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The Death of Bees

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 3,789 ratings · 778 reviews

A riveting, brilliantly written debut novel-a coming-of-age story with the strong voice and powerful resonance of Swamplandia! and The Secret Life of Bees—in which two young sisters attempt to hold the world at bay after the mysterious death of their parents.

Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither...more

Hardcover, 311 pages

Published January 2nd 2013 by Harper (first published March 1st 2012)

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Mar 26, 2013 Will Byrnes rated it 4 of 5 stars

What on earth is happening to the bees? They say it is an ecological disaster, an environmental holocaust. Every day I wonder what the blazes can be causing this abuse of our ecosystem. Chemicals I hear, pesticides. I don’t understand it, really I don’t. Our planet faces extinction and yet nobody seems to care. Am I afraid? You bet your bottom dollar I am.

The environment in which sisters Marnie and Nelly find themselves does indeed look poisoned beyond hope. How can anything survive? This is wo...more

39 likes · like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Kat (Le Pauvre Cœur) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: awesome-cover, beautiful-writing, blew-me-away, dis-is-funneh, emotional-breakdown, f-cking-brilliant, made-me-cry, scarred-for-life, unique

I was going to give this four stars but you know what, I say fuck it. Five stars, bitches.

description

This book is fucked up. I am not exaggerating.
If you are squeamish when it comes to heavy swearing, drugs, gore, fifteen year olds having sex with older men, and lots of death and seemingly unaffected 12 year old girls, you shouldn't touch this book with a ten foot pole.

And honestly, there are parts of The Death of Bees that made me frown and shift uncomfortably in my chair. Especially when Marnie, who is...more

23 likes · like · see review

Apr 04, 2013 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit, contemporary, social-issues

Sisters Marnie and Nelly have recently buried their parents in the backyard of their home in Hazlehurst housing estate, Glasgow. Their next door neighbour, Lennie soon realises that the girls are all alone. The whereabouts of their parents are a mystery to members of the community. Only the sisters know the truth, and they aren’t breathing a word of it.

Marnie, 15 is the eldest of the sisters and takes care of Nelly in ANY way she possibly can. She’s a loose, wayward, chain smoking, foul mouthed...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 03, 2013 Nikki (The Paper Sea) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, contemporary, young-adult

I'm one all for dark stories — I'll gladly eat them up — but there is a line, even for me, and sometimes too much is too much. The Death of Bees crossed that line. Instead of character development and world-building, it felt like Lisa O'Donnell was throwing issue after issue at character after character in order to create a gritty, 'real' storyline.

Each chapter is told from one of three viewpoints — Marnie, Nellie or Lennie — and is short and snappy, thankfully meaning The Death of Bees is a quick read. On the other hand, the perfunctory nature of each chapter also means The Death of Bees tends to skip ignorantly from one crisis to the next without so much of a heartbeat, leaving no time for consequences to settle in.

As a result, the characters are never shaped by their actions and reactions; they never grow as a result of these moments acting on them. I never bonded with them or was given any reason to care for them. There's no reason to like Marnie besides the fact that she is an abused child living in a poverty-ridden area of Glasgow (and that certainly doesn't automatically make me like her); we're supposed to be sympathetic and in awe of the fact that she wants to take care of her sister as soon as she turns sixteen — even when she turns around and abuses Nellie herself, or fantasises of doing so; and, if we are to believe Nellie's accounts, she isn't there for her sister most of the time, out partying with friends or dealing drugs and having sex with Mick. Then on the completely opposite end of the spectrum, there's Nellie, the twelve-year-old who speaks more like she's eighty, a completely unbelievable quirk when you consider the language she would have been exposed to in a Glaswegian council estate. (Hint: it wouldn't be toodle-oo, old chap.) At one point I did consider that perhaps Nellie is supposed to have a mental disorder of some sort — perhaps autism — but really I think I was clutching at straws because my suspension of disbelief just couldn't hold up. There are some characters who I tolerated, if not liked, such as Lennie and Vlado — the unexpected heroes of the story — but mostly, the whole cast was a set of one-dimensional caricatures.

In a way, it's refreshing to find a story that isn't afraid to show the grime and nastiness found in plenty of estates across Britain (and, no doubt, other areas of the world), because yes, places like this do exist. There are several scenes that are really graphic in nature — both sexually and not — which often feel like a punch to the gut; the problem I had, however, was that really, that punch felt not borne of emotion, but an obvious ploy for the shock factor.

The saving grace that added the extra star on my rating was that, in a story with three narrators and a stream-of-conscious style of writing, Lisa O'Donnell manages to also create three distinctive voices. I tend not to enjoy multiple perspective novels simply because more often than not, it is near impossible to distinguish one narrator from the other, but The Death of Bees is an example of multiple perspectives done right.

The Death of Bees had the potential to be a touching story about caring for the ones you love even when drastic measures have to be taken, and create an interesting and wholly relevant discourse about the effects of poverty on society, but with a cast of flat characters and more shock value than plot, it never managed to fulfil it.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2012 MJ Nicholls rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hoots-mon, novels, distaff

Colin Pie here, standing in for the financial liability and tantric lovemaster MJ Nicholls. I received a postcard from him this morning. He says he tried to send me a text message but he was stuck up a hill. I also received a telegram from him this morning explaining he tried to send a postcard but he was nowhere near a post office. An email came through this afternoon explaining he would have sent an email but he wasn’t inside. And while I wrote that last sentence, he was on the phone explainin...more Colin Pie here, standing in for the financial liability and tantric lovemaster MJ Nicholls. I received a postcard from him this morning. He says he tried to send me a text message but he was stuck up a hill. I also received a telegram from him this morning explaining he tried to send a postcard but he was nowhere near a post office. An email came through this afternoon explaining he would have sent an email but he wasn’t inside. And while I wrote that last sentence, he was on the phone explaining he would have phoned but he was too busy writing a postcard, a telegram and an email. He’s a scamp.

1) THIS BOOK. A debut novel from a Scottish(?) screenwriter currently trying to make it in LA. Two sisters from a Glasgow housing scheme come home to find their father’s head bashed in and their mother hanging from the ceiling. Afraid of becoming state-funded orphans, they bury their parents in the back garden (skilfully managing to avoid their nosy neighbour Lennie), then carry on as normal, minus their unfortunate betters (inferiors). It’s a magical mix of black comedy, coming-of-age drama, and quirky mainstream fiction.

2) THAT BOOK. Manages to balance the dark slapstick and outrageously laidback attitude towards underage sex and drug-popping with moments of tenderness, intelligence and humility. Marnie is the wild older sister who indulges in hedonistic binges of voddy and teenage penis, while Nelly is her younger who speaks in a clipped English accent and likes Coke on her cornflakes. The novel establishes its own internal reality and logic, so easily bats away criticisms of preposterousness. At its heart it is a gentle book about family, sisterly survival and escaping the oppressive heat of an unfeeling city environment.

3) WHY IS COLIN PIE? I was once accused of stealing a balloon. I never stole the balloon. I simply released it into nature. That didn’t stop the police from stomping into my house, hauling me off to prison. Fools.

4) BOOK. The structure and narrative toggling is somewhat simplistic, spread over a four-month cycle, alternating between three characters. This makes it extremely easy to follow but doesn’t leave room for any ambiguity, mystery or gameplay. All the characters speak in direct first-person prose, occasionally addressing a deceased relative, but what is said is said without any space for the daring complexity of a devious third-person narrator. Oh they can be yummy. Also, sometimes Marnie’s intelligence feels exaggerated so she can speak profound, literary sentences, but you’d have to be an absolute swine to deny O’Donnell this contrivance. I didn’t steal that damn balloon.
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Feb 08, 2013 Noeleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lisa O’Donnell’s The Death of Bees is a really good read for a debut novel. It is not a happy tale. It is a grim, raw, sad and thought-provoking story. It’s a really quick read, a book that you would read in a few hours because you can’t help but keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. I loved the short chapters and the way the story was told from the perspective of the three main characters. I completely enjoyed the author’s style of writing. The prose at times was razor-sharp, fo...more

13 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, inspirational, family, loss-and-grief, child-narrator, abuse-addiction-recovery

Do not read this books if:

You hate bad language and have a weak stomach.
You love long, windy and beautiful prose.
You are looking for something happy and fluff.
You can't stand cruel acts against others, especially minors.
You need confirmation that life and beautiful, or
you believe that all human are capable of love.

If you belong to one of the above groups, you possibly shouldn't read a book that begins with two girls burying their parents in the back yard, should you? I think you should stop and...more Do not read this books if:

You hate bad language and have a weak stomach.
You love long, windy and beautiful prose.
You are looking for something happy and fluff.
You can't stand cruel acts against others, especially minors.
You need confirmation that life and beautiful, or
you believe that all human are capable of love.

If you belong to one of the above groups, you possibly shouldn't read a book that begins with two girls burying their parents in the back yard, should you? I think you should stop and walk away now. But, if you are an adventurous and open-minded type, and a serious reader who enjoy all sorts of delivering ideas and language, then this books would be a treat for you. Before you dive it, I'll have to alert you, every possible crime and unimaginable cruelty under the sky was committed by someone or to someone in this book.

I think I might have an affinity to child narrators, since I've loved and praised so many (except Room). Yet here's another wonderful book narrated by a child, the 15-year-old Marnie. Marnie has a sister, Nelly, who's 12. Both smart, precocious and understand life much better than you and I do. When both parents died under some unpreventable circumstances, the girls decided to bury them in the back yard, since their parents were not the loving/caring kind, the girls absolutely hated the foster system, and Marnie was not yet 16. They were hoping to hide the secret until Marnie turned 16 and be responsible of both herself and her sister, which she has been doing anyway.

The book is narrated by three voices: Marnie, Nelly and Lennie. Lennie is an older gay man who took the girls under his wings, hoping for some kind of redemption for a mistake he committed a while ago. Lennie's parts were written as if he was talking to his partner, whom he lost a while ago. Marnie's narratives were brutal, down-to-the-point, and lack of polish with a bit of humor. It took me a while to get used to, but then I fell for her hard and couldn't get her out of my mind. She was practically a baby but had to endure so much but acting tough, since there was no one to look after her.

"Our phone died. Just like that. We can't call the local constabulary and we can't call an ambulance. Have you ever heard of such a thing? A calamity and no mistake."

"I just don't get why anyone would want to ink their name or their secrets on the surface of their skin, why can't they just keep them inside like I do?....I'm never getting a tattoo. My secrets are etched safely on the inside and I intend to keep them there."

The book was a page-turner for me. I think the author did quite a good job in keeping the plot interesting and engaging. The characters were great. Each of them was deep and etched vividly in my mind no matter how unimportant they were in the story. I deliberately slowed down reading near the end just to enjoy Marnie and Nelly's voices a bit more. This author was successful in building a great plot as well as developing his characters, which I've only seen in a few authors. The ending was also quite satisfactory.

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Feb 13, 2013 Radostina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books

What a strange book! It starts off kind of weird, and I must say I was initially hesitant whether I'd like it or not. It does make a showy opening--to introduce the girls as the author did was indeed a great idea --but it's also somewhat troublesome in terms of the overall message it conveys. Two adolescents having to actually bury their dead parents in their backyard to avoid being taken in by social services--and imagining they'd actually get away with it for as long as was necessary until the...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you ever wondered what a dysfunctional family was, read THE DEATH OF BEES, and you will no longer be wondering.

Marnie and Nelly lived with their parents who were not married and who never paid attention to them. They were too busy being on drugs and selling drugs. The girls had to take care of themselves and were always left alone. Then one day they were truly alone...their parents went missing and never returned. The girls knew what happened to them, but they couldn't tell anyone. Their neig...more If you ever wondered what a dysfunctional family was, read THE DEATH OF BEES, and you will no longer be wondering.

Marnie and Nelly lived with their parents who were not married and who never paid attention to them. They were too busy being on drugs and selling drugs. The girls had to take care of themselves and were always left alone. Then one day they were truly alone...their parents went missing and never returned. The girls knew what happened to them, but they couldn't tell anyone. Their neighbor Lennie saw their parents had been gone for a long time and instinctively knew they wouldn't return so he stepped in to help. Lennie had issues of his own.

The book was somewhat disconnected and shared all the awful things that normally occur in a dysfunctional family. The author portrays scenes very vividly and leaves nothing to the imagination. She lets every detail of the family's life out in the open for all to see and does it cleverly by having each chapter's contents be the voice of one of the characters. I believe she was making the reader aware of how often this type of life happens more than we know and what many children live with on a daily basis. She was also showing that the cycle continues from generation to generation.

Despite the author's attempt of trying to enlighten what we as a civil society do not want to face, this book definitely would not be good for young adults. There is a lot of vulgarity, sexual situations, drug situations, tension between parent and child, and even murder. On a positive note, it does touch on strong friendships. If this book were being rated as a movie, I would give it an R rating.

It did get a little more interesting as the book continued, and there were some funny parts. You can't help laughing at the absurdity and utter unbelievability of some of the circumstances, but the book's disconnection with following the plot, the vulgarity, and the unpleasant, but informative topic makes me give the book a 3/5.

This book was given to me free of charge without compensation in exchange for an honest review.(less)

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Feb 21, 2013 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars

The prologue of this book grabs you and from that moment on you have to keep reading. “Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved.”
Thus begins the story of Marnie Doyle and her little sister Nelly. Only they know what happened to their parents Gene and Izzy and they aren’t telling because they know what will happen if they do. They will be sent into foster care and not necessarily kept together. It’s o...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 14, 2013 Cristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013, favorites

A tale of two sisters, as dark as can be, that manages to keep hold of a certain silver lining despite all the disturbing details. This is very much a book about love and about bonding with someone in your darkest hour, because there is simply no one else, only to find that they were meant for you all along. That they are family.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Everything begins with a jolt as you are thrown into the nitty gritty, absolutely disgusting descriptions of the girls' gruesome...more A tale of two sisters, as dark as can be, that manages to keep hold of a certain silver lining despite all the disturbing details. This is very much a book about love and about bonding with someone in your darkest hour, because there is simply no one else, only to find that they were meant for you all along. That they are family.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Everything begins with a jolt as you are thrown into the nitty gritty, absolutely disgusting descriptions of the girls' gruesome discovery. O'Donnell truly spares no detail of Nelly and Marnie's experience while dealing with the decomposing bodies of their parents...by burying them in their own backyard. Yes, decomposing. Yes, detailed. And pretty gloriously so! (I almost had to put this down mid-chapter.) These descriptions and Marnie's pragmatic inner thoughts were perfectly juxtaposed and managed to be both childlike in their observations as well as intelligent and organized in a way that read so well and real.

This book is also about the slums of Glasgow and the reality of life there. Marnie talks of immigrants with degrees and doctorates that end up prostituting themselves when given no other options for advancement in society because of their origins. In fact, one of the great supporting characters in the book is Vlado-- a chemistry teacher who immigrated to Glasgow after his daughter was shockingly murdered and has now become a drug dealer. The descriptions of the city and various characters are little tales in and of themselves. Susie, Lorna, Kim, and Kirkwell...each character is living a different form of teenage hell in the fiery pit of a melting pot that is lower class Glasgow.

There is so much devastation, and Marnie is caught right up in the thick of it, because she hasn't had much choice. Marnie is making mistakes that any teenage girl could make, but they're at a grander and more damaging level because of her situation. Nonetheless, I could relate to her every feeling and motivation so much. I felt like I was her once, in a different city, with an altogether different set of choices but making the wrong ones all the same. Marnie is wise beyond her years in certain respects, strong and full of love and potential, but she is also out of touch with her situation and the gravity of it all.

Nelly is an altogether different character than one I've read before. She is out of touch and yet completely aware of her reality. Her thoughts go in and out of coherence in a way, but remain knowing and careful all the same. She has a penchant for coke and cornflakes at breakfast and talks like a Jane Austen novel. It is both strange and endearing, but everyone has their own coping methods. . .

Overall, this is a tale of two sisters...but it is also a tale of family. Not the ordinary, born-into-it kind of family, but the kind of family that exists in situations of extreme ruin. Lennie is the gay man who lives next door to the girls. He is outcasted and constantly berated for being a homosexual and is living in the shadows, mourning his lost lover, utterly alone in the world, until he realizes his young neighbors need help. Lennie is a father-figure and a friend for the girls. Lennie bakes them crumble and pie, makes beef stew and fresh bread. Lennie gives them warm beds and shortbread and tea. And the girls give Lennie a reason to live, to do these things, to love and spread joy. They are each other's salvation.

This is a story of love and trust. It is disturbing and grotesque, sad and dreary, but mostly it is beautiful and whimsical in a most honest way.

:: featured BookCrush of the month on my blog, Dear Miamigirl

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Jun 11, 2013 Caitlin rated it 5 of 5 stars

*** Full review @ http://thesirenstale.wordpress.com/20...

I absolutely, completely adored this book, the characters, and the story line. Marnie and Nelly’s portions of the book are written from their personal viewpoints, tracing their beliefs, thoughts, and feelings. Lennie’s portions of the book are written as if he is talking with, or writing a letter to, his deceased partner. Through the first hand accounts from three characters, the reader is drawn closer and forms feelings and concerns abou...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Nancy rated it 1 of 5 stars

I honestly don't know what to do with this book. It is morbidly weird and disturbing. The characters have so many flaws I am certain I can't find a redeeming quality and yet I find that the neediness of each of them is their endearing quality. Besides that, I simply don't know what to think.

Basic breakdown of the story is that Marnie, age 15 and Nelly, age 12 find themselves orphaned one day. Their father, whom they despised and it is strongly hinted that he liked his girls in an unnatural way,...more I honestly don't know what to do with this book. It is morbidly weird and disturbing. The characters have so many flaws I am certain I can't find a redeeming quality and yet I find that the neediness of each of them is their endearing quality. Besides that, I simply don't know what to think.

Basic breakdown of the story is that Marnie, age 15 and Nelly, age 12 find themselves orphaned one day. Their father, whom they despised and it is strongly hinted that he liked his girls in an unnatural way, is dead in his bed. Each girl assumes the other did it. Their mother, Izzy, is broken and walks out to the shed and promptly hangs herself. This is revealed in the first five or six pages so I don't think I'm offering any spoilers here. But then it gets weirder. Rather than report their deaths and be put into social services custody, the simply hide the evidence in the garden. Of course, the detail to the decomposing bodies is beyond strange. I won't go there.

The goal is that they stay together. Marnie turns 16 in one year. She believes she can be entrusted with her odd sister, Nelly, who is carrying a boatload of baggage on her back but soothes herself with her little tantrums and her prodigy like playing of her violin. Marnie's issues are much more ingrained. She has self loathing and her behavior is stated very matter of fact. So much so that I nearly dropped the book on multiple occasions.

Meet Lennie, the convicted sex offender of elderly nature who is still mourning the death of his lover and lonely. He knows the girls have a gaping hole in their lives but it is not the sudden absence of their parents but the perpetual and historical absence of their self centered parents who had no business having children in the first place. And so begins an unlikely friendship.

And so it goes with the introduction of a few characters and the lies to mislead the drug dealers their parents owed money to but will not go away. A sudden appearance of a relative trying to make amends but simply doesn't have the personality for parenting. Jealous drug dealing spouses, sex here and there and a few other shocking acts. Meanwhile, Nelly remains perpetually and purposefully innocent. And yet. Able to think quickly when the dog suddenly digs up a limb from one of their shallow graves.

Throughout the book, more information is revealed regarding the parents and their own secrets, insecurities, and failings, along with the implicit understanding that one or two flawed friends have been constants and unfailing. When there are children at risk, those with an altruistic soul come through.

I don't know who I would recommend this book to. It has its good points. On the other hand, I am quite disappointed in myself for persevering through to the end. I want those thoughts out of my mind. I can see a foot under the table. Although that set the stage for a rather humorous exchange between two of the characters.

It is bizarre. (less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Nicole Bonia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lisa O’Donnell’s novel is a wonderful coming-of-age novel depicting the harrowing lives of female siblings living in the projects of Glasgow, Scotland. As the novels open, Marnie and Nelly have just buried their parents in their back garden. While only they know why they have done what they have, a suspicion harboring neighbor and the neighborhood drug dealer are asking plenty of questions- in addition to truant officers and other government officials who would separate their family of two. As t...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, blog-tour, contemporary, owned-arc, arcs-read, full-of-wonderful, edelweiss-netgalley, arc-via-publisher-or-author, literary-fiction

A copy of The Death of Bees was provided to me by Harper for review purposes.

"Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am 15. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved."

Launching right into the heart of the story, Marnie and Nelly bury their parents in the backyard after their father suffocates and their mothers hangs herself. With both parents gone the girls are left completely alone. Living in the slums of Glasgow, Scotland, Marnie makes a hasty decis...more A copy of The Death of Bees was provided to me by Harper for review purposes.

"Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am 15. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved."

Launching right into the heart of the story, Marnie and Nelly bury their parents in the backyard after their father suffocates and their mothers hangs herself. With both parents gone the girls are left completely alone. Living in the slums of Glasgow, Scotland, Marnie makes a hasty decision to bury them both in the garden in order to avoid being placed into foster care. When Marnie turns 16 she can legally care for her sister so they just need to stay under the radar for one year. But between their curious but concerned neighbor and his inquisitive dog with a penchant for digging in their garden, a drug dealer their father owes money to, and a grandfather that wants to find his daughter their carefully constructed web of lies slowly begins to deteriorate.

Having lived with their parents misconduct their entire lives, finding their dead bodies didn't have the emotional impact that would be typical for most people. Marnie had already been taking care of her and her sister for years so not having their parents there really wasn't new. Except they were still there. Kind of. They were just in the garden now, buried under the lavender bushes.

It wasn't until later that I connected the dots and the references to the sexual abuse from their father. The author manages to indirectly reference the abuse both girls received from their father without going into unnecessary detail but I almost missed it entirely. The only indication given of this abuse was the lasting impacts both girls exhibit (i.e. Marnie's drinking and drug problems and lack of disregard for sleeping with married men and Nelly's ongoing night terrors.) Their experiences nevertheless created an unbreakable bond between the girls.

Throughout the story, the reference to people being 'monsters' for actions in their life that have inevitably gone on to define them. The elderly gay neighbor Lennie who takes it upon himself to care for the girls when they so desperately needed someone. But due to a past transgression that labeled him a sex offender he becomes identified as a monster. Marnie and Nelly's parents are more deserving of the label 'monster' because of the serious neglect of their children. The girls were forced to grow up at an extremely young age due to their parents terminal absence. Neither girl had anything close to a childhood and it was always a guessing game whether they would come home with groceries or drugs and booze. The children's grandfather that appears and suddenly wants to be a part of their life to make amends for past wrongs is also deserving of the title. But that's where the grey area develops: Do the girls actions make them monsters as well? Or is their behavior excusable because of everything they had already been through and what they were trying to avoid? The author doesn't provide any clear cut answer in determining who is right and who is wrong but it's safe to say that all characters are at fault in some way.

The style of writing and changes in point of view were brilliant. Each character had their own distinctive voice and their own important story. All points of view were told in first person but Lennie's was written almost as a letter or diary entries to his deceased lover, Joseph. Nelly is quite the eccentric 12 year-old that is a violin prodigy, has a fondness for old classic movies, and speaks as if, as Lennie put it, "like she swallowed a dictionary". Marnie, an extremely direct and to the point individual that carries a massive burden which she manages to somewhat hide. It's obvious that both girls lack necessary help, they just simply don't know where to look for it.

"What on earth is happening to the bees? They say it is an ecological disaster, an environment holocaust. Every day I wonder what the blazes can be causing this abuse of our ecosystem." -Nelly

The meaning behind the title eluded me for quite some time and I actually spent several hours pondering its significance. So this is what I came up with, but I could be completely off the mark, I have no idea but it really does seem to have a simple and straight forward meaning. As Nelly stated above, the death of bees is an ecological disaster and an environmental holocaust as bees play a major role and their deaths have a lasting effect. Even though their parents didn't play a major role in the girls lives, their deaths still managed to make a lasting impact on them.

'I fear death, I have always feared death. It comes like a gale and never with permission. I would meet it again today.'

'The Death of Bees' is gloomy, somber, and brutally realistic but darkly comedic as well. Enthralling and thought-provoking, you'll find yourselves racing to finish to find out these unforgettable girls' fate.(less)

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Jun 06, 2013 Michael Jenkins rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wish I can give this book a much higher rating but unfortunately I can't do that. The content of the story was very creepy, and the characters were greatly developed. However the main thing that lacked in this book was the inconsistency, it killed almost half of the entire book. Although I did like learning about Nelly personality flaws and her sister lack of judgement; it was not enough for me to care about the plot. It was just one of those novels that had an interesting plot but never matte...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Marianne rated it 2 of 5 stars

The unlikely heroes in this book , Lennie and Vlado, adopt two abandoned girls into their hearts. I say they are unlikely because they are both fallen, one a older gay man who after the death of his partner is caught with a child prostitute in a park and sentenced as a sex offender and pedophile the other a drug dealer. Despite their outward appearances as "the bad men" they are in fact the kindest most compassionate of characters in the book. Thru their relationships with the girls they both fi...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Debra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

This book is about survival for two sisters and Lennie who shows unconditional love. The memory of these characters will stay with the reader for a long time.

2 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2013 Alisha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books-i-ve-read, contemporary-fiction, read-2013, tearjerkers

The Death of Bees was one of the most surprising books I've read this year. Mainly, because I didn't really expect to like it as much as I did. And also, because this book was dark as hell...and completely morbid...and I loved every second of reading it (maybe that makes me kinda dark and morbid as well, but whatevs). The thing about The Death of Bees is that it's gritty. It's real. And since real life is messy, this book has issues upon issues upon issues heaped on the main characters that made...more

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May 02, 2013 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, bookclub, set-in-the-uk

A fairly gritty novel set in Glascow, Scotland. It can be raw and vulgar. Lots of "F" bombs. Very well written, it moves along at a nice pace. The story is told from one of three viewpoints- Nellie (?autistic), Marnie (brilliant) or Lennie (registered sex offender). Nellie and Marnie are sisters aged 12 and 15 respectively. Their parents are dead. Each girl is convinced the other girl killed their dad but can't blame them. (sexual abuse)The mom has hung herself. The parents weren't about to win...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Ktphd1 rated it 4 of 5 stars

A raw, unflinching look at child abuse at the hands of "delinquent parents", the power of the social welfare system,
(i.e. "whoever holds the clipboard has all the right in the world" p.256), and consequent survival achieved through adaptive sibling parentification and the redemptive love of other wounded souls.

"Death of Bees" (2013) follows the struggles and endurance of two orphaned sisters living in the working class housing projects of Glasgow Scotland or what the 15 year old protagonist Marn...more A raw, unflinching look at child abuse at the hands of "delinquent parents", the power of the social welfare system,
(i.e. "whoever holds the clipboard has all the right in the world" p.256), and consequent survival achieved through adaptive sibling parentification and the redemptive love of other wounded souls.

"Death of Bees" (2013) follows the struggles and endurance of two orphaned sisters living in the working class housing projects of Glasgow Scotland or what the 15 year old protagonist Marni refers to as the "Urban Kingdom". (p. 148). For me the title suggests that the bees (or perhaps the sweet potentiality of childhood) are being destroyed by the poisonous ecosystem of inter-generational parental abuse, the trapped circumstances of the working class poor, and the lack of effectiveness and outright immorality of the social welfare system that helps perpetuate the already difficult to break legacy of future dependents. (i.e. parents prefer not to marry as they can claim two welfare checks).

However, unlike the below quote,

"What on earth is happening to the bees? They say it is an ecological disaster, an environmental holocaust. Every day I wonder what the blazes can be causing this abuse of our ecosystem. Chemicals I hear, pesticides. I don’t understand it, really I don’t. Our planet faces extinction and yet nobody seems to care. Am I afraid? You bet your bottom dollar I am."

Marni and her younger sister Nelly are able to survive by washing their “griefs and secrets to the recesses of the ocean”; and recognizing that ".. love is a beautiful torment," (p.203) but unconditional loving attachments to adults can prevent species extinction by mediating the portending toxic “ecological disaster.”

Much of the "The Death of Bees" seems informed by the critically acclaimed UK TV series "Shameless", ("the story of parentally abandoned siblings reared by a precocious 15 year old Fiona and including a younger, "slightly odd" sister, living in the fictitious housing project of "Chatsworth Estate" 2004), and its subsequent 2009 USA adaptation. Whether intentional or unintentional the similarities between the “Death of Bees” and “Shameless” do seem striking. (see below for plot summery of UK "Shameless").

Plot Summary for
"Shameless" (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377260/p...

"The story of a young group of siblings pretty much abandoned by their parents, surviving by their wits - and humor - on a rough Manchester council estate. Whilst they won't admit it, they need help and find it in Steve, a young middle class lad who falls for Fiona, the oldest sibling, and increasingly finds himself drawn to this unconventional and unique family. Anarchic family life seen through the eyes of an exceptionally bright fifteen year old, who struggles to come of age in the context of his belligerent father, closeted brother, psychotic sister and internet porn star neighbors"
(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Christa Sgobba rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary

This wasn't the kind of book I'd usually pick up--it was told in very quick, almost choppy page or page-and-a-half chapters--but it sucked me in after the first page.

The story shifted from the perspective of three characters: wild but blisteringly smart Marnie, her odd younger sister Nelly, who talks like she's out of the '50s, and the kindly, elderly sexual offender Lennie who lives next door. Each of these characters was as different as can be, and each chapter read accordingly. None of the ch...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book came to me by way of a Powell’s Indiespensible (yes, spelled that way) subscription. Powell’s Books in Portland Oregon picks a book and packages it up along with book themed swag and sends it off. The swag with this book was Beeswax Lip Balm and some honey (along with a booklet capturing an interview with the author and an advance copy of an unrelated book).

The concept here, for me anyway, is to read something I wouldn’t normally find on my own, and hopefully enjoy it. Two for two in t...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Naomi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Probably 2.5. The book has a great prologue: "Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved." It hooked me into reading the book, but the novel sadly did not deliver for me.

Although the voice and character of Marni, who delivers this drop-dead stunning prologue, are fairly well drawn, I couldn't really say the same of the other two narrators. To me, it seemed as though O'Donnell never quite made up her m...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Yvonne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this macabre Scottish story, part fable, part thriller. It is blackly humorous, exquisitely told with great sensitivity.

Nelly is 12, her sister Marnie is 15. They have the unbelievable and extremely unpleasant task of burying their useless, abusive parents in the garden when the parents die suddenly, within a day of each other. The sisters bury them because they don't want Social Services snooping around, placing them in foster care and splitting them up. The girls fight as sisters do,...more

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Mar 13, 2013 McGuffy Morris rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is quite a unique coming of age novel. The story tells of two sisters, Marnie and younger sister Nelly, living in a Glasgow, Scotland housing project.

Finding their selfish, irresponsible parents Izzy and Gene, dead, the girls decide to hide the fact by burying them in the backyard. Their hope is to wait for fifteen year old Marnie to turn sixteen so can legally care for Nelly. Marnie had been the responsible one in the family since she was a toddler, so it seems the natural thing for them t...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm... Is Nelly not Marnie's alternate personality? "Born" when Marnie was 3 years old, due to the substantial trauma this child had suffered? No one ever sees Nelly coming, and newcomers are always caught off guard when she makes appearances... I read the whole novel thinking of her in this way, and it totally makes sense.

"When Nelly's reading, nothing exists, not even me, I like not existing, even for an hour."

"Kimbo asked me if Nelly was a schizophrenic, I said she isn't, because she's not....more

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Feb 19, 2013 Hannah Lackoff rated it 5 of 5 stars

When Marnie and Nelly's parent's die, the girls bury them in the garden. Even before they died Gene and Izzy were neglectful and unavailable, so the girls don't think it will be much different with them gone for good. As long as no one finds out they are living alone, they will be able to stick together until next year when Marnie comes of age and can legally care for them both. With the help of an aging next door neighbor with secrets of his own, the girls attempt to navigate the changing seaso...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Watchingthewords rated it 4 of 5 stars

For my birthday last month Todd got me a subscription to Indiespensables from Powell’s Books in Oregon. Every six weeks I will get a first edition of a new book, signed by the author, in a specially designed slipcase, with extra prizes inside! Best present ever! My first installment was going to be The Death of Bees and was shipping on January 31st. Every day, starting on February 1st, like a little kid waiting for the toy they ordered with cereal box tops, I would run home and check the mailbox...more For my birthday last month Todd got me a subscription to Indiespensables from Powell’s Books in Oregon. Every six weeks I will get a first edition of a new book, signed by the author, in a specially designed slipcase, with extra prizes inside! Best present ever! My first installment was going to be The Death of Bees and was shipping on January 31st. Every day, starting on February 1st, like a little kid waiting for the toy they ordered with cereal box tops, I would run home and check the mailbox. I was excited about the book, I’m always excited about a book, but I have to admit that I was just as excited about the extra surprise gifts inside. I’m a sucker for that stuff, and it’s going to be a little like Christmas every six weeks, opening the box to see what Santa (or Powell’s) sent me this time. Finally it was here (it didn’t take 6-8 weeks, but it sure felt like it!). I ripped the box open the minute I walked in the door, finding a jar of organic honey, a tube of beeswax lip balm, an ARC for another book, and yes, the main attraction, The Death of Bees, signed, in a beautifully designed slipcover. I took care of those pesky little things that need doing, feeding the kids, walking the dog, helping with homework, and settled onto the couch with my new book. And there I stayed, engrossed, until I was done.

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a starker opening paragraph:

“Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved.”

The book, set in the slums of Glasgow, Scotland, tells the story of two sisters, Nelly and Marnie, and their struggle to stay together while hiding the death of their parents. Enter the ostracized neighbor Lennie, and it is a story of three people that need each other, a story of a family-formed vs a family-born. It is a dark tale, sometimes humorous, often horrific, but almost always sad. Parents don’t always do the best they can by their children, the “system” often fails those it is designed to protect, even the “good guys” are flawed, and the age of innocence never exists for some. It is a story of secrets, “I’m never getting a tattoo. My secrets are etched safely on the inside and I intend to keep them there.”, and a story of death, “I fear death. I have always feared death. It comes like a gale and never with permission. I would meet it again today.”. But ultimately The Death of Bees is a story of love, hope, and sacrifice.(less)

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Feb 13, 2013 JM rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked it. The contrast between the main narrator's voices is so stark that it keeps you on your toes. It was well told and interesting, as well as fluid. The only thing I didn't like is how it seemed to overdo the seediness and squalor of it all. I mean, out of Marnie's two best friends, one lives with her shoplifting Grandma and her mother is in the insane asylum supposedly for being a nymphomaniac, and the other friend is a bipolar lesbian and has nudist parents, one of which has MS. I guess...more

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About Lisa O'Donnell

Lisa O’Donnell winner of The Orange Prize for New Screenwriters with her screenplay The Wedding Gift in 2000. Lisa was also nominated for the Dennis Potter New Writers Award in the same year. She moved to Los Angeles with her family in 2006, penning her first novel The Death of Bees in 2010. Published to critical acclaim by Windmill Books in 2012 The Death of Bees will be published in the US by Ha...more

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Quotes from The Death of Bees

“We have seen death before, Marnie and I, a mountain of ice melting over time, drops of water freezing at your core reminding you every day of that which has vanished, but the despair we know today is a sadness sailing sorrow through every bone and knuckle.” — 3 people liked it

“There is no moment in which we say good-bye, there is no finality as he slips into peacefulness, he simply leaves us, and though I seek courage when he passes I am weakened by tears, but I must hide them for he leaves us a lie to conceal, a lie he sent to save us.” — 3 people liked it

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