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The History of Bees Hardcover – 7 Sept. 2017
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‘Fans of Cloud Atlas and Never Let Me Go will love The History of Bees’ Good Housekeeping
‘Dystopian and electric, this book is set to blow minds everywhere' Stylist
'Haunting and poignant ... an important and wonderful book' Dave Goulson, bestselling author of Bee Quest
In the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this dazzling and ambitious literary debut 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, 1851. 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 honour and fame.
United States, 2007. George is a beekeeper and fights an uphill battle against modern farming, 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—and is kept in the dark about his whereabouts and condition—she sets out on a grueling journey to find out what happened to him.
Haunting, illuminating, and deftly written, The History of Bees joins these three very different narratives into one gripping and thought provoking story that is just as much about the powerful relationships between children and parents as it is about our very relationship to nature and humanity.
Praise for The History of Bees:
‘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
‘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’ Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author
‘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 Into the Forest
‘By turns devastating and hopeful, The History of Beesresonates 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
‘Here is a story that is sweeping in scope but intimate in detail’ Laura McBride, author of We Are Called to Rise
'A brilliant and beautiful novel' Jan Askelund, Stavanger Aftenblad
'She does everything right […] She paints on a broad canvas, the topic is highly important and the language is both comprehensive and precise' Geir Vestad, Hamar Arbeiderblad
'One can easily understand the buzz …' Maria Årolilja Rø, Adresseavisa
'The settings portrayed in the novel are impressively visual and each character is perfectly naturally rooted in his or her own era and environment' Janneken Øverland, Klassekampen
'Maja Lunde will reach a big audience with The History of Bees. (…) She has written a novel many will read in one go, and then sit down and think, about life, the world and the future. That is unique and it is very well done' Annette Orre, littkritikk.no
'The History of Bees is a fascinating and brilliantly written novel that elegantly moves between the various stories and timelines' Oddmund Hagen, Dag og Tid
- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherScribner UK
- Publication date7 Sept. 2017
- Dimensions24.1 x 3 x 16.1 cm
- ISBN-109781471162749
- ISBN-13978-1471162749
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Product description
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : 1471162745
- Publisher : Scribner UK; First Edition (7 Sept. 2017)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9781471162749
- ISBN-13 : 978-1471162749
- Dimensions : 24.1 x 3 x 16.1 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 70,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,169 in Legal Thrillers (Books)
- 7,667 in Science Fiction (Books)
- 10,235 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Maja Lunde is a Norwegian author and screenwriter. Lunde has written ten books for children and young adults. She has also written scripts for Norwegian television, including for the children’s series Barnas supershow (“The Children’s Super Show”), the drama series Hjem (“Home”) and the comedy series Side om Side (“Side by Side”). The History of Bees is her first novel for adults. She lives with her husband and three children in Oslo.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2018
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William and his family live in Hertfordshire, England. The date is 1852. William is a seed merchant and biologist, and obsessed with building a new type of wooden bee hive. His chapters describe both the relationships within his family and the trials and tribulations he suffered in his quest. They make riveting reading and offer a real insight into the period.
George is an American beekeeper living in Ohio. The year is 2007. He owns a bee farm which he is hoping to pass onto his son (who doesn’t really want to know…). In the US, the income from bees is rather more from hiring them out as pollinators than using them as honey producers. Large wagons containing literally hundreds of thousands of bees are trucked around the States from farm to farm pollinating the flowers that produce the beans and fruit. George cannot compete with the largest operators, but he has a viable business – until his apiaries are struck by CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder). His livelihood is destroyed.
Tao and her family live in Sichuan, China. The date is 2098. It is a post apocalyptic world. The bees have long since died out across the globe – destroyed by pesticides and intensive farming. The family eke out a living (as do thousands of their co-workers) pollinating fruit crops by hand. The work is both arduous and dangerous. Their young son suffers trauma one day when they are out in the local woods. They have no idea what is wrong with him, and he is rushed to the local hospital and then, eventually, onto Beijing. Much of the story concerns Tao’s trip to Beijing from the countryside to try and find him, and what has happened to him. A great deal of bureaucratic secrecy surrounds the issue. He is important to the authorities, but she doesn’t know why.
The History of Bees is a significant book. Unless we think about it, and read about it, we probably have no idea how important bees are to our way of life – and how much they are threatened by what we are doing to the environment. We have a duty to future generations.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 January 2018
William and his family live in Hertfordshire, England. The date is 1852. William is a seed merchant and biologist, and obsessed with building a new type of wooden bee hive. His chapters describe both the relationships within his family and the trials and tribulations he suffered in his quest. They make riveting reading and offer a real insight into the period.
George is an American beekeeper living in Ohio. The year is 2007. He owns a bee farm which he is hoping to pass onto his son (who doesn’t really want to know…). In the US, the income from bees is rather more from hiring them out as pollinators than using them as honey producers. Large wagons containing literally hundreds of thousands of bees are trucked around the States from farm to farm pollinating the flowers that produce the beans and fruit. George cannot compete with the largest operators, but he has a viable business – until his apiaries are struck by CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder). His livelihood is destroyed.
Tao and her family live in Sichuan, China. The date is 2098. It is a post apocalyptic world. The bees have long since died out across the globe – destroyed by pesticides and intensive farming. The family eke out a living (as do thousands of their co-workers) pollinating fruit crops by hand. The work is both arduous and dangerous. Their young son suffers trauma one day when they are out in the local woods. They have no idea what is wrong with him, and he is rushed to the local hospital and then, eventually, onto Beijing. Much of the story concerns Tao’s trip to Beijing from the countryside to try and find him, and what has happened to him. A great deal of bureaucratic secrecy surrounds the issue. He is important to the authorities, but she doesn’t know why.
The History of Bees is a significant book. Unless we think about it, and read about it, we probably have no idea how important bees are to our way of life – and how much they are threatened by what we are doing to the environment. We have a duty to future generations.
Each chapter focuses on the story of each era and as you go through the book each story gradually unfolds. Not only is this a story about bees, it is also a story about parent/child relationships, if anything I'd say this is the main focus of the book.
I found it a little frustrating that as soon as I was engrossed in a particular storyline the chapter would change and you''d have to pick up the thread of another era. The author could've quite easily stayed with each plotline a little longer and still achieve the writing style she was looking for. Saying this, the numerous short chapters mean you can zip through this book in no time at all. I found it to be fairly predictable, especially the story set in the future and of the three plot I enjoyed the modern day one more, the characters here were more human and relatable. I also felt that it was a lot of writing for not a great deal of storyline, it is a book where a lot is described and written about, but not a lot actually happens. If anyone disagrees, go back and think about what the book is actually about and what happens in the time spent telling it!
This was well written and had some lovely descriptions in it, the translator must take some of the credit here too. Overall this is a solid 3.5 star book, I enjoyed it as I read it, but I'm not sure I'd reread it anytime soon.
The link between the stories isn't really apparent until near the end of the novel, and even then they remain quite separate and self-contained. I'm not a fan of short stories (compared to novels) and I prefer books where there is one set of characters that you can really get to know and love. So for me, novels with this type of structure are never as enjoyable.
The writing is good quality and its easy to read. I found the storyline with Tao the most relatable and powerful for me, but I also liked the character of modern-day beekeeper George who seemed a very decent man with straightforward ambitions. The relationship between parents and children, and the hopes and dreams that parents harbour for their offspring, is an important theme and the parallels between the stories around that topic adds another layer of connectivity.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it interesting but did not get a strong emotional payoff from it - it was neither very exciting, nor very sad, nor very funny. That's not to say it didn't have value, but I know I'll be hard pressed to remember the plot in a few weeks.






