Comments (33)

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Sep 22, 2022Aliceharrill rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Great Summer Read for Beekeepers The Bees by Laline Paull (a novel) On vacation there is nothing like a summer novel: easy to read, with action, adventure, sex, and violence. For beekeepers and the general public both, Laline Paull’s…
Jul 07, 2021kathylock rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
The story seemed out there to me and wording is repetitive.
Oct 07, 202023305016881787ccc rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book takes a fascinating view of of the delightful helper of all plants, the buzzy bees. They are always buzzing around, people praise the bees for their hard work, but shriek when a bee land on them. The book follows the unique bee…
Aug 03, 2020NMostacada rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This was such a weird and good read; totally not the thing I normally go for but it was worth it. Flora 717 is a sanitation bee which means it’s her job to clean, however, she different than the other sanitation bees because she is able…
Oct 30, 2019forbesrachel rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
In a world both foreign and recognizable, Flora 717 is born. As a sanitation bee, little is expected of her. She will clean and remove the dead, and like all bees she is expected to "Accept, obey, and serve." But something is different…
Oct 06, 2019LPL_LeahN rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The heroic tale of Flora 717, a lowly worker in an orchard hive, blends a transportive narrative with fascinating lessons in the biology of the bee, their complex social hierarchy, hive mind, etc. As well as how we're killing them all with…
May 06, 2019ryner rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Flora 717 is a newly-hatched honeybee within an orchard hive. Born into the sanitation worker class, but noteworthy among her lowly colleagues due to a mutation enabling her to speak, she is noticed by a priestess who introduces Flora to a…
Feb 11, 2019robinandrews10 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Such a moving, relevant, fascinating perspective on sacrifice and motherhood. I came across this book shortly before becoming a mother myself and this book has become very special to me. What an excellent novel.
Sep 04, 2018lpreston214 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A fun read kind of like Animal Farm or Watership Down only with honey bees. Even though the bees are anthropomorphized like crazy, there are plenty of bee life facts in the story. Yes, some of it is kind of humorous: bees arguing, power…
jplante825
Jul 01, 2018
Great quick summer read. The story is centred around a low-caste bee named Flora. Due to her size and intelligence, she quickly moves up the ranks and in doing so, also causes her own set of problems throughout the story. It is an…
Mar 02, 2017Dub rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Watership Down it is not. It is good juvenile literature with a simple tale and some interesting bee facts.
Aug 16, 2016wendyjotaylor rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Immensely enjoyable read, although scientific facts do not seem to get in the way of the story line. Our heroine, Flora 717, gave birth not once but thee times by immaculate conception! But awesome descriptions of sensual delight. A…
Aug 08, 2016Blue_18 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Interesting read but skip the Epilogue and it's a better book.
Aug 03, 2016TomatoMama rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I was completely satisfied with this tale of a bee named Flora. Throughout this story, I was introduced to the communal experiences of apiary life and the culture of the hive. Well-fleshed protagonist and a beautifully told novel. I would…
Jul 12, 2016
This book is very detailed in ways that is fascinating and very true; this book goes through the hive's daily activities and includes many of the problems the bees face. The story is very gripping, just as things turns grim the bees finds…
Jun 17, 2016Ndmartin35 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I think the concept of this novel is interesting and having studied animal behavior, most of the bee behavior is pretty accurate, if adapted to make the story better. An interesting read, especially if you're into nature, behavior, or bees!
Jun 01, 2016rebmartin31 rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
In full disclosure, I am terrified of bees, so I was already going out on a limb here with this book. That said, I think this was just too weird/avant-garde/experimental fiction for me. This is about as unconventional a narrator as you…
Jan 22, 2016BWilsoned rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
It's a story of royal intrigue: the queen rules with overpowering love while her advisors meddle with the working class, enforce laws with a brutal police force, and secretly plot to secure the royal line. A plucky young heroine breaks…
Jul 22, 2015
Watership Down meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this dystopian allegory that tackles class struggle, social conformity, and totalitarianism, all from within a beehive. Flora 717 is born into the lowest social strata of her hive, but there’s…
Mar 31, 2015LindaDeeBaker rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Highly enjoyable, with food for thought. We need our honey bees for pollination, and as far as I can tell thus far the jury's still out on why they're disappearing, with more than one or two likely suspects. May this book raise…
Mar 11, 2015kwsmith rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book is a highly engaging and imaginative blend of nature documentary and fantasy novel. The story is told from the perspective of Flora 717, a lowly sanitation bee born with unusual skills. As Flora's storyline unfolds, Paull teaches…
Feb 27, 2015axeman rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I couldn't possibly describe this book in a few lines. If you are tired of reading the same old thing, you might want to try reading The Bees. It is a powerful, unique story that I won't forget any time soon.
Feb 18, 2015swan_road rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Bees is in the tradition of Watership Down. If you read it, I recommend you don't read any reviews -- just fall in.
Feb 06, 2015samdog123 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is a very different piece of fiction...whoever thought that an interesting book could be written about a bee hive--but here it is! Flora 717 is a sanitation worker but seems to possess unique qualities that get her noticed by the…
Cynthia_N
Oct 07, 2014Cynthia_N rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The Bees is an odd but intriguing story. When I was little I loved reading nonfiction books about ants and bees and this book (while fiction) gave me back that wonder. It's hard to explain why I so enjoyed an adult book written from a…