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Little Bee

Chris Cleave

Discussion: May/June 2009

Discussion leader: Betsy

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May/June 2009

Little Bee - Chris Cleave
By Betsy · 14 posts · 53 views

last updated Jun 03, 2010 01:21PM

Housekeeper and the Professor
By deleted member · 5 posts · 28 views

last updated Jan 24, 2010 07:53AM

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What Members Thought

Mar 21, 2010 Sally rated it really liked it

I listened to the audio version of Little Bee, which I found extremely engaging and haunting. This is a book that begs to be discussed, so I have selected it for the July 2010 meeting of the Mostly Literary Fiction Book Group, which I lead at the Hayward Public Library. I plan to read it in text form before we meet. (When I have the time and opportunity, I enjoy both reading and listening to a good audio production of a book -- the experiences usually complement each other nicely, and I'm able t I listened to the audio version of Little Bee, which I found extremely engaging and haunting. This is a book that begs to be discussed, so I have selected it for the July 2010 meeting of the Mostly Literary Fiction Book Group, which I lead at the Hayward Public Library. I plan to read it in text form before we meet. (When I have the time and opportunity, I enjoy both reading and listening to a good audio production of a book -- the experiences usually complement each other nicely, and I'm able to notice and appreciate different aspects of the book from both formats.)

Little Bee is a teenage girl who has fled from Nigeria, her country of origin, to seek refuge in England. After a long detention in a British "immigration removal center," Little Bee tracks down a British couple she had a chance encounter with in Nigeria a few years before. The novel alternates between her retelling of what led to her escape from Nigeria and her experiences as a refugee in England, and Sarah, a 30-something British woman, who balances a successful career with her role as the mother of an imaginative young boy.

Little Bee delivers more than just a narration of her life experiences; it is her reflections on how she has tried to adapt to British culture and to cope with the trauma she has experienced that deliver the novel's power and show the intelligence of Cleave's writing. For example, the book opens with Little Bee wishing she were a British pound coin, for she would have more freedom and would make more people happy than she has being an African girl.

There's not much more I can safely say without giving the book away. My primary criticism with the book relates to my concern that the character of Little Bee is a bit too wise for her age and her circumstance. Although I find it believable that Sarah could turn to Little Bee for strength in a traumatic situation, I felt that Little Bee was too wise for her years. Maybe that's what makes Little Bee remarkable when compared to the other immigrants we are exposed to in the beginning of the novel who are more flawed and damaged from the circumstances they have fled from. Still, I found this a powerful treatment of a believable relationship between a privileged British woman and a Nigerian refugee struggling to survive. In my opinion, Little Bee succeeds in conveying a message about global politics and immigration without being didactic. And it also delivers much more: about the challenges of sustaining love and marriage, the ways we fail the people we love, and courage and friendship.

I had the pleasure of attending Chris Cleave's launch of his U.S. tour for the paperback edition of the novel on February 16, as part of the Berkeley Arts & Letters author series at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley. I enjoyed hearing him speak about his writing process, and the inspiration for the novel, and was interested to see his enthusiasm for interacting with his reading audience. He has a lot of faith in the intelligence of his readers, which you'll find expressed in the worthwhile "Author Q&A" in the paperback edition. ...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Suzanne Moore rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fall-challenge-picks, east-texas-library-friends

Scenes from this novel are certainly horrific. I wonder how the characters could make it though terrible times, such as the scene on the beach in Nigeria. I don't know how Sara had the strength to lose her finger. I can only imagine how Charlie felt about losing his dad. Little Bee has terrible memories, but she continues to smile because she is alive today. Then again, she looks everywhere she goes for a way to end her life rather than let herself be taken by "the men." The author does a good j ...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Sera rated it liked it

Shelves: own, literary-fiction

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the commentary on human nature and how we treat outsiders is spot on. I also liked that the story took place in Britain rather than the US so that I could gain a different perspective on how a country treats its refugees.

The story is told in two voices, Little Bee's and Sarah's, both of whom are awesome characters even though they come from very different backgrounds.

I guess the funny thing about this book is that I enjoyed reading the author's thoughts ...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Das rated it really liked it

A Nigerian and American woman meet in dire circumstances and end up supporting one another through violence,sadness and grief.
I appreciated the author's ability to show random acts of kindness, compassion and sacrifice in a new and refreshing light. ...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Kate rated it liked it · review of another edition

I picked this for my book group and will go and face the music on Thursday. The back of the paperback intimated that this was a great and unforgettable story. I found a sad, intense story well-written, but not what I wa expecting. The ending sort of renders the preceding story pointless.

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Aug 24, 2010 Aylin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, bookmarks-mag, by-of-in-britain, by-of-in-africa, audiobooks

Loved the book but not the ending.

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May 23, 2010 Barbara rated it liked it

This novel about the life-changing intersection of the lives of a young Nigerian girl and an English couple was an emotional read, however it failed to live up to the marketing hype surrounding it. The first half of the novel was compelling but the second half fell flat, particularly Sarah's story. Little Bee's voice was so much more believable and compelling. ...more

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