Contemporary Fiction/Classics

Review of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

May 7, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

So I know that this isn’t a new book – in fact, the novel was published in 1966 I believe. It originally started out as a short story that was published in 1958. But I’ve never read it, and it somehow came to my attention recently, so I picked it up. I listened to the audiobook version of this, which was narrated by Jeff Woodman and I really ended up loving his narration – he did a fantastic job of telling the story through our protagonist’s voice.

THE STORY

So if you haven’t read it, the story takes place in the mid–1960’s and follows a developmentally disabled 32-year-old man named Charlie Gordon, who has an IQ of 68. But Charlie is given the opportunity to undergo a surgical procedure that will supposedly dramatically increase his intelligence. This procedure has already been performed on a laboratory mouse named Algernon with amazing results. Charlie, however, is the first human subject.  So the story is told by a series of progress reports written by Charlie, in which he chronicles everything that happens to him. Via these reports, we see Charlie’s intelligence reach genius levels as evidenced by these progress reports. It was interesting to note slow changes and Charlie’s writing ability increased slowly.

Before and after the operation, Charlie competes against Algernon to complete a maze and initially, Algernon beats him because of course, he is extra-clever thanks to the experimental brain operation. But Charlie is determined to beat Algernon and eventually, he does.

But getting smarter brings some cruel realizations along with it. For instance, slowly, Charlie is able to remember past events in his life and realizes that those people whom he called friends — his coworkers at the bakery where Charlie works sweeping floors and scrubbing toilets — have been making fun of and laughing at Charlie all along.  Disturbing memories of his parents and his home life also resurfaced during this time. And as more of his past become clear, it’s sad when Charlie becomes anti-social, bitter and even resentful, especially toward those who he felt had taken advantage of him.  Throughout this story, it was interesting to ponder what affect Charlie’s intelligence had on his own humanity, especially in his treatment of others. It was also worth noting how Charlie’s intelligence negatively affected his personal relationships.

What follows is a sort of emotional reckoning of sorts, as Charlie tries to come to terms with who he was and who he his now, as he attempts to balance his constantly changing worldview and throughout all, Charlies learns that high intelligence is not without its problems and challenges.

So, finally, because of his genius-level intelligence, Charlie eventually even surpasses the scientists in charge of the experiment and is able to discover what he refers to as the experiment’s fatal flaw.

WHAT I LIKED

I really liked the diary entry format of the story, told completely from Charlie’s point of view.  I also felt that the author did an excellent job of first making us feel sorry for Charlie, then happy for him following the experiment’s success, with those feelings then turning into anger toward him as he lost his innocence, and his kindness — and all of this was done via the progress reports, which I thought was a brilliant device.

In fact, the whole premise of the novel intrigued me. I loved the idea of asking: “What would the life of an intellectually disabled man be like if he could be given genius intellectual capacity?” – and the result as envisioned by the author was not only gripping and mesmerizing but also disturbing if not slightly terrifying.

Another thing that really resonated with me during the story was how Charlie struggled to be seen as a person and not as an experiment. This need of Charlie’s was responsible for his sudden rudeness and ungracious-like behavior in the novel. It was almost horrifying as Charlie discovered that before the operation, people barely considered him a person.  This made me think of how often people dehumanize those who are different than themselves in order to justify their mistreatment or hatred of those people, which lead me at one point to conclude that as a society, in some ways we haven’t come all that far since 1958. This was especially evident when – I believe it was Dr. Nemur — stated something to the effect that he “created” Charlie when they operated on him, implying that he wasn’t a legitimate person before the operation.

In this way, this novel makes the reader perhaps stop and take a serious look at how we treat the other people in our lives or simply people we come across in day to day life.

I also enjoyed the exploration of different levels or kinds of intelligence. For instance, though Charlie’s IQ may have been at genius levels, his emotional intelligence lagged, leading to difficulties in his relationships with women. So while the story was kind of a coming of age or coming into oneself, in many ways it also went hand in hand with the loss of Charlie’s innocence.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Though I felt that this novel aged well since 1966, there are some parts of it that feel kind of dated. For instance, people constantly referring to Charlie as “mentally retarded” which is considered a derogatory expression today.

In fact, I remember a few years ago when the words “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” were stripped from federal health, education and labor policy and replaced with “Intellectual disability.” In any case, today those words are considered not only politically incorrect today but also hurtful and dehumanizing.

What was also jarring was how everyone in the novel smoked, which isn’t a negative of the novel itself — just that in some ways, it was a novel of its time period.  Another thing was that the book was more or less predictable. I pretty much figured out from the get-go what was going to happen though I didn’t know when or how.

Another niggle was that some of the characters could have been developed a little better — namely Fay and Alice. They felt a little flat to me.

I did feel that the novel went out of its way to illustrate how shitty and broken people are. Yes, I realized that it was meant to show society’s bad side, but maybe it went a little overboard in places.

THE VERDICT

Flowers for Algernon was powerful and absolutely amazing, and I’m so so glad it finally came to my attention. Though the book was easy to read, it was at the same time heart wrenching and thought-provoking. It leads the reader to take a step back and ponder several important questions, such as what does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a person? What does it mean to “fit in”?  Though it was heartbreaking and difficult to read in some places, it was insightful and a book that will no doubt stay with me for a long time to come. I really loved this book and ended up giving four stars.

You can check out Flowers for Algernon here at Amazon or at The Book Depository

Review of After the Blue Hour by John Rechy

April 22, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

After the Blue Hour by John Rechy is a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards so I decided to give it a try. Each year, I try and read as many as the finalists as possible.

This book particularly caught my eye as I’ve read some of Rechy’s earlier works City of Night and Numbers in the late 70’s think.

THE STORY

Set in the 1960’s, the story follows a 24-year-old writer named John Rechy who is received a letter from a fan — Paul Wagner – who, after having read some of Rechy’s work, invites him to spend the summer on his private island along with his sensual mistress Sophia and his very strange — if not creepy — 14-year-old son Stanty (who’s real name is Constantine).

A good part of the book revolves exploring the sexual dynamics between John and Paul via conversation. These intellectual discussions often devolve into the retelling of past sexual encounters (mostly consisting of Paul sharing hateful memories about his exes). There are times, however, when it sometimes seems as though the two men are attempting to mask sexual desires.

The conversations take some strange turns especially when Paul attempts to draw John out into discussions of the inherent nature of evil and cruelty and seems to try to get John to admit his own innate cruelty and the pleasure he receives from exercising his power over others.

It doesn’t take us too long to figure out that Paul is not only a master manipulator who wormed his way into money through marriage and divorce. It’s also clear that he loves to indulge in power plays and mind games, especially darker ones, and that he may also be a very dangerous man.

The story is told from Rechy’s point of view and throughout these conversations, we learn of the protagonist’s contempt for both Paul and his potentially mentally unhinged son, which only increases as the days pass on the island. The only positive portrayals are found in descriptions of Sonya’s beauty and as with the others on the island, there is more to Sonya than meets the eye as well.

WHAT I LIKED

This book really tickled my bibliophile bone as books play a large part in the story. John spends the majority of his time Paul’s vast library browsing through books by classical authors, and much of the discussion the two men have on the deck revolves around literature.

There was also the mystery surrounding a book entitled “The Origins of Evil” which was deliberately left out in the library for John to find, but then subsequently disappeared, only to reappear again later on in John’s room.

I also liked the device the author uses of blurring the lines between fiction and nonfiction, by using his own name — John Rechy — as the main character and including his own biographical data.

In fact, Rechy refers to the book as “A True Fiction” and I believed at one point in the book he referred to his writing as autobiographical fiction. Whether it means that the story is fiction with a few autobiographical elements thrown in, or whether the novel is autobiography but some overly exaggerated truths is up to the reader to determine.

If I recall, Rechy also says something to the fact that: all fiction is autobiographical, and all autobiographies are fiction.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Though Stanty was a bit strange, the reader also got the feeling of possible neglect and abuse as the hands of his distant, manipulating father, which may explain some of the boy’s strange behavior.

I disliked the extreme misogynistic views of Paul, and his excessively vulgar misogynistic rants became tiresome and offensive after awhile.

The first time he let loose with one of his rants it succeeded in providing shock value and adding a grittiness to the story. But these repeated tirades lost their effectiveness and provoked disgust at the continued usage of his hate speech.

Because of the bitter feelings of the Island’s owner toward woman (including his mistress) and our protagonist’s ever-growing dislike for his hosts, I found the atmosphere of the novel growing more and more toxic as I progressed through it.

There was a feeling of seediness to it that kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

Truth be told, I didn’t like any of the characters, including the protagonist John Rechy, so it’s difficult to have positive feelings about a novel when I felt that none of the characters where deserving of those feelings. They were not only damaged and messy, but I found them wholly unlikeable and completely unrelatable. Especially Paul — I him to be a vile human being.

I was only about 50 pages from the end of it and I thought about throwing in the towel and bailing on it. But I figured I was so close to the end and had stuck it out this far, I needed to finish it. Plus I was hoping that this “huge climax” which was promised at the end of the book would be worth it. It wasn’t. The big event was more cruel and degrading, rather than climatic and explosive, in my humble opinion.

FINAL VERDICT

There is no doubt that Rechy is a master at turning a phrase and this novel was no exception. It was beautiful written and evocative in places — and excessively vulgar and graphic in others.

That being said, it did contain elements of suspense, intrigue, love, desire mystery, and human relationships but most of this was presented through the guise of conversation between the sundeck and the bar.

In other words, not a whole heck of a lot happens in the book. The characters were interesting, especially once their backgrounds were revealed and so was the setting, but I don’t feel that there was a lot here that will stick with me now that I’ve closed the last page.

Additionally, the novel does take the reader into some pretty dark, gritty and uncomfortable places, which may be difficult for some people. And because of the continued hate speech and near pornographic actions of the characters, I found the novel difficult to read as I related less and less to the characters and to the story.

So I would have to say that this book was not for me and I ended up giving it 2 stars.

You can check out After the Blue Hour here on Amazon or the Book Depository.

Review of Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

April 21, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I feel like it’s kind audacious of me to attempt to review a classic like The Catcher in the Rye. But I decided to give it a go nonetheless.

This was a book a remember starting to read in school but for some reason never finished it. I figured that it probably was a boring, overly wordy classic like many of the others that come to mind. But boy, was I wrong!

The Story

The story follows and is narrated by 17-year-old Holden Caufield how has just been expelled a few days before Christmas break from yet another boarding school, this time, Pency Prep for poor grades.

Given that his parents won’t receive the letter for several days yet, Holden decides to lay low for a few days before heading home to face their wrath. Now Holden is kind of a misanthrope – at times he seems to be disgusted by humanity while at other times, he’s fascinated by it.

Holden shares with us his encounters with teachers and fellow students of Pency, and in so doing, he definitely doesn’t hide his dislike of people who are fakes and pretenders, or, as he would say, phonies, which in a way makes him seem older and more mature than his age.

So after an altercation with his roommate, Holden packs up and leaves the school in the middle of the night, and with money in his pocket, takes a train to New York and checks into a somewhat sleazy hotel. Holden then tells us what he did during his last day at Pency and the few days following his departure.

Through his first-person narrative, we learn about his oldest brother D.B. who’s living in California, his younger brother Allie who died when Holden was thirteen, and his little sister Phoebe. It’s funny that he hardly even mentions his parents — but perhaps in not mentioning them, he is actually saying something very important about his relationship with them.

What I Liked

This is the perfect example of voice in writing — it felt like I was hearing these words right from the mouth of Holden and I have to say that reading this book brought out my inner fifteen-year-old. There were certain parts of the book where I caught myself laughing out loud hysterically at his running commentary, his exaggerations and hyperbole, and his unique insights about the world, all peppered by his use of colorful language.

I just thought his descriptions and comments were so rich but they were also quite interesting and captivating.

I know there are plenty of people who hate his character and personally, I don’t get it. Maybe it’s just that I found his juvenile humor and his candor refreshing — and really, really funny. I love Holden Caulfield’s personality and how straight to the point he is, often shockingly so. Yes, he’s blunt, pessimistic and a tad crass but some of what he says is actually quite wise.

Now I will say that if you’re offended by the word “goddam” (his spelling, not mine) then this book definitely is not for you because, probably second only to “bastard”, this was one of Holden’s favorite words.

It also tickled me to no end how he was always putting on his crazy red hunting hat and asking everyone where the all ducks went when the lake froze in the winter. I thought his red hat was a wonderful reflection of his offbeat and unique personality.

Though some people might find Holden to be spoiled and more than a bit affected, I think more than anything else he’s misunderstood, especially by the authority figures in his life. It’s clear that he’s not only disappointed by the world around him, but he may be possibly depressed as he begins to see what the world is really like. Trying to understand Holden Caulfield is no easy task.

He has recently lost a brother and appears to be disillusioned — if not let down by the people who are supposed to be role models. He’s desperately trying to find his way in the world and is often confused by his own ever-changing feelings, sometimes hating his friends one second and then loving them a few moments later. In fact, he once asked himself “What am I, a madman?”

Given that he’s at that awkward stage between childhood and adulthood, he’s also ambivalent about his sexual feelings, perhaps fearing that partaking of that act would thrust him into an adulthood that he’s not ready for.

Feeling more and more alienated and lonely, he calls up old friends in an attempt to find someone who makes him feel, as he describes it, “not so depressed”. Ultimately, however, every one he contacts let him down in one way or another.

Now he’s a spoiler, so if you haven’t read the book, you may wish to stop here or scroll down to the “Final Verdict” section.

Okay, you’ve been warned.

At some point — I can’t pinpoint exactly when — the tone of the book turns from lighthearted and humorous, to more and more serious as Holden’s emotional state begins to unravel. At some point, I felt like I was reading the story of a boy who was in the process of going through a nervous breakdown.

And I think I was right. At the end of the book, Holden mentions how he got sick after he went home, and how “this one psychoanalyst guy keeps asking me if I’m going to apply myself in September.” He also says, “I could probably tell you…what school I’m supposed to go to next fall after I get out of here” which certainly indicates that he was institutionalized at the end of the story, but whether he’s referring to a mental institution or a hospital we can only guess.

I personally suspect that his grief over his brother’s passing and the reaction of his family surrounding that event may have had a serious impact on him. Of course, that’s just my speculation.

What I Didn’t Like

To be truthful, I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like. Oh sure, I could get on my high horse and say that I found the cursing utterly offensive. But that would be a big ass lie. On the contrary, I found it to be a brilliant part of Holden’s character and its usage added to the story, rather than taking away from it. But again, if cursing offends you, then this may not be the book for you.

The only thing I disliked was that the novel was too short — I wanted more.

Final Verdict

I think that one of the reasons this book may be a classic is that it’s timeless. Though it was written in 1951, it feels fresh, as though it could have been written yesterday and in it, I feel Salinger expertly captures the mind and essence of a teenage boy, whether it be one in 1951 or 2018. The prose was beautiful and left me wanting more.

In summary, I loved, loved, loved this book and in my opinion, it’s a masterpiece. I don’t know why it took me so long to read it.

Holden was so real to me in all of his crassness, his jumbled meanderings, his random musings, his digressions, his improper grammar, his obsessive need to lie about everything (especially his name) and his general confusion about life.

I was so sad to see this book end and in leaving Holden, felt as though I were saying goodbye to a dear friend. Yes, I will definitely be rereading this one, probably several more times. This was truly a fun book to read, and I gave it 5 stars.

You can check out The Catcher in The Rye here at Amazon or at The Book Depository.

This was transcribed from a video review on my YouTube channel “Roger’s Reads”.

Review of the Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden

April 5, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I recently finished a book entitled “The Bear and The Nightengale” which I absolutely loved. This is a novel based on Russian Folklore and is a dark fairytale based on a variety of creatures, gods, and household spirits. The story takes place in the 14th century and follows Vasilisa Petronova, a spirited young girl who has the “Second Sight” as did he mother, who passed away when Vasya was born.  The girl is a bit of a rebel and not one for following rules. She is also able to see a variety of household guardian spirits such as the Domovoi who helps clean the house and assist with the mending, spirits of the forest, and spirits of the stables.

Oh, she can also communicate with horses. People in the story regularly comment on her wildness, some villagers calling her a wood sprite, others a witch.

One day her father returns from Moscow with a new wife, Anna, who is extremely devout and strict. Anna forbids her family from honoring and providing offerings for the household spirits.

Once the people of the village stop making offerings to the spirits, bad things begin to happen: Crops fail, food sources dwindle, children of the village sicken and then die, and evil creatures of the forest begin to draw nearer.

Soon we learn that a beast, known as the bringer of storms, has awoken and is escaping from the control that his brother, Morozko, Lord of Winter has over him. Morozko is also referred to as “The Frost Demon.” Soon a battle will take place between the two brothers and Vasya has to call upon her innate gifts — gifts that she has hidden from everyone — in order to protect her family and her village from the newly awakened threat.

I found it fascinating to read Vasya’s interaction with the spirits and how she integrated herself more and more into their world. Vasya was badass! I loved the strong, bold, rebellious heroine and found myself falling in love with her more and more as the story progressed.

Headstrong, confident and a bit rebellious, I feel that she provides an excellent role model for young women. Though she wants to please her family and tries to do what’s “proper” for a young lady, she is also not big on rules and desires freedom above all else — freedom to be the person she is meant to be, which of course, create some major conflicts in the story. In so doing, this amazing character succeeds in outsmarting both men and demons.  She did not allow anyone to harness her into a stifling domestic life typically required of a young noblewoman, nor put her behind the walls of a convent which was where those who didn’t “fit in” were sent — especially those who refused a life of subservience to a husband.

Another thing I liked was the world building — it was was amazing! I felt that the world that Ms. Arden created in this story was magical, captivating and compelling and also dark and dangerous. And the detail that went into the storytelling made it real for the reader — or at least it did for me.  The prose is beautiful, incredibly imaginative with vivid descriptions, a truly magical plot and a huge array of interesting and complex characters. This was a perfect fairytale, complete with spirits, demons, a wicked stepmother, tensions between modern religion and the old gods, Russian History and even the walking dead.

Now I will warn you that the first half of the book is basically heavy world-building and backstory so there is not a whole lot of action that goes on. In fact, I almost bailed about 20% of the way in. I listened to this book on audiobook and I was about 2 hours in and I considered DNFing this book as not a lot was happening. However, I’m so happy that I stuck it out.

This bewitching novel was a pure joy to read. This is a captivating and haunting story, dark at times, humorous in others. This is a combination of a historical fiction, fairy tale, Russian mythology, Russian folklore and a coming of age story, and in my opinion, was exemplary storytelling.  I really loved the otherworldly, fairytale aspect to it and found it enchanting in every way. I was completely and totally enthralled by this book. I’ve heard people refer to this book as a fairytale for grownups, which really nails it in my opinion. I’m also glad I read this in the middle of winter because this was a perfect winter read.

It was an enticing story with a complete and gratifying conclusion. I understand that there is a second book that continues this story, which I definitely will be reading. Recommended!

You can check out The Bear and The Nightingale here on Amazon or The Book Depository

Review of The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

February 1, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

One of the reasons I belong to my book club (called “The Book Bags”) is that I get to read a lot of books that normally would not cross my path. Our latest read, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain was one of them.

Introducing – Hadley

The genre of this book is historical fiction, told from the point of view of Hadley Richardson, who became the first wife of Ernest Hemingway. It’s worth noting, however, that the author did an incredible amount of research while writing this story and had access to correspondence between Hadley and Ernest along with other historical source materials.

The Roaring 20’s & The Elite

The book recounts their time in Paris during the 20’s as they hung out with folks such as Gertrude Stein and Alice Tolkias, Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Erza Pound and many more interesting and zany characters of high society. The book takes us to fashionable Paris cafes, violet bullfighting in Spain and calm villas in Italy. The Paris scenes were my favorite though (perhaps being a former French teacher may have something to do with that) and I love reading what felt like a first-hand account of Paris life during the Roaring 20’s.

The book was evocative of the time period and while reading, I felt at times as though I were really there. It made me think of the movie “Midnight in Paris” when Owen Wilson time-travels back to the 20’s and ends up partying with the Fitzgerald’s among others. But I digress.

The Betrayal

The Paris Wife is told from Hadley’s first-person point of view as she struggles to fit in with a crowd that has little in common with her traditional values, while at the same time trying to remain supportive of Ernest’s work and dark moods. This is an intimate novel and by the end of the book, I felt that I knew Hadley so well I almost considered her a dear friend by the end of the book —— and when Ernest and Hadley’s friend Pauline betray her and heartlessly flaunt their affair in front of her, we can’t help feeling devastated right along with her.

The Verdict

Like I said, this isn’t normally the type of book I’d pick up on my own but I’m so glad I did. The author did a masterful job of telling Hadley and Ernest’s story. It’s a riveting emotional character-driven tale of passion, intense love, uncertainty, regret, heartbreak and ultimately, self-discovery. Ms. McLain has crafted a riveting novel with an exquisite amount of atmosphere yet with a steady mounting sense of impending doom. But Hadley comes out of it empowered, realizing finally who she really is once she steps out of Ernest Hemingway’s shadow.

This was a moving story and well worth a read, especially if you’re familiar with Hemingway’s work or enjoy novels set during this time period. But even if you’re not a Hemingway fan, The Paris Wife has plenty to offer and it kept me interested until the end. The author did a commendable job of portraying the larger-than-life Hemingway through the eyes of his wife. Recommended!

You can check out The Paris Wife HERE.

Review of The Bees by Laline Paull

November 24, 2014 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Our Mother who are in labor
Hallowed by they womb
Thy Marriage Done
Thy Queendom come
And then the life everafter
~ Prayer to The Queen Bee

The bees cover

Last month, my book club read a book entitled The Bees by Laline Paul. I’ve heard of The Bees given that there’s been plenty of of buzz about this book as of late (Get it? Buzz! Buzz!) but it wasn’t on my TBR list. Now one of the reasons I belong to my book club (other than getting out of the house) is that so I read books that I normally wouldn’t pick up – to make me step outside of my comfort zone. The Bees definitely did that.

What I Didn’t Expect

First off, The Bees is a fiction book – it is not a study about the life of bees, though the reader does learn plenty about the life of bees and the hive hierarchy.

The book opens with people talking about a beehive in the back yard. Then, the book completely switches gears. The rest of the story is told from the point of view of an overly large – and exceptionally talented – sanitation worker bee named Flora 717. I waited, expecting that the point of view would switch back to the humans. It did not until the final closing scene of the book. As I began reading, a realization struck me: This book is not going to be about humans. There aren’t going to be any humans in this storyline at all. It’s going to be about bees, told from the point of view of a bee.

How Interesting Is The Life of a Bee?

I will say that initially, I was skeptical. I mean, how interesting could the life a worker bee be? Buzz Buzz. You’d be surprised! And I was – surprised and pleased that instead of a boring read about bee, I found an original, rich, engrossing book – and even an enjoyable book – in The Bees.

So What’s It Really About?

The novel investigates the life of a beehive and in so doing, unravels the following themes: politics, religion, freedom, independence, fanaticism, conformity, power, environmental influences, big government, defying authority, police brutality and more. There’s even an attempted coup at the end. Sounds riveting, no? It was!

Accept, Obey, Serve

Above all else, there were three rules to live by in the hive mind: Accept, Obey, Serve and we hear this mantra repeated over and over until it becomes deeply ingrained in each bee’s psyche. This kind of made me think of a dystopian society ruled by one ruler for they often use such matras to control their followers (subjects). The Capital in the Hunger Games comes to mind.

There was also another rule, one that must never be broken under the penalty of immediate death: Only the Queen may lay. Guess which rule gets broken?

Verdict

If you don’t particularly care for books that anthropomorphize critters, then this book may not be for you. However, if you enjoy dystopian books or think you might enjoy a read about the inner workings and drama of a beehive told from the point of view of a special, headstrong, independent bee, then it’s definitely worth a read. From what I know about bees, it’s obvious that the author definitely did her homework in portraying the intricacies of hive life.

I enjoyed this fascinating, well-written characterization of honey bees and am glad I read it. I found it innovative, intriguing, suspenseful, original and at times, humorous and page-turning. Who knew that a novel about the life cycle of bees could be so interesting? And who knew that I would enjoy reading such a book? I know that I’ll never look at a bee in quite the same way. I would have loved to have seen a map of the hive as an attachment to the book. I must say that now, I’m a bit intrigued.

I give it five buzzing stars out of five!

Want to find out what all the buzz is about? Check it out