Publisher: Amazon Crossing/ Brilliance Audio
Published: August 16, 2019
Source: Personal Copy (print & audio)
Summary:
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 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.
My thoughts:
After reading, and loving, Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia, I knew I had to read more by this author. I saw that a book friend was doing a buddy read for this book and I jumped at the opportunity to join. Unfortunately I ended up missing the book chat, but I loved the book all the same.
This author has such a way with words and I was completely mesmerized by the story. I decided, even though I had the print copy on hand, to listen to it and what a great choice that ended up being. The narration really made the book come alive. It does start off slow, but once you get into the story, you become so invested with the characters that you don’t even realize the pacing.
The story does jumps around a bit, switching timelines and characters, so at first it seems a bit jarring, but trust me when I say to just go with it. It will eventually become clear where the story is heading but you don’t want to rush it. It’s one of those stories that you really need to just let unfold as it comes and trust that it will all come together when it needs to.
This book is set during the Mexican Revolution and the Spanish Flu epidemic. I think this is the first book I’ve read about the Mexican Revolution, so I found that part to be quite interesting. I’ve read other books set around the Spanish Flu, though none set in Mexico. Reading this while experiencing our own pandemic made it a little more relevant, and I loved seeing how the family handled that as well as other issues that they were faced with.
It beautifully weaves history and fiction with just a touch a magical realism to create a story that you cannot help but be affected by. It’s a story about love and loss, family and trust. I definitely foresee myself rereading this one at some point because I know there is more to take away from this book than I got from just one reading.
Audio thoughts:
As I mentioned above, I ended up listening to this one and was blown away by the narration. Xe Sands and Angelo Di Loreto did a fantastic job bringing this book to life. Their accents, pacing and intonation were spot on for this book and I just loved the way they gave voice to the characters.
