The Bees

· HarperCollins UK
4.5
58 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2015

Longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for New Fiction 2015

Enter a whole new world, in this thrilling debut novel set entirely within a beehive.

Born into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen.

Yet Flora has talents that are not typical of her kin. And while mutant bees are usually instantly destroyed, Flora is reassigned to feed the newborns, before becoming a forager, collecting pollen on the wing. Then she finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous.

Enemies roam everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. But Flora cannot help but break the most sacred law of all, meaning her instinct to serve is overshadowed by a desire, as overwhelming as it is forbidden...

Laline Paull’s chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. Thrilling and imaginative, ‘The Bees’ is the story of a heroine who changes her destiny and her world.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
58 reviews
Gillian Burdett
June 12, 2015
I had very little knowledge of the ways of a hive beyond seeing beekeepers tending to their bees so it came as a lovely surprise to find a world so different from our own and yet so very alike. It has opened a story that could go on and on although I rather hope that the author will leave this one alone as it is sure to become a cult novel as it is. One small point that must be noted with all the congratulations that will be given, thank you for not commenting on how the bees feel about our love of honey.
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jack mcdowall
March 25, 2015
I was wary of the book at first but the authors ability to create such a majestic world is captivating. Paull combines scientific research with fantasy to create a compelling story using a completely unqiue and original concept.
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Paul Yaxley
April 5, 2016
Gives a great insight into the weird and often mysterious life of a honeybee. Perhaps a telling microcosm of human behaviour?
1 person found this review helpful
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About the author

Laline Paull was born in England. Her parents were first-generation Indian immigrants. She studied English at Oxford, screenwriting in Los Angeles, and theatre in London, where she has had two plays performed at the Royal National Theatre. She is a member of BAFTA and the Writers’ Guild of America. She lives in England by the sea with her husband, the photographer Adrian Peacock, and their three children. ‘The Bees’ is her first novel. It received wide critical acclaim and was chosen as an Amazon Rising Star.

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