The History of Bees - by Maja Lunde (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published in hardcover in 2017 by Touchstone.

Book Synopsis

"Imagine The Leftovers, but with honey" (Elle), and in the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this "spectacular and deeply moving" (Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author) literary novel follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship to the bees--and to their children and one another--against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis.

England, 1852. William is a biologist and seed merchant, who sets out to build a new type of beehive--one that will give both him and his children honor and fame.

United States, 2007. George is a beekeeper fighting an uphill battle against modern farming and the impacts of global warming but hopes that his son can be their salvation.

China, 2098. Tao hand paints pollen onto the fruit trees now that the bees have long since disappeared. When Tao's young son is taken away by the authorities after a tragic accident, she sets out on a grueling journey to find out what happened to him.

Haunting, illuminating, and deftly written, The History of Bees joins "the past, the present, and a terrifying future in a riveting story as complex as a honeycomb" (Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author) that is just as much about the powerful bond between children and parents as it is about our fragile relationship to nature and the interconnected fate of humanity and bees.

Review Quotes

"The History of Bees is spectacular and deeply moving. Lunde has elegantly woven together a tale of science and science fiction, dystopia and hope, and the trials of the individual and the strengths of family."--Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE and SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN

"As a lover of honeybees and a fan of speculative fiction, I was doubly smitten by The History of Bees. Maja Lunde's novel is an urgent reminder of how much our survival depends on those remarkable insects. It is also a gripping account of how--despite the cruelest losses--humanity may abide and individual families can heal."--Jean Hegland, author of STILL TIME and INTO THE FOREST

"By turns devastating and hopeful, The History of Bees resonates powerfully with our most pressing environmental concerns. Following three separate but interconnected timelines, Lunde shows us the past, the present, and a terrifying future in a riveting story as complex as a honeycomb."--Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author of ALL THE UGLY AND WONDERFUL THINGS

"I once sat sheltered while a swarm of bees the size of a house flew over me. I wish readers this same cone of isolated, humming space when they read Maja Lunde's fine novel The History of Bees. Here is a story that is sweeping in scope but intimate in detail. Stepping lightly between a 19th century British naturalist, a contemporary Ohio bee farmer, and a determined mother in a dystopian future China, Lunde dares to imagine the chaos our rapidly changing world invites, while finding order and hope in individual acts of care." --Laura McBride, author of 'ROUND MIDNIGHT and WE ARE CALLED TO RISE

"When you think of coming to tears over a novel, a story about bee keepers and honey is not your first thought. But such is the genius of debut novelist Maja Lunde that her tale of three eras--the long past, the tenuous present and the biologically damned future--is strung on the fragile hope of the survival of bees. Without ever banging an apocalyptic drum, Lunde paints an achingly pure picture of what happens if we fail to protect the bees, our biospheric conscience, our fragile, sacred spinners of gold."--Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author of THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN and TWO IF BY SEA