However, with a dash of creative storytelling, she magnifies the society into a dystopian nightmare. The handmaids tale meets the hunger games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Paulls thriller tells the story of flora 717, a bee who rebels against the hives constrictive society. Laline paulls interest in bees began following the death of a muchloved friend who happened to be a beekeeper. Laline paulls the bees plunges readers into an imaginative world where flora 717 is about to develop a mind of her own. An unlikely heroine who strives toward a greater destiny. Built on the foundations of a limitless imagination and flawless. The best thing to come out of reading this book is finding the following. A palpable buzzing noise fills our heads as we turn the final page of playwright laline paull s compelling debut, the bees.
Paull s heart pounding novel wrenches us into a new world. In the playwright laline paulls first novel, her heroine flora is. Discuss the reasons why you think this book was added to the. Laline paull reads from her book the bees during a meeting of vanguard readings in london may 20, 2014. Jul 29, 2014 laline paulls transfixing first novel, the bees, isnt explicitly about the realworld problems that threaten their survival, but the storys inspired imagining of hive life compels. So when i picked up the bees by laline paull and read the summary, i was instantly intrigued. Buy the bees by laline paull from amazons fiction books store. Like her sisters, she is bound by the motto to accept, obey and serve. The bees was short listed for the baileys womens prize for fiction. In the interest of complete transparency, the only reason i left it so long to read it is simply because of the six books that made the shortlist, it was th.
In the interest of complete transparency, the only reason i left it so long to read it is simply because of the six books that made the shortlist, it was the one that least appealed to me. The bees by laline paull sheila jordan july 21, 2015 at 11. The bees by laline paull 2015, paperback for sale online. Paulls book is reminiscent of watership down, the classic 1972 novel that follows the lives of rabbits that talk and exhibit human feelings. Laline paull has written a really great book which i wholeheartedly recommend. By verity watkins london reuters three years ago playwright laline paull began to notice bees in her garden in sussex, southeast england. Accordingly, laline paulls debut novel exploring the life of a honey bee navigating the age of pesticides and suburban sprawl seems welltimed. The penultimate book i read from this years baileys womens prize for fiction shortlist was the only debut featured laline paull s the bees. Paulls clear fascination with her source material brings humanity and warmth to a depiction of the remarkable social world of bees, which is no small achievement. Amazing that that bit of info seems to be a spoiler for some. The handmaids tale meets the hunger games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved queen the only religion. A wildly creative book that resonates deeply for quite a long time. This story creates life, purpose, activities, groups, and human emotion as it applied to bees.
We hope that some of you have managed to read our first shiny book club choice laline paulls the bees. Jul 07, 2015 one thought on july online book discussion. Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive, where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved queen the only religion. With every page i turned, i found myself drawn deeper into floras plight and her immersive, mesmerizing world. The bees by laline paull 9780007557745 boomerang books. Through the analogy of a totalitarian beehive, laline paulls debut novel questions our perception of the world and our humanity.
I knew i had a book when i found out about the laying worker, that one in ten thousand sterile female bees, who suddenly, and for no known reason, start forming eggs in their bodies and become fertile. One of waterstones most enduringly popular book club choices, it earned justifiable comparisons with the handmaids tale with its hybrid blend of dystopia, immersive fantasy. Buy this book dystopia meets the discovery channel in this audacious debut novel. It explores the activities of bees while giving them human emotions and thoughts. This is not your kids bugs life, but a very grownup, compelling drama that includes both sweetness and considerable sting. Superficially, playwright laline paull s debut novel is perfectly conventional. For the most part, paull s alien world of bees is made concrete and tangible.
The hive mind can override personal thoughts and control their actions. The book was recently longlisted for the desmond elliott prize, which celebrates debut. Fiction the bees by author laline paul independent. In august, the io9 book club read laline paull s the bees. The bees is really about a beehive where the bees have been anthropomorphized and talk and shit. The bees 2014 read online free book by laline paull in. Book club discussion questions for laline paulls the bees if your book club has had the pleasure of reading the bees this month youll find some great discussion starters below. The penultimate book i read from this years baileys womens prize for fiction shortlist was the only debut featured laline paulls the bees. The bees is an extraordinary feat of imagination, conjuring the life of a beehive in gripping, passionate and brilliant detail. Laline paull s chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. In the playwright laline paulls first novel, her heroine flora is born into the beehives hierarchy as a sanitation.
The bees was short listed for the baileys womens prize for fiction discuss the reasons why you think this book was added to the short list. Class, caste, and mother love, in a society forty thousand years old. Laline paulls chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. The bees by laline paull is a fascinating look into the most industrious of natural orders, a beehive. This lively work of dystopian fiction lends an interesting spin to topics such as gender politics and police states all by focusing on a colony of bees. Born into the lowest class of her society, flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive.
The handmaids tale meets the hunger games in this brilliantly imagined debut. Jul 09, 2014 for the most part, paull s alien world of bees is made concrete and tangible. The novel encompasses an incredible scope of themes and topics in its gripping, but winding, plotline, although the knowledge of bees that paull packs in is impressive. May 6, 2014 the handmaids tale meets the hunger games in this brilliantly imagined debut. Thrilling and imaginative, the bees is the story of a heroine who, in the face of an increasingly desperate struggle for survival, changes her destiny and her world. Her interest was inspired by the death of a beekeeping friend. How laline paull brought real science into her novel the bees. May 08, 2014 the bees also explains to us the thought that the colony is the creature and that the bees are the cells that make it up. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the bees.
Angie had breast cancer, and she wasnt going to make it. For the most part, paulls alien world of bees is made concrete and tangible. Playwright laline paulls debut novel, a tale of mother courage, conflict and dystopia among social insects, is causing some excitement in the. Brilliantly imagined paulls use of human language to describe this tiny, intricate world is classic storytelling at its finestthe bees boasts a refreshingly feminist spin on fairy talestyle plots.
May 11, 2016 there is a professor at my alma mater who studies animal behavior and social insects, particularly bees. A humble sanitation worker in a struggling honey bee hive in the last remnant of dwindling countryside on the edge of the suburbs, shes one of tens of thousands of sisters all working to support the queen and her entourage, as well as dozens of lazy, arrogant drones. The bees laline paull takes us under the ice waterstones. Goulsons book is one of two new titles by british authors that delve into the secret world of bees. The bees by laline paull 2014, hardcover for sale online. Laline paulls ambitious and bold first novel, the bees, follows flora 717, a sanitation worker doomed by her birth to the lowest caste of her. Thrilling and imaginative, the bees is the story of a heroine who changes her destiny and her world. Described in some quarters as animal farm meets the handmaids tale, laline paulls enthralling story enters the mysterious realm of the beehive the architecture and hierarchy, the rituals, scents and signals. Described as ambitious and beautiful by the telegraph, laline paulls unique debut the bees was one of those books readers just couldnt stop talking about. The bees also explains to us the thought that the colony is the creature and that the bees are the cells that make it up.
Heck, that was the whole reason i wanted to read it an unusual premise is a quick sell for me. If your book club has had the pleasure of reading the bees this month youll find some great discussion starters below. I write books, ive written plays and screenplays and plan to do so again in fact im working on the theatrical adaptation of the bees i work best secluded in nature or in the midst of a crowd of strangers. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. Tracy chevalier, new york times bestselling author of girl with a pearl earring. The handmaids tale meets the hunger games in this brilliantly imagined. She goes so far as to break the most sacred law of the hive, but dont ask me exactly how she did it, because im unclear and it will take some research on my part. Trying to briefly describe laline paulls the bees in order to encourage people to read it seems like an impossible task. Paulls indepth research into the hive culture shines through as she reimagines the queencentric society of the bees as a devoutly religious colony that treats its queen as a god. Sep 14, 2015 book club discussion questions for laline paulls the bees. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the queen. Buy the bees first edition, first impression by paull, laline isbn. A sensual, visceral miniepic about timeless rituals and modern environmental disaster.
Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, the lowliest of the lowly, destined to mutely clean out the hive and dispose of its dead. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy. Jun 11, 2014 writing a novel set within a colony of bees is an ambitious undertaking. How accurate is the behavior, communication and social. A beehive is a place of order, control, maybe even oppression. A thriller set in a beehive, based on real honeybee biology. Paulls heart pounding novel wrenches us into a new world.
Buy the bees by laline paull, in very good condition. Laline paulls ambitious and bold first novel, the bees, follows flora 717, a sanitation worker doomed by her birth to the lowest caste of her community. Mar 11, 2016 the reader quickly becomes invested in the lives of the bees and their various jobs and learn that flora 717, who was born a sanitation bee, wants a better life for herself. Buy the bees by laline paull from australia s online independent bookstore, boomerang books. Laline paull discusses her inspiration for the bees youtube. May 06, 2014 laline paull s chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. The main character is flora 717, who is born into the lowest caste of bees, the sanitation workers. May 25, 2014 laline paulls ambitious and bold first novel, the bees, follows flora 717, a sanitation worker doomed by her birth to the lowest caste of her community. The setting is a fantastical dystopia, the protagonist a plucky heroine refusing to abide by the rules. The bees by laline paull the bees is a powerful tale of what life might look like to a hive member. Laline paulls ambitious and bold first novel, the bees, follows flora 717, a sanitation worker doomed by her birth to the lowest caste. In laline paulls debut novel, the bees, flora 717 is a sterile worker bee from the lowest caste of an orchard hive.
I would say in essence it s a faithful insight into the world of bees, giving you the impression and feel of life in a colony, but with a few details tweaked for the benefit of the story. Listening to her talk about the amazing social order and behaviors displayed by bees has left me with an enduring fascination with these magnificent insects. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Laline paulls the bees is a dystopian book about a hive of bees and focuses particularly on flora 717, a sanitation worker. Our cheap used books come with free delivery in the uk. The bees takes us fully into the world of a honey bee hive, playfully anthropomorphizing the insects while still capturing the bizarre habits, rituals and castes unique to the bee. Writing a novel set within a colony of bees is an ambitious undertaking. Cover and synopsis via goodreads this book, for me, fell solidly in the okay range. Thrilling and imaginative, the bees is the story of a heroine who changes her.