The Beekeeper's Secret in Aussie Readers

Jan 15, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, contemporary-fiction, 2016-release, gift-from-gr-friend, own-read, 5000-2021

Honeybee Haven had been seventy year old Maria Lindsey’s home for a long time. Since she left the Church, she managed Honeybee Haven, caring for her bees as well as making soaps and other products to sell at the markets. The honey was also sold, made into mead, honey butter and more. Maria loved her job as it incorporated cabins where people stayed, activities they participated in – everything was done to support the orphaned children's charity in Cambodia. But Maria had secrets which she’d told ...more

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Jun 01, 2019 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it liked it

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, aussie-author, arc-are

The Beekeeper’s Secret is a thoughtful and engaging story of family, secrets, guilt and redemption.

“Now it seemed that what they said was true, that the past would indeed always catch up with you—especially if you had something to hide.”

Though Maria Lindsey has spent decades attempting to atone for her mistakes, first as a nun, and now as the manager, and beekeeper, of Honeybee Haven, whose activities support a Cambodian orphanage, she has always known that the time would come when she would hav The Beekeeper’s Secret is a thoughtful and engaging story of family, secrets, guilt and redemption.

“Now it seemed that what they said was true, that the past would indeed always catch up with you—especially if you had something to hide.”

Though Maria Lindsey has spent decades attempting to atone for her mistakes, first as a nun, and now as the manager, and beekeeper, of Honeybee Haven, whose activities support a Cambodian orphanage, she has always known that the time would come when she would have to confess her sins. She just didn’t expect that the daughter of her estranged sister, Tansy, would be the first to hear the whole sordid tale.

Maria’s decades old secret is a shocking one, related to a topical issue that the author deals with sensitively. It’s a confronting subject, involving misconduct within the Catholic Church, which may be a trigger for some readers, and though the reader may make a guess at Maria’s experience, the truth is likely to be a surprise.

Maria may be ready to break her silence, but there is someone who is determined that she not say a word.

Tansy Butterfield has always wondered what caused the estrangement between her mother, Enid, aunt Florrie, and their eldest sister. With her thirtieth birthday coming up, she’s tracked down Maria, delighted to learn she has been living barely an hours drive away in the Noosa Hinterland, hoping to arrange a surprise reunion.

It is through Tansy, and her relationship with her husband, and her family, that Moon thoughtfully explores the complicated dynamics that unites, and divide, families. While Tansy is getting to know her aunt, she keeps the secret of Maria from her family, something that her mother in particular, is deeply hurt by, when the truth comes out at a family gathering.

Another large part of this novel is devoted to Maria’s role as a beekeeper, and though I’m vaguely aware of the importance of bees to the health of our environment, I found the tidbits of information Moon shared about their habits and behaviour interesting.

A heartfelt contemporary fiction novel with surprising complexity, given the colourful cover, I liked The Beekeeper’s Secret. As the tagline suggests, this is a story with a sting in its tale. ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Kathryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, reading-list-2017, fiction, australian-authors

Loved the setting for this one - Noosa, Noosaville, Eumundi, Wilston - all places I’m familiar with. Also loved the themes of repentance and forgiveness and how the bees are interwoven into the story.

There are some deep issues in this book, with abuse within the Catholic church being very topical, especially at the moment, and other issues involving resolution of conflict within families and reconciliation. But despite the heavy issues, it never felt like it was heavy going.

This is my second Jos ...more

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Mar 03, 2016 Tianne Shaw rated it it was amazing

This book had me hooked from the trailer to the start of reading. Twisting through family and church issues you find many things become clear and relevant to Royal commissions currently happening. It is a must read and very good to draw you in once you start.

I received a review copy via the publisher for this

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