I was excited to get this one. The story line really intrigued me. I love bees.

After reading this one….well…..I’m not sure if it’s suppose to be a YA novel or not. If not….well….it should be (although, there are a few points that felt like a Disney movie…you know when you’re watching a movie with your kid and you both find a part funny….the kid…well who knows why, but you, the adult, get the hidden meanings in a joke)….I can’t really say that I enjoyed “The Bees”. I didn’t hate it….I just didn’t enjoy it. The writing style (to me) seemed very simplified. Although it has over 300 pages, it seemed like it was a very simple story. The main character never seemed to develop. By that, she seemed very naive and childlike….and by the end of the novel, even though she was much older….well, she still seemed very childlike and naive.

I would also like to point out that I’ve always imagined bees as being very intelligent and social insects. This book, in my opinion, portrayed them in one of two ways….blind and brainwashed, always following without question or as complete back-stabbing, evil, vindictive assholes. No in-between….and honestly, there isn’t much to cheer about with either type.

I’m not at all sure that I learned anything new about bees in this novel either….of course, it’s not a documentary on bees…I mean, seriously, even I didn’t believe that bees could talk or anything….it’s just I kinda hoped that I would learn more about these fascinating insects….instead what we have is a story about a bee that changed her bee busy hats on a daily basis…one day she was this, the next day she was something else….often changing back and forth, supposedly from one group to another….

So I feel silly saying it, but the way the main bee jumped about and how one-dimensional the characters were made it a very unbelievable book for me….yea yea yea….I *do* realise that this isn’t suppose to be real…but still…..I like to pretend sometimes and this book just made it impossible to do so…..

and whilst you’re laughing at that last bit, I want you to think back to “Charlotte’s Web”….yea….that’s right….go on and tell me Wilber wasn’t real!!!!!! Go on then!!!!!!!! Pssssffftttttttttt….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now The Bees by Laline Paull