Vox shares 11 questions you’re too embarrassed to ask about magical realism, which provides a good launching point to discuss magical realism. Then came the worst insult: the offer to pay for the Espiricueta children’s schooling. To send his daughters to the charity schools for girls, his sons to the ones for boys….Then she spoke to them about the opportunity to better themselves by learning their letters and numbers…” pg. 127 As a young woman, Beatriz had always reflected on how it would feel to grow old. She observed her mother—old fashioned, elderly, diminished, prudish—and wondered if a person woke up one day saying, This is the moment my old age begins. Starting today, my brain will stop tolerating new ideas, my taste in clothing will stop evolving, my hairstyle will remain the same forevermore, I will read and reread the novels that brought me pleasure in my youth with nostalgia, and I will let the next generation—whom I no longer understand because I only speak “Old”—make my decisions for me, because I have nothing to teach them anymore. I’ll be company for everyone, but little more than that for anyone.” (p. 137)

A fascinating historical family saga with a touch of fantasy / magic realism. A beautifully written & moving story with very loveable characters. 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.

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This book is too long. Partly because it spends way too much time over-explaining everything instead of trusting the reader to not be a total idiot. Over the ensuing years, the family witnesses marvelous events. Some, like the Spanish Flu of 1917, the 1910 Revolution’s land seizures, or a tenant’s jealousy, prove more tangible threats than demonic possession. Through it all, Simonopio repays the Morales’ kindness many times over: tending the ancient woman who rescued him or retrieving young Francisco Morales when he strays. It’s clear that there is far more to Simonopio than the swarm of bees which follows him everywhere – the Morales have a protector with near-supernatural abilities. Beatriz Cortés de Morales: Daughter of a privileged family in Linares whose father is murdered during the war. She who marries Francisco As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can—visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats—both human and those of nature—Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.

And the translation was, to sum up, poetic. Dear Simon Bruni, congratulations! I cannot imagine how beautiful the book must be in Spanish! The Murmur of Bees has some timeless characters. The story begins with Nana Reja who has been a nurse to many children in town, and now lives permanently with the Morales family. Simonopio is found in the fields as an infant and though Nana Reja does not take the role of his mother – Beatriz is his godmother – she has an important silent presence in his life.

Consider The Nightingale or The Trouble with Goats and Sheep if you want to delve into a broader discussion of secrets. Magical Realism What did you know about that pandemic before reading the novel? What did you learn or feel reading the historical fiction account of the pandemic in Linares? Did you find any parallels to Covid-19?

Simonopio’s lifelong partnership with the bees is as sweet as the honey they share with him. The greatest miracle of all, though, is the most elemental, mysterious act of magic early in the novel: the love the Morales family extends to the abandoned infant. The neighbors view the baby with suspicion, but the power of love is transcendent.They keep her busy and real, but imaginative. Without their hustle and bustle, she could not concentrate to write.