the author’s afterword, she was inspired to write this story after she was a volunteer at a UNICEF refugee center. Ms. Lefteri truly compares the desperation of the situation as well as the faint sliver of hope that they can live in peace once again. I highly recommend The Beekeeper of Aleppo!

The Beekeeper of Aleppo
is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook