Hour of the Bees
Written by Lindsay Eagar
Narrated by Almarie Guerra
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
What does it mean to be fully alive? Magic blends with reality in a stunning coming-of-age novel about a girl, a grandfather, wanderlust, and reclaiming your roots.
Things are only impossible if you stop to think about them....
While her friends are spending their summers having pool parties and sleepovers, twelve-year-old Carolina-Carol-is spending hers in the middle of the New Mexico desert, helping her parents move the grandfather she's never met into a home for people with dementia. At first, Carol avoids prickly Grandpa Serge. But as the summer wears on and the heat bears down, Carol finds herself drawn to him, fascinated by the crazy stories he tells her about a healing tree, a green-glass lake, and the bees that will bring back the rain and end a hundred years of drought. As the thin line between magic and reality starts to blur, Carol must decide for herself what is possible-and what it means to be true to her roots.
Readers who dream that there's something more out there will be enchanted by this captivating novel of family, renewal, and discovering the wonder of the world.
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Reviews for Hour of the Bees
95 ratings19 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5After reading what others reviewed about this book, I felt pressured to give it more than two stars. But I did anyway because I just didn't like the book and don't believe my students will enjoy it. I found the tree story boring even through I recognize eloquent, heart felt writing. I really didn't like any of the characters except Carol. And I didn't like how she was made to feel guilty because she wanted to be called Carol instead of Carolina. Your name is a personal thing.
The main character, 12-year-old Carol (not Carolina, she insists) as she and her family relocate for the summer to her grandfather's ranch in New Mexico. The reason for going to this desolate ranch in the unforgiving desert is Serge. Serge is Carol's father's estranged father. Serge has spent his adult life on his sheep ranch and now he is slowly progressing into dementia. As the family cleans, mends, and preps the property for sale, and move Serge into a facility, for some reason her grandfather takes to Carol and no one else. He explains their family history to her for the first time. Her parents had not embraced family heritage. The ranch has been under a hundred year drought but as soon as the property is listed for sale and Serge is in his new surroundings, the rain comes. Nice. Also, just before Serge takes his last breath, Carol's father gets a sudden jolt of family and decides to keep the ranch and move the family there permanently. This was all just to convenient for this reader to handle. I don't think the sequel would go well for a citified family with two teenage daughters living in the middle of no conveniences with 30 skinny sheep to care for. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Part fable, part tug-at-your-heartstrings. I thoroughly enjoyed this magical realism novel.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hour of the Bees really excels at bringing the atmosphere to the forefront of the story. New Mexico desert in a drought, right from the start you feel the dry oppressiveness of the environment and the slightly desolate nature of it. The 'magical realism', that new-ish genre tag that, from my view, is being highly overused doesn't really describe this book. While there are definitely a few moments that are a departure from pure empirical reality, I feel like those moments are just a device here to allow Eagar to slip into a fog of prose that drags the story along. The focus on the relationship between Carol and her grandfather shows the symmetry of life's transitions (from child to young adult and adult to old age) nicely and they have some touching moments together, but for me it wasn't as emotionally impactful as it could have been. Overall a sweet, sometimes sad, and ethereal book. If you're drawn to any of the elements (coming of age, elder aging, dementia, desert atmosphere, heritage tales, sparse magic). particularly you will probably love it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Carol is on the verge of becoming a teenager and starting Junior High, but finds herself spending the summer at her grandfather's old ranch house as her family prepares to move him into an assisted living facility. Alone and losing his grasp on reality, Serge finds a kindred spirit in Carol before she even knows it. While labouring to prepare the ranch for sale, Carol learns about her family's past, and why she hadn't spent time with her grandfather until the very end of his life.Initially I was unsure about this book, but was quickly won over. The magical moments and stories which bring together Serge and Carol are absolutely fascinating, and make what could have been a very dark book into one with some hope. The characters are fascinating and believable in their decisions and behaviors. Author Lindsay Eager has made a difficult topic into a realistic but magical story. The ending is a bit over-the-top, but really fits well with the overall tone of the book.I would highly recommend this book for both young teen readers, all the way up to adults. It's a surprising page-turner and very satisfying read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Poignant. Atmospheric. Lovely. Lindsay Eagar has written a compelling first novel. Twelve year old Carol finally meets her grandfather and they forge a strong bond born in cautiousness. One that blossoms amid some strange and some sad experiences including "Once Upon a Time" stories, magic and harsh, stark reality. I loved it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I chose this book from the early reviewers choices because it was different from what I usually read and sounded like it had several interesting story elements to make it an interesting read. I enjoyed a lot of this book, specially the relationship that grows between Serge and Carol (Grandfather and Granddaughter). This is the one thread that kept me liking the story. The situation of having to put a loved one in a nursing facility from the view point of Carol was a good one to consider when you realize what these places look like to the one who is going to live there. I found this to be very realistic. I also enjoyed how he helped Carol see how important family heritage is. Many young people today do not have extended family close and don't experience that connection. As a YA book I expect many parts to be simplistic but there were a few things I found that really were not plausible. Like the fact that the bees that were in the closet did not make any mess or leave some kind of honey chamber and the family dynamics seemed thrown together and a bit choppy. I am not really a picky reader so I could over look them and get on with the story. The magical stories that Serge shares make the book have more dimension and are very enjoyable. Over all the book kept my interest and I liked the ending so I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about heritage, family divisions and misunderstandings, and a little bit of mystery.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar is a beautiful book in every way. Carolina and her parents, half sister, and little brother leave Albuquerque to spend the summer preparing her grandfather's ranch for sale. And her grandfather Serge for life away from the only home he has ever known. When the first arrive, Carolina, who prefers to go by Carol, was none too pleased. But that summer, magic happened. Or rather, magic came bace to the ranch and the land around it. Love can do that. Oh, and there were stories, lots of stories, because what else is life? Our own story, twined around the stories of those whose lives touch outs.Carolina is a girl filled with love, with magic and she soon becomes filled with the stories of the land and her family. This book resonated with me in so many ways. I will remember the stories for a long time to come. And the bees, because the bees are part of the magic.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book caught my eye at the library. I was in the mood to read a book about a family. In this book the family had three generations represented. The family came full circle when it was dealing with life and emotions. I enjoyed this family from New Mexico. I enjoyed the role that the bees played in the story. I thought Carolina came of age very well.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought the language was lovely. However, the faults in the premise kept niggling me, even in the best parts of the book. The premise that bothered me was not the magical realism. I actually thought that was beautiful.What bothered me was the idea that there's an old (old) man living alone on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, who starts getting dementia, and someone notices. The man has no car. There's nothing to indicate that he has any contact with anyone off the ranch. But somehow there's a doctor who is so concerned that he calls the man's son (who hasn't spoken to his father in 12 years, since his mother died), and says that the old man must be moved to a nursing home immediately. And then the son decides that he has to uproot his entire family (including his two children, who have never met their grandfather) and they're all going to spend the summer on the ranch caring for the grandfather and fixing up the ranch house. In the middle of nowhere. In a drought. Except it turns out that no-one is surprised when the buyers are just going to tear the building down anyway, because who wants a who-knows-how-old ranch house in the middle of nowhere, no matter how clean it is, anyway?So yeah, that bothered me. In the few moments that I was able to ignore that, I found the story of a tween girl getting to know her grandfather and listening to his stories of love and magic and really coming to care about him (and the ranch) quite nice. Niggle niggle.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The beginning of Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar is ordinary enough. Carol and her family are off to her grandfather Serge's ranch in the middle of the desert. Grandpa has Alzheimer's disease, and they plan to spend the summer at his ranch, packing up the house and preparing it for selling. Grandpa will be moved to a nursing home.Everything is perfectly normal until Carol sees a bee in this place where it hasn't rained in a hundred years. Grandpa asks if she has seen any bees, because the bees will bring back the rain. You wonder along with Carol if this is his dementia speaking. And there are Grandpa Serge's stories which leave Carol and the reader questioning what is real and what is fantasy. Nothing is pointed out to the reader directly. The story is simply told, and you begin to notice things along with Carol. You also see the tight bond form between them, even as his mind deteriorates. This story is so enchanting and interesting. There are some very intense issues covered: a bullying older half-sister; old tensions between Serge and Carol's father, Raul; dealing with a family member with Alzheimer's. I identified with the Alzheimer's story line, since it brought back my own memories of my family caring for my great grandmother, who suffered from dementia. The main themes of remembering your roots, life, death, and living keep the story engaging to the very end. The book doesn't preach about what it decides is important, but rather allows the reader to think about what is happening. There are so many opportunities for discussion from this story.I think the characters were well-developed and the scenes are so well described you can feel the oppressiveness of the drought ridden land and how it affects the family and the animals on the ranch. The only downside in my advanced copy was a number of proofreading errors that tended to pull me out of this beautifully woven tale. I'm sure that will be fixed before the book is released. I highly recommend this book. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As Carolina comes to learn about the grandfather she never knew she had, she deals with life as a 12 year old coming into her own
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carolina is skeptical about the summer she and her family are about to spend at her grandpa Serge's ranch, getting him ready to move to a home for those with dementia. She finds she has a surprising connection with Serge and the story he tells about a magical tree, village, and a love story. She begins to wonder how much of the tale is truth and how much is lore. I wonder about the appeal to middle schoolers of this family tale woven with magical realism.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This title is already getting a bit of Newbery buzz and it's easy to see why. It is a strongly crafted story with a quirky grandpa, a funky family, and a big change for a young girl. I'm glad I didn't know about the magical realism element ahead of time because that usually stops me in my tracks.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Carolina's grandfather lives alone on a remote ranch in New Mexico. His health is failing, and Carolina and her family spend the summer at the ranch cleaning, packing and getting reading to move grandfather Serge to a nursing home. He does not want to leave the ranch where he has spent his entire life, and tells Carolina stories about the land. Strangely, although rain has not fallen there for 100 years, bees are trailing Carolina.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hour of the Bees was a delightful read! A touching story of family, love, loss and hope. This was magical realism at its finest.Remembering your roots and the importance of those who came before is weaved wonderfully through a backdrop of family tragedy. Equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, this was one of the best books I've ever read. Hour of the Bees was utterly relatable and absolutely magical. Everyone should read this!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A moving story of a girl discovering family and meaning, Hour of the Bees will have a tear in your eye by the end.Carol wants to spend the summer with her friends and being part of the “in”crowd, but she must go with her family to her Grandpa’s ranch in rural New Mexico. The entire family must get the house and land in order for sale so that Grandpa (Serge) can move into a facility for people with dementia. Carol finds Serge to be a bit crazy, talking about bees and telling a story about people who live indefinitely because of a tree. The story is intoxicating and Carol begins to question the fiction when she is constantly swapping at bees. If the bees return, water can return, and the 100-year drought can end. It all seems fantastical, but there’s much that indicates the Serge speaks truth.Carol is surrounded by non-believers. Her father has refused to see his father in years because they had a falling out over his mother. Carol’s mother is busy with helping and cooking, which surprises and delights Carol to find such a talented mother. Carol ends up babysitting most of the time to give mom and dad work time. Serge seems to know what’s going on more than he doesn’t, but his mind is definitely beginning to slip away, so Carol questions his stories but grows very close to him. Alta is Carol’s step-sister who is most concerned with herself and does little to help. As Carol grows closer to Serge, she finds herself instead of finding her identity her social group as she had previously. He calls her Carolina, a good Spanish name. She begins to hear more Spanish and eats Mexican food that is homemade. It’s a new world that she didn’t know was her world.The novel dips its toe into the Mexican culture, mainly by using Spanish words here and there. What makes it reflect Latin culture is Serge’s story, which always begins, “Once upon a time, there was a tree.” The story of the tree is beautiful; this is where Carolina finds her roots and her self. The end must come and with the end, a tear must be shed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carolina is forced to spend her summer with her family helping ready her grandfather’s home for sale. Carol hasn’t had much contact with her dad’s father and at first she is put off by his gruff manner and his Alzheimer's. But she gradually becomes charmed with his stories of a lake in the desert, a healing tree, and bees that will bring the rain. I picked up this book at BEA and decided to take it along with me to New Mexico last week solely because the story is set in New Mexico. I was amazed to find a book for kids with thoughtful writing, intriguing character development, and beautiful magic realism.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5HOUR OF BEES by Lindsay Eagar is a poignant, multi-generational, coming-of-age story set in the New Mexican desert.While her friends are enjoying the summer, Carolina is visiting her grandfather’s ranch in the desert. In this desolate setting, Carolina gains a new perspective on her family heritage and connections with the land through her grandfather’s stories.Aimed at middle school youth, librarians will find an audience among children who enjoy realistic fiction along with a touch of magical realism. Fans of Pam Muñoz Ryan and Laura Resau are likely to enjoy the connections to Mexican cultural heritage. Multi-generational themes have been popular this year and this title is an outstanding example. Published by Candlewick on March 8, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.5 Magical realism for the YA crowd. Carolina (Carol) and her family are spending the summer at her grandfather Serge's ranch in rural New Mexico. This is the summer before she starts junior high and she would much rather be with her friends. She says "I measure time with changes." (194) "I snap my fingers, just to see how fast a second is. Things change that quickly. If only I could have bottled up that moment and saved it for when I needed it -- but moments can't be stored or repeated. They are lived once, then gone." Serge is succumbing to dementia, so the task is to get the drought-burdened ranch into shape to sell and to put Serge is the Seville, a home for the elderly. Carol's father Raul has not had a very good relationship with Serge and so the family doesn't know him well and they barely remember Rosa, their grandmother. Carol's mother, her older, glamorous step-sister Alta and baby brother Luiz (Lu) are part of the family effort to get things in order. Serge fixates on Carolina, as he insists on calling her, to honor "her roots" and because she is the spitting image of Rosa. It is to her he tells his stories, and at first resistant, she later becomes his advocate and helper as he seeks his own way of getting things in order for his death. His stories center on the tree that gave the village life (immortality?) and safety and water for many generations. Carol initially sees this as part of his dementia, but when characters named Sergio, Rosa and Raul are introduced, she begins to wonder if there is some truth to it. "Bees bring the rain" he tells her and she has seen bees buzzing around, but no one else notices. He also talks about Rosa's wanderlust which spread to the village and led them all to dismantle the tree bit by bit to take some its protection with them. When her closet is unlocked and items from all over the world are filled wall-to-wall, again, Carolina begins to see the truth in the story. She is desperate to learn the end before her Grandfather's end. He is the one who stayed fearful of the wider world. His parting words: "Do not be afraid to die and you will not be afraid to live." The tree's demise was the cause of drought and Carol wants to be the one to renew it. The ending gets a little far-fetched even for magical realism -- Carol steals Alta's car to spring Serge from the Seville and drive 3 hours in pouring rain back to the ranch so he can see the drought has ended....but the resulting transformation and the relationship they develop are real enough and give Carol her sense of roots before she moves into a bigger world in the Fall. Beautifully conceived and mostly a smooth read if you are willing to suspend belief and become part of 2 stories.