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The Murmur of Bees

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The treatment of campesinos, peones, servants, etc. varied from each Hacienda, but the reality is that many were forced into servitude, given very low wages, and exploited. Many became sharecroppers in the hopes of eventually buying off the land they worked (on top of their daily duties), with few becoming successful. There is mysticism and magic woven into the fabric of daily life through the bees that follow and lead Simonopia, through Simonopia’s mysterious disease that saves the family from contracting the flu during the pandemic, and through Simonopia and Francisco Morales Jr’s ability to communicate clearly with one another. Many passages float lightly above reality. The author portrays Anselmo (one of the few indgenous people in the book) as ignorant, machisto, violent, ungrateful, selfish, abusive to his children and a murderer, whereas the light-skinned, wealthy Morales family as the fair and rightous. I have stopped listening, because at the halfway point nothing much has changed and it's either going to happen in the next couple of hours, or at the end, or not at all. The fact that I'm not able to connect with the storytelling halfway in is a sign that I'm most likely going to be even more annoyed if I keep investing. When Sra. Morales moves the family to Monterrey, Nana Reja and Simonopio decide to stay in Linares. Simonopio is supposed to be her godson, who she raised since infancy, but, out of sight, out of mind.

The Murmur of Bees can be described as magical realism, and though there is some magic in Simonopio’s gifts, most of it really comes from Segovia’s enchanting words. She gives rich descriptions, lushly describes both the characters and the settings, so that everything feels alive. The magic is subtle but pervasive, giving the book the feeling of a fairytale. This book is maybe racist. I say "maybe" because I didn't read it very carefully, as I found it so unbearably bad. Maybe there were some sentences/paragraphs hidden in there, in which the book took a more nuanced approach to things. I think the best thing about The Murmur of Bees was the setting, and if the sensory details had been amped up, it might have been a lovely escapist period piece. I think if it hadn’t been so long and tedious, I might have enjoyed it more, but it felt so much like drudgery to listen to that only the prospect of writing this review kept me going. The spiritual monologue in the end didn’t land with me either, because it was delivered by a self-absorbed guy whose emotional maturity is so stunted that he can’t be bothered to visit his supposedly-beloved brother for like 60 years. I’m glad I finished it, because it felt like I’d achieved a difficult and unpleasant chore. I don’t recommend this unless you really love historical family epics (can’t call it a drama, dramas have plot and characters) and you’re willing to overlook a scattered focus, tasteless morality, and unsympathetic characters. El tono humorístico de muchas situaciones de esta historia lo disfruté mucho, reía al terminar la mayoría de los capítulos.

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Death is presented in all its humanity, with sorrow and grief and guilt and even humor in the story of Lázaro rising from the dead and the reflections the living have as they mourn their dead.

I loved this book. It’s one of my all-time favorites. It was touching, unexpectedly insightful, and thought-provoking. It started off a little slow, but by the second half I was unable to put it down. Segovia created an emotionally rich, compelling story that I felt so invested in. There were heartwarming moments and heartbreaking ones, but they were well balanced. The magical realism wasn’t hokey or distracting, but kept a nice air of mystery around Simonopio and his role in the lives of those around him. Also, despite taking place in the time of the Mexican Revolution and touching on the Spanish Influenza pandemic, the story felt timeless and relevant, with some things feeling like they could have been written for today. For those unable to stomach anything pandemic-related right now, just know that it isn’t an ongoing or central focus of the book, though it plays a role in the first half. Simonopio brought six-year-old Francisco Junior to school every morning, and one day, they heard an announcement for a show. A man would sing underwater on the upcoming Saturday, and Simonopio agreed to bring Francisco Junior. That Saturday was also Francisco Junior’s seventh birthday. Instead of watching the show, Beatriz and Francisco insisted that he join his father to plant orange trees on Espiricueta’s plot. Simonopio, respecting their time together, resolved to watch the show as planned. Francisco Junior, in the present, allowed himself to remember the rest of this story as the taxi driver drove him through Linares. Francisco wants to setup some orange orchards by reducing cane & maize on his farms, and travels to California taking Simonopio with him. He trusts his intuition in plant choice and is well rewarded as after a wait period the orchards bloom with bumper harvests. The Spanish Flu ravages the region, and a lot of lives are lost. Carmen & later Consuelo get married and move out of Linares. Further tragedy visits the battered town in a few years when a young girl Lupita is found brutally murdered. Simonopio senses the evil lurking in the area may come next for him & others of the Morales family. Simonopio hopes he and the bees are up to the challenge.

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Aging and its effects on one’s mind and body are shared through both narrators, most especially through Francisco, Jr. I struggled with how Simonopio is supposed to be so grateful that this wealthy family took him in. He shouldn’t complain or want for something better. In the end, Simonopio asks his bees to sacrifice their lives trying to save Sr. Morales and Francisco Junior.

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