I don't really have pictures on my desk unless they remind me of the characters. While I wrote Miss Benson's Beetle, I had a photo of two women on my desk who traveled together. I loved the way they stood together - one looking at the camera, the other staring into the distance. It was the inspiration for the photograph described at the end of the book. But it was also an inspiration to me - to keep trying to honour and capture that spirit. The ending is sad but fitting. Margery loses something important to her but gains something precious she never knew she wanted. Delightful.

The premise may not sound the most compelling, but it didn’t take long for Enid in her frothy pink and her pom-pom sandals and Margery in her boots and pith helmet to worm their way into my heart. I loved seeing them discover their worth and take charge of their lives in an era when gender roles were strictly confined. When we hosted Rachel Joyce for an Ask Me Anything, curious readers wanted to learn everything from what her writing space looks like, to how she develops her characters, as well as the setting of this heartwarming, exotic odyssey: New Caledonia. stars for this incredible surprise of a novel! I pretty much went into this book blind. I’ve never read this author but there was so much buzz around Goodreads that I had to grab it. I am so glad I did! If you like an adventure and well-developed characters, this is the book for you. Q: When the idea of Miss Benson’s Beetle came to you, did you conceive the plot or the characters first. Also, out of Margery and Enid, which character did you imagine and flesh out in your head first?

Rachel Joyce weaves an emotionally moving, magical, offbeat historical adventure novel set in the 1950s, a post-war drab and colourless Britain of shortages and rationing, of two widely different women that appear to have little that could possibly connect them, embarking on a entomological trip in search of the mythic rumoured golden beetle in the Grande Terre, and the New Caledonia archipelago. The large 47 year old Marjery Benson is an unmarried woman working as a teacher, her shoes falling apart, a constant target of her class, until one humiliation too many has her walking out, taking with her the stolen boots of the deputy head. When she was 10 years old in 1914, her beloved father sparked a life long passion, an obsession for etymology, beetles in particular, more accurately the elusive golden beetle. However, that day is a bitter, tragic and despairing memory as news of the loss of Archibald, Hugh, Howard and Matthew, all her brothers, proves to be too much for her father as he commits suicide. Rachel Joyce: Yes. I think it is. I think it's part of the need for us to keep trying to understand what we don't know. To keep pushing boundaries. And mistakes are so important. As I meant to say earlier - but failed to (another mistake!) - I make so many mistakes in my writing. It is only by exploring what doesn't work that I find what might.

In the meantime, they are being followed by a former soldier who endured the horrors of the Burmese march and imprisonment by the Japanese. He is broken physically, mentally, and spiritually. Having psychotic episodes, he presents a danger to himself and others. Also, in the storyline, are British wives leading frivolous lives in the capitol, one who is targeting our two explorers. The characterizations are creative, entertaining, and diverse. It begins with the two main characters, who are markedly different, and continues with each chapter as new and interesting characters are introduced. Rachel Joyce’s wonderful 2012 debut, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, was about a man who walked 600 miles to see an old friend and found comfort and wisdom on the way. Its follow up, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, told the story of that friend, a woman who was dying having missed out on something in life. Miss Benson’s Beetle is also a pilgrimage of sorts, this time made by Margery Benson, one of a stifled generation of “leftover women” who are marking time in the aftermath of the second world war.Defying all the odds, they embark on their madcap journey and endure many hardships and dangers along the way. Their adventure is zany enough to require the reader to suspend some disbelief, which is not easy for me, but in this case the characters won me over. However, it’s not all fun and games, as there are some darker elements at play. I’m just saying, I was not really expecting you to come all the way to the center of the Pacific. You’ve been so stodgy, so, well, mediocre, I didn’t think you had it in you. But you did make me laugh when you made that mad exit from the school where you were teaching. You were a bad ass, doing something totally unlike you, and I was stunned and laughing. Go, Margery, go! From Rachel Joyce, the bestselling author of THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, comes MISS BENSON’S BEETLE, a hope-filled and joyful story about two unlikely women on the journey of a lifetime. I don’t think I had this much adventurous escape enjoyment other than in the beginning (first 10%), when I was in bed-‘feeling-lousy’- and tired of feeling weak….. She put down the camel and the bird, and she followed him. She would have stood on her head if he'd asked.

Don’t miss this one! Marialyce and I have had a string of disappointing reads and dnf’s but this is the first fiction book in a while that we both loved. What is more perfect than to read a book about friendship with a friend?

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This beautifully and flawlessly written story is one of the most enjoyable and heart-warming stories I have ever read. The richness of the story comes from the evolving relationship between Margery and Enid, two women who could arguably not be more different in life experience and outlook. As they endure hardships and conquer obstacles, they both learn more about themselves from each other, and learn to like the updated versions they find as they grow. And they become reliable friends to one another, an experience new to both. Personally, I came to love them both. The two attract a menacing character, who is sad more than evil. He’s a POW from WWII, and Joyce does a fabulous job of reminding the reader of the horrors of war, both economicly and emotionally. This character adds a dramatic feel. Q: This isn’t really a question but I just wanted to say that Enid made me love and appreciate life and be more grateful for everything. Thanks for writing such a lively and brilliant character! ❤