Review of The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

Hello Readers,

A book about bees does not normally feel like a book that I need to run to the store and buy right away, but when I saw the stunning cover on The History of Bees by Maja Lunde I thought that maybe a book about bees might not be so bad. It makes me a little sad that my pictures are not doing this cover justice. It sparkles when you turn it in the sunshine. I am so excited to shelve this book on my book shelf because it will look so pretty. It might outshine the books sitting next to it. 

The cover is not the only thing fantastic about this book. The story pulled me in instantly. I started reading it late at night and when I had to put the book down for the night I was so disappointed because I wanted to just stay up and read all night. The story focuses on three main characters. One character is in England 1852, another in the United States 2007, and one is in China 2098. Words that kept coming to my mind while reading this book are seamless and beautifully interwoven. This story took me to a future that completely fascinated me. A future without bees where workers are tasked with the job of hand pollinating fruit trees. The book starts out in China 2098 and I am so glad the author wrote it that way because that is what got me into the story instantly knowing that something in the world has collapsed and now they are trying their best to survive this dramatic change in nature. United States 2007, was the story of a bee keeper farm in rural Ohio. He knows his future lies on the small backs of his bees and he just hopes that when it’s time to harvest that the bees will provide what he needs to support his family. England 1852, William has completely self combusted. He has chosen a mundane life that is killing is passion. In an attempt to regain his self esteem and passion for life he attempts to build a new type of bee hive. 

One of the things I loved about this story is that it taught me how important bees are to our world. I had no idea that without them our world would basically collapse. This book takes you on a journey into a dystopian world, the science and biology of bees, and what human strength can accomplish. Basically it combined all the things I love about a book of fiction. A story I don’t know anything about that is well told from a fascinating perspectives. 

The book jacket compares this book to Station 11 and I do agree with that comparison. Although personally I enjoyed this book more. I would recommend this book for readers who enjoyed Station 11. Also for readers who want to see what happens when an important element in the world disappears. 

Overall rating - 4/5 Stars

Thank you to Touchstone for generously supplying me with a review copy of The History of Bees by Maja Lunde. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

Hardcover: 352 pages

Release Date: August 22, 2017

Publisher: Touchstone

ISBN-10: 1501161377

Happy Reading,

Rachael