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Nectar
From the unforgiving farmland of rural Maine comes a story of love and sacrifice, of family tragedies and obligations, and of the mysterious healing power of bees.
David Fickett's Nectar crosses three generations of beekeepers to tell the story of Regina Merritt, a determined woman who is forced at a young age to choose between happiness and survival. Her remarkable life is recounted with the help of the many people affected by that a husband, who fails in every attempt to win her love, and loses everything in the process; a daughter, uncomfortably aware of her mother's weaknesses, who is forced, in her darkest moment, to rely on the empathy of the woman she sought to hurt; a lover, denied in near-childhood, who never fails to provide protection and hope to the woman who denied him; and a son, left to his own devices by a mother with little love left, who yearns to solve the mysteries of his childhood and of the woman who is both his deepest connection and his worst enemy. Haunting and poignant, Nectar is a novel that will stay with you long after the last page is read.
David Fickett's Nectar crosses three generations of beekeepers to tell the story of Regina Merritt, a determined woman who is forced at a young age to choose between happiness and survival. Her remarkable life is recounted with the help of the many people affected by that a husband, who fails in every attempt to win her love, and loses everything in the process; a daughter, uncomfortably aware of her mother's weaknesses, who is forced, in her darkest moment, to rely on the empathy of the woman she sought to hurt; a lover, denied in near-childhood, who never fails to provide protection and hope to the woman who denied him; and a son, left to his own devices by a mother with little love left, who yearns to solve the mysteries of his childhood and of the woman who is both his deepest connection and his worst enemy. Haunting and poignant, Nectar is a novel that will stay with you long after the last page is read.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 22, 2022
Mr. Fickett, please, give us more. I don't often re-read novels, but this narrative has stuck to me like...well, honey. I cannot underscore enough how beautiful I found his prose.
September 9, 2008
A review I did for the Rocky Mtn News
Nectar is wrapped in the metaphor of the honey bee, the Queen, and all who wait upon her. The story is comprised of flashbacks as the tragedy of Ginny's life in the early 1900s in the backwoods of Maine is recounted.
Ginny is cold, calculating and driven to bring the world around her into submission. Her youngest child, Caleb, returns home to bury his surrogate father and, due to his mother's complicated relationships with three men, tries to determine his own paternity and sort out the truth of his family.
Sample of prose: "I ain't one who's big on sentimental stuff. The belongins of those who've passed on are only things that get in the way and surprise you with thoughts about the past. I never had the time to sit around and mope about the dead. After Mama died I packed up most of her things and give them to the church in town. I just couldn't see holdin onto things I'd never use. Like her weddin dress. It was just a plain gray dress with a lace collar that her mama made. I knew I'd never wear it and it was just collectin dust and feedin the moths."
Author reminds me of: Jane Hamilton in Map of the World, for its depiction of a rural life that may seem simple on its face, but bubbles under the surface with drama as thick as honey.
Best reason to read: A well told story, with all of the elements of love, hate, tragedy, suspense and raw human experience. - Justin Matott
Nectar is wrapped in the metaphor of the honey bee, the Queen, and all who wait upon her. The story is comprised of flashbacks as the tragedy of Ginny's life in the early 1900s in the backwoods of Maine is recounted.
Ginny is cold, calculating and driven to bring the world around her into submission. Her youngest child, Caleb, returns home to bury his surrogate father and, due to his mother's complicated relationships with three men, tries to determine his own paternity and sort out the truth of his family.
Sample of prose: "I ain't one who's big on sentimental stuff. The belongins of those who've passed on are only things that get in the way and surprise you with thoughts about the past. I never had the time to sit around and mope about the dead. After Mama died I packed up most of her things and give them to the church in town. I just couldn't see holdin onto things I'd never use. Like her weddin dress. It was just a plain gray dress with a lace collar that her mama made. I knew I'd never wear it and it was just collectin dust and feedin the moths."
Author reminds me of: Jane Hamilton in Map of the World, for its depiction of a rural life that may seem simple on its face, but bubbles under the surface with drama as thick as honey.
Best reason to read: A well told story, with all of the elements of love, hate, tragedy, suspense and raw human experience. - Justin Matott
August 2, 2015
This book is gripping read from the first page. I was looking for a book to start before going to sleep 3 days ago. This was not the right choice, as I could not put it down. The history of a family is told from multiple characters, yet the storyline flows smoothly and each character adds yet another nuance to the multilayered story of a son, starting with the burial of a man he has always known as a father. The theme of bees, the queen as the life force of the hive, the drones who devote their life to serving her, and the predators who engender the hives survival wind through this family both literally and figuratively. The book is so well done that it is hard to believe this is a debut novel. The words are sparse, well chosen, and pulled me into the moment, the emotion, and the characters effortlessly. If this author has published more, he has a fan for life. I can't wait to share this find with others
August 31, 2014
Could not put this down. Simple life mystery...who was Caleb's father and what was up with his mother? That story unfolding as well as the Washington County, Maine setting kept me reading til I untangled the web. This was a random library pick, didn't even love the cover,but I'm glad I picked it up and read it.
June 27, 2009
Another OK read, but forgettable. This strikes me as a book Oprah would like--rough life in rural Maine, plenty of abuse and hard knocks.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews