From a beguiling voice in Mexican fiction comes an astonishing novel—her first to be translated into English—about a mysterious child with the power to change a family’s history in a country on the verge of revolution.
From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little … bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can—visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats—both human and those of nature—Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.
Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.
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This is now on my short list of all time favorite books. Like others, I was a bit hesitant at first. The opening did draw me in, but left me thinking “Hmm, weird, what’s this all about?” But it didn’t take long after to be hooked by the characters, the setting, the history that was woven into this wonderful story. It had a magical quality for me, but not in a fantasy kind of way. I started slowing down my reading half way through so could savor it. I just didn’t want it to end!
THE MURMUR OF BEES by Sofía Segovia is beautifully written but puzzlingly slow. Based on the publisher’s hype, I expected something plot-driven. As exquisite as this book is, it is not that.
The official blurb describes an infant who is found under a bridge, deformed and abandoned, covered by a blanket of bees. This child has the ability to see the future and thereby save good people from illness, political scourge, and personal ruin. And there are good people in this book.
We know, because we’re taken deep into the minds of many of them, as well as into the minds of an evil one or two. Characterization is one of the book’s strong suits.
Another strong suit? The historical elements, including the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, the Mexican revolution and its agrarian land reform, which summarily stripped wealthy landowners of their property. This is all written with breathtaking detail and color – and the writing is, I believe, the very greatest strength of the book.
There’s just too much of it. The story of the child and his bees gets lost in minute descriptions of characters, places, and events. If you read this book for a window on Mexican history, culture, and people at that time, it’s a five-star winner. I simply wanted to know more about the boy.
THE MURMUR OF BEES is great historical fiction. But I would recommend reading it, rather than listening. As fitting as the two narrators’ voices are to the prose, their presentation is pensive to slow.
It was a bit difficult to get into at the beginning, and I wasn’t sure I could finish it, but I soon found myself drawn into the story and I could picture the characters in their time in history. I thought it was a quite an interesting story and I could not have guessed the ending.
A book in the tradition of Carlos Castaneda. What a magical world the author has created. Simonopio is a character of incredible appeal and complexity.
Another book with magical realism I enjoyed, so maybe I’ve found a genre I won’t shy away from in the future. This story is beautifully told, which isn’t always the case in translations. Many themes of life’s slings and arrows are portrayed against the backdrop of the Mexican revolution and the flu pandemic of 1918, to name a couple time settings.
Recommend for readers who appreciate slow-burning character-driven stories.
The Murmur of Bees is the first book I’ve read by Sofia Segovia. I’m a fan of this talented author’s work. This story is beautifully written, one interwoven around several characters, a landowning family’s struggles, triumphant, loves, despairs, and tragedies. Patience, this story climaxes with pain, tears, acceptance, change, and a reconnecting of values and love.
I highly recommend The Murmur of Bees!
Best book I read during the pandemic. Takes place in northern Mexico and is historical fiction. Somewhat supernatural, too. Memorable characters and beautiful writing.
Really great story
The Murmur of Bees is a difficult one to put words to and I won’t do it justice. While I was reading it, I was easily lost in the story and the Morales family but when I had to put the book down I was not in a rush to get back to it. As a result it took me much longer to finish then normal and I think that was a very good thing. I was able to fully absorb it – the emotion it brought out and really concentrate on the story which builds and builds to its beautiful ending.
I loved the main characters of Beatriz, Francisco and especially Simonopio. A baby abandoned but welcomed and loved by a swarm of bees as their own and unquestionably by this adoptive family. A boy without words but with so much to say, a quiet intelligence and fierce protectiveness for those he cares for. The imagery that Sofia Segovia creates throughout the story, but specifically with Simonopio is extraordinary, richly textured and her writing is beautiful and has a rhythmic or lyrical quality to it that really brought the narrative to life for me. This is a sweeping family saga that starts just before the Spanish flu devastates the area, lives through the revolution and constant threat of attack, follows the struggle to work a land that is both nourishing and unforgiving and sees this family through tragedy/celebration, life/death, love/hate. It’s a heavy, emotional read which I recommend.
This is a beautifully written story of love, loyalty, and family. Highly recommended.
I loved it. The author did a great job keeping the reader engaged and wanting to finish it .
A beautifully written book, translated from the Spanish, set in northeastern Mexico not too far from Monterrey. The vivid characters are richly portrayed during a period that spans the 1918 flu epidemic and the Mexican revolution. The swarm of bees that watches over the cherished foundling with his remarkable personality and abilities becomes a beloved presence throughout the book. There is much to learn historically within the geography, culture, and customs of the place and time.
I loved this book.
This is a beautifully written historical novel, underpinned by magical realism, which runs seamlessly through the narrative. From an intriguing start with the discovery of a tiny, disfigured child, covered in bees, the story of the rich, landowning Morales family that takes him in as one of their own begins to unfold. Set in Mexico in the early part of the 20th century, this well-crafted novel follows the family’s fortunes through the Spanish Flu and the ongoing Agrarian Reform. The bees who protected the boy, Simonopio, are an integral part of the story, of his life as he grows into adulthood and the of the land in which the story is set. A truly magical story.
There’s only one thing to say when you finish a book and tears are rolling down your cheeks and they are not tears of sadness or joy, but tears from the sheer
bliss of witnessing the beauty and nobility of our lives . You say- ”
Now that’s a book.” Segovia has written the best book I’ve read in years.
An interesting read that weaves fiction and a portion of history we don’t often read about very well. I really enjoyed the characters, though it takes some time to figure out who some of them are, once you do you’re even more hooked. A bit of a slow read, but very well written and worth it.
This was just ok. I was looking for more when I read the ratings.
I found this book to be beautiful in revealing the strength of ties between people of such different social and economic levels.
Loved the descriptive writing style and character development
Just did not care for the story.
It didn’t go anywhere so I gave up 40% in.