We plan to feature a wide range of genres, from non-fiction, fiction, children’s, even cooking. “The Honey Bus” by Meredith May is out now in HQ hardback, ebook and audio book.This is the first in a series of book reviews in the Oxford Observer being produced in cooperation with the staff at the Oxford Lane Library.Įach review will be written by a librarian or staffer, giving you some insight into one of their favorite books.
I don’t think I’ll ever look at bees the same way again.
It’s such a change from the glut of up lit/unreliable narrator/family secret fodder circulating at the moment.īeautifully descriptively written it’s the perfect book to read in summer with a gentle buzzing all around you.
This is a satisfying book on all those levels, but in others, too.įor one thing it’s original. Grandpa is the perfect balance to this: always there for Meredith, always knowing the right thing to say and do. I found myself just as distraught when a disaster befell the hive as when Meredith’s mother inflicted yet another cruelty on her offspring. There’s her mother’s story, hinted at throughout as we wonder why she’s so damaged - a question that becomes more acute as Meredith goes back to visit her blameless father.Īnd, of course, there’s the bees’ story. There’s Meredith’s story, of course, and I had to keep reminding myself that this isn’t fiction. No explanation.Īnd then Mom sinks into a depression, takes to her bedroom, and abandons the children to their grandparents’ care.įortunately, Grandpa, a wonderfully warm and wise man, keeps bees - and encourages Meredith to become his shadow, helping with them and learning about them.Īnd as he teaches her about the community of the hive, the different bees and their roles, their dances, so she learns about life. Her mother uproots her and her younger brother from the family home and takes them across the States to stay with their grandparents. It’s the story of Meredith, beginning when she’s five. I’d been hooked by its gorgeous cover and the tagline: “A memoir of loss, courage and a girl saved by bees.” This was probably the extent of my knowledge about bees before I picked up “The Honey Bus” by Meredith May. Sign up to our Weekly newsletter Subscribe to our magazine for more great content Fiction Ed Shirley is enchanted by “The Honey Bus” by Meredith May.īees.
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