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By: WHAKA 011
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2026-03-16 14:34:05 |
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Apart from one reader, everyone enjoyed this book. Interspersing bee information with a story meant that the book did not become a tedious reading of the facts. We all learned a huge amount. |
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By: WAIKA 004
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2026-01-08 12:05:39 |
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Everyone "enjoyed" this book, in spite of the dark family events. The characters were vividly depicted. especially the grandfather. We also learnt a lot about bees and honey-making. A bonus! |
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By: BLENH 007
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2025-11-07 16:21:42 |
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It was felt that a child wouldn't be able to recognise complex emotions such as those between parents and grandparents. Maybe with the hindsight of adulthood, these feelings were written about. |
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By: HAMIL 007
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2025-08-28 09:36:36 |
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Overall, we quite enjoyed the book and particularly its bee-lore. The story’s arc seemed at times a little pat and contrived, particularly in relation to the lessons and strength she says drew from bee society. We thought Meredith’s redemption was down to her grandfather and his qualities. He did let her down badly on one occasion but overall he was her guide and strong supporter on her journey. The book ends with a plea for recognition of the ecological and environmental role of bees. Their biological importance is undeniable and perhaps this is the book's most important message. |
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By: PALMN 034
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2025-06-16 10:33:29 |
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A very informative book about bees, and a heart wrenching tale describing May's life with her mentally unstable mother. |
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By: WESTO 001
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2025-04-14 15:52:04 |
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All but one enjoyed this book, describing it as an easy and interesting read and generally a good story. One member did not like it at all, felt it was contrived to fit into bee life experiences and not enough explained about circumstances of main characters. ie: mother's obvious mental illness. |
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By: NELS 028
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2025-03-19 14:06:36 |
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Great book. Everyone in the group liked or loved it. Well-written and well researched. A lot of discussion around Question 4 about music/memories/emotions. |
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By: NEWP 023
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2025-02-20 09:40:01 |
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We all loved the book, for the learning about the amazement that is bees, intertwined with the sad and hard childhood story of the author. Would highly recommend. |
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By: PAIHIA 001
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2024-11-24 11:39:51 |
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Great book, chosen by a member who is not with us any more, and so we enjoyed it even more I think. It is a lovely coming-of-age story and the bees are fantastic. Very easy read. |
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By: DUNED 059
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2024-10-29 23:14:03 |
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This was the overall group favourite from the year’s booklist. |
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By: JERV 001
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2024-08-05 12:55:59 |
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An outstanding book - the view of us all. |
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By: AUCK 255
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2024-07-25 22:02:53 |
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Bees are a secondary character in this book and we loved learning all about them together with Meredith. A fantastic memoir with full credit to Gramps for being the hero. |
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By: LOWER 022
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2024-06-30 19:59:41 |
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Generally an enjoyed read by the group. Painful family subject matters but woven in nicely with the information about bees. Particularly loved the contrast of the relationships Meredith had with her Grandfather and mother. A few tears were shed! |
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By: AUCK 236
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2024-06-25 10:40:06 |
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Such a great book! |
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By: HOKITIK 004
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2024-05-26 09:54:03 |
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We all read and enjoyed the book, a poignant memoir highlighting the interdependence humankind needs to thrive. Weaving the metaphor of bee life into the complexities of relationships was clever and all the more affecting due to its autobiographical angle. Much discussion and further research into the life of bees has been generated. |
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By: BLENH 010
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2024-05-11 15:03:28 |
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All enjoyed the book very much and there was good discussion about relationships but particularly about bees. Most of us had little knowledge of bees so it was a great learning experience . It was interesting to learn that Meredith continued to work with bees into adulthood. |
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By: NELS 061
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2024-05-06 12:13:06 |
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A delightful read and reflection of a childhood saved by the bees! |
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By: PALMN 029
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2024-03-30 13:42:51 |
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This book was well liked (even loved) by our group and brought out discussion of both people and bees and the effect they have on our lives. Some people didn't realise it was a memoir and felt as a book of fiction it fell short, so knowing it is a memoir makes a difference. Hoping we can all have a Gramps in our lives. |
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By: CHCH 446
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2024-03-06 10:05:17 |
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Enjoyed by most of the group All the bee "facts" very interesting. Memoirs of dysfunctional families can be depressing but the loving relationship with her step grandfather made it very readable. |
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By: LITRIV 001
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2024-02-14 09:30:25 |
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We all learnt a lot about the fascinating life of bees and beekeeping. The interweaving of the family story made it an easy and enjoyable read. |
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By: CHCH 312
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2023-11-20 13:21:37 |
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We all really enjoyed this book and learnt a lot about bees. The story was very well written with richly worded sentences and language. We loved the grandfather and the care he gave the children. He was a well developed character. |
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By: NAP 034
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2023-10-01 10:31:49 |
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Everyone in the group enjoyed the facts about bees and how the author was able to link the life of bees to the life of the main character. Some of us did not enjoy the story as much. However, this was one of our most enjoyed books this year and lots of members found it an engaging read. |
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By: CHCH 317
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2023-07-24 11:33:03 |
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An exceptional story (an autobiography) about the author's family life and how she managed to cope with her severely depressed mother. The relationship the author had with her grandfather and his bees provided the stabilising that she needed. A thought provoking book with a wonderful insight into the bees' lives. The group loved it. |
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By: HANMER 001
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2023-07-09 11:16:37 |
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We all read and loved this book even though it is very sad. I just loved the information about bees. Just imagine if we behaved like bees and worked together and if we are not doing our job we are out. They are so caring and so amazing. Some people loved the characters. We all would recommend it. |
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By: PALMN 006
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2023-06-22 12:37:34 |
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This was probably our most popular book of the year. Everyone enjoyed it and it was a fascinating account of bees and how they lived, but also of a childhood with a depressed mother. |
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By: NAP 024
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2023-03-13 10:38:22 |
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A very interesting book enjoyed by all members. It was surprising to learn how many members had been brought up with a hive in the garden. |
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By: PALMN 019
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2023-01-25 10:34:02 |
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Nicely expressed. Some thought it felt like two separate stories. |
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By: LOWER 019
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2022-12-04 22:00:43 |
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We all loved this book, easy to read, we loved learning details of bees and enjoyed the absorbing story. |
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By: CHCH 487
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2022-10-19 13:24:17 |
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We thought the story was beautifully crafted; the bee facts were cleverly interwoven and always relevant to the author's life, so they never became dry. We reflected on how one person can have a profound impact on someone's life and be the difference between a new start and history repeating itself. Our group have read some excellent biography/memoirs through BDS (where fact is often stranger than fiction) and this is definitely one of them. |
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By: WELL 134
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2022-10-10 14:36:01 |
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We all enjoyed this book - found it easy to read with a good balance of Meredith's story of her young life, balanced with the life cycle of the honey bees. We appreciated the love and care their grandfather (step) gave to the two children in his lovely, practical fashion, but we also felt compassion for the children's mother and her inability to recover from her divorce. Have recommended the book to other people. |
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By: ASHB 004
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2022-08-01 12:14:59 |
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We all loved the book. The story of the bees fascinated us, with the parallel story of Meredith discovering the importance of working together and family - wonderful. |
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By: AUCK 335
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2022-07-04 11:48:34 |
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Everyone enjoyed this book and some loved it. A few thought there was too much detail about bees but we all learned something about these amazing creatures. Discussion focused on the family relationships and the harm passed through generations with the element of hope brought about by May's relationship with her grandfather and his bees. Easy to read. |
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By: PUKEKO 001
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2022-06-02 18:45:21 |
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Mixed opinions on this book. Some of us were captivated by the information about bees. Others were disappointed that the book didnt focus more on the family dynamics. It helped to remember that this was a memoir. A couple of people felt that the recollections of 5 year old Meredith were more adult like than could be expected of a child of that age. We all warmed to Merediths grandfather and the influence he had on her life. |
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By: MAST 013
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2022-05-16 11:56:26 |
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A good read. Bees are fascinating creatures and we now know more about them than we ever thought possible! Childhood was hard for Meredith, but her grandfather and the bees were a calming influence. |
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By: MATUA 001
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2022-05-11 14:42:44 |
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We all enjoyed the book. Loved all the stories of the bees - none of us realised it was a memoir until the end! |
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By: WHAKA 021
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2022-03-10 09:25:46 |
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Some found the volatile relationship within the family was very sad. Great story telling about the bees. We all learnt so much about bees one of us wants to take it up as a hobby. Too much of the book was spent on May's youth, and more should have been spent on her adult years. Easy read overall. |
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By: NEWP 022
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2021-11-01 11:43:55 |
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This book generated a lot of discussion around the intergenerational relationships, and we all loved the relationship May had with her grandfather, but also struggled with how May and her brother were treated by her mother and grandmother. The facts about bees were too much sometimes but overall most enjoyed learning more about bees. |
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By: RICH 007
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2021-10-18 14:09:33 |
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The majority of the group really enjoyed this book. They learnt a lot about honeybees and the story evoked good discussion. A few felt that what the author said she felt as a young child, was more adult than a child would think at that age. Overall an interesting book. |
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By: ASHB 024
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2021-09-20 14:39:12 |
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Enjoyed very much by all of our group. Should be read by all ages. |
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By: WHANGA 002
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2021-09-17 12:36:52 |
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There was quite a discussion in the Group re the grading of 'The Honey Bus'. Everyone enjoyed reading it and felt much more knowledgeable about honeybees and their habitat. Whilst half of us feel that the author had been successful in combining the world of bees with her childhood recollections, others were not as interested in the emotional aspects of the story. Our discussion was dynamic, touching on much from our own growing years. |
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