The Murmur of Bees

Paperback, 461 pages

English language

Published April 15, 2019 by Amazon Crossing.

ISBN:
978-1-5420-4050-1
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5 stars (2 reviews)

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 …

4 editions

Wonderful magical realism

5 stars

I do love reading Latin American magical realism novels! I know the genre isn't to everyone's taste, but if it's to yours then I would highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy of The Murmur Of Bees to read this summer. I can't comment on the original Spanish, but Simon Bruni's English language translation kept me glued to every page of this historical epic. Segovia weaves the story of a cleft-lipped boy, Simonopio, who has a strange affinity with bees around the genuine happenings in Mexico throughout the 1910s and beyond. This is very much the tale of a family, not just one person, and I appreciated the point of view changes which allow readers to observe events from varying perspectives across the years. Simonopio is a wonderful creation. He is an almost silent boy due to his disfigurement, yet I could completely believe in the relationships he establishes without the …