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    Death of Bees: A Novel
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    Death of Bees: A Novel
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    Death of Bees: A Novel
    Ebook301 pages4 hours

    Death of Bees: A Novel

    By Lisa O'Donnell

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    A riveting, brilliantly written debut novel, The Death of Bees is a coming-of-age story in which two young sisters attempt to hold the world at bay after the mysterious death of their parents

    Marnie and Nelly, left on their own in Glasgow's Hazlehurst housing estate, attempt to avoid suspicion until Marnie can become a legal guardian for her younger sister.

    Written with fierce sympathy and beautiful precision, and told in alternating voices, The Death of Bees is an enchanting, grimly comic tale of lost souls who, unable to answer for themselves, can answer only for each other.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 2, 2013
    ISBN9780062209863
    Author

    Lisa O'Donnell

    Lisa O'Donnell's debut novel, The Death of Bees, was the winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize. She won the Orange Prize for New Screenwriters for her screenplay The Wedding Gift. She lives in Scotland.

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    Reviews for Death of Bees

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      This was a tough read for many reasons. The first was the content of the story. It was hard to imagine the way these 2 sisters became on their own. It was hard to imagine their living conditions. It was hard to imagine that they were able to do some of the things that they did.

      The other thing that I struggled with was the language. I did not realize where the story was based until I did some searching around the author's website. I think that if I had known that the story was based in Scotland, I would not have been as confused by the slang and the overall flow of the book.

      For these reasons I have given this one 3 out of 5 stars. Many thanks to Harper Collins Publishing and edelweiss for this Advance Readers Copy.
    • 4/5
      There are many reasons that readers choose to purchase a book. One reason is the opening lines, such as in this novel. It opens:

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

      The novel is told from three alternating voices: Marnie, the one who spoke the opening lines; Nelly, her younger sister, an usual 12 year old who Marnie describes as "off her head" and talks in a formal manner, and Lennie, the elderly neighbor who looks after the girls in their parents' purported absence. We don't know much at first regarding why the two died; we only know that the father died in his bed and the mother hung herself in the storage shed apparently from grief. Marnie realizes that the two sisters will be taken into foster care and possibly separated. Therefore, the two decide to tell Lennie that the parents left Glasgow, Scotland for the Far East, as they are apt to do, but will return. Marnie is hoping to carry on with this charade for one year until she turns sixteen and can legally take care of the two of them. However, life has a way in interfering with her plans.

      This debut novel is beautifully written, often darkly comic, portraying well the importance of family and sibling relationships.

    • 4/5
      Marnie is fifteen years old, and her sister Nelly is twelve. Their parents are dead now, but they were horribly neglectful when they were alive, and the girls have always more or less had to take care of themselves, so it doesn't really make all that much difference. Well, except for the difficulties involved in hiding their parents' deaths and the fact that they're buried in the back yard, to avoid being sent to foster care.I really enjoyed this one. Which seems a little odd to say, because it's about kids who've led an awful, awful life doing things no kid should ever have to do, and it's full of misery after misery. But it never felt entirely depressing. Mostly it just kept me concerned for these kids and tensely focused on my hope that things would work out for them in the end, somehow.
    • 5/5
      My decision to read shorter books this year is already paying off wonderfully. This book is a real-life horror story set in project housing. If it were a movie pitch, it would be Trainspotting meets Precious meets Hansel & Gretel, only with more gore.

      The structure of the book helps pull you along; it's told in first-person by three people. No one person speaks for more than four or five pages at a time. This results in very tight, punchy "chapters" with no extraneous descriptive paragraphs and nowhere for the story to bog down.

      She even lets you figure out a few things yourself, from the clues in the text, which I always appreciate. I thought the biggest "mystery" in the book was telegraphed in the opening pages, but this book is not at root a mystery novel, so that doesn't rob the book of any of its storytelling power. An early contender for best read of the year.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Startling, dark, disturbing...yet I was captivated through the entire book. This is not for the faint of heart, those that have problems reading about child abuse, or are offended by profanity. What it is though is a heart-wrenching coming of age story. What is normal? How do we define what we see as "normal". Our normal is what we live every day. I loved it.
    • 5/5
      Marnie and Nelly are two very unique young ladies who have been brought up by the most horrible parents; neglectful, drug addicted and abusive. Marnie is 15 and Nelly is 12 when both parents die - I won't tell you how - and so as to not be sent into a foster care system they bury them in the back yard. I cannot tell you how disturbing it was to be laughing out loud at these scenes, but I was. This book is vulgar, it is profane, it is highly disturbing and it is excellent.The girls try to continue on as normally as possible and sadly no one really notices that their parents are missing for quite some time. The neighbor across the way, Lennie begins to note something wrong and he starts to slowly care for them and give them a sense of family they never had before. Lennie is a neighborhood pariah due to his homosexuality and an embarrassing attempt to hire an underaged male prostitute after the death of his long term lover. But he gives the girls more structure and family life than their parents ever did but as soon as they start feeling settled it all starts falling apart again.The story is told in a series of very short, alternating chapters in the voices of the main characters; each one unique and each one written in a completely different style; Marnie's voice is hard for a 15 year old. She is quite intelligent but she has had several relationships with married men that hint at darker issues at home and she sells drugs to make money to feed her sister. Nelly speaks in what can only be described as old lady movie talk. It's odd for a 12 year old and the reader soon learns it's a defense mechanism. She is also a violin prodigy but has not played in a long time. Lennie writes as a sort of letter to his lead lover. It is a very dark book with some horrifying events as I'm sure you can imagine - the children bury their dead parents in the back yard for heaven's sake and Lennie's dog has a habit of digging around where they are buried and finding various bones and such and carrying them around in his mouth at odd times. But what truly comes through is the love these two girls have for each other and their determination to stay together no matter what. And their simple desire for a family.I'm keeping this one. I'm sure I'll find things I missed on the first read through because it was one of those books that I just flew through and it deserves a second, more thoughtful reading. There is much hidden in the background here if the reader looks for it. A powerful novel even when one finds oneself laughing out loud when a dog walks into a room with an foot in its mouth. Sick, I know. You will just have to read the book to understand. The only reason I have not given it a 5 is the facile way it wraps up. I would have expected more.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book. It was at times unbelievably sad and at other times very funny. The story of two abused and neglected sisters who are determined to survive against all odds.
    • 5/5
      This is a delightful book! Witty writing, which made me smile, laugh and cry often.
    • 4/5
      I received this book from TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell hooked me from the start. I read this book over the course of one day, totally unwilling to put it down.I mean, seriously, take a minute to check out my blog for the quote that opens the story. How can you not get hooked?The Death of Bees is about Marnie and Nelly, who have buried their not-so-wonderful parents in the backyard of their (potentially project) house. Marnie is a 15-year-old, super smart but also kind of lazy teen, who enjoy cigarettes, occasional drug use, and being Nelly’s protector. Nelly is a little “off,” an almost-normal girl, who just seems to have a little bit of social trouble.For the full review, visit Love at First Book
    • 5/5
      a spellbinding story
    • 4/5
      (Contemporary, Scottish) Two young girls bury their parents in the back yard and try to carry on as normal so that their parents’ assistance cheques will keep coming. The lonely widowed next-door neighbour watches them, suspects that something is amiss, and reaches out to include them in his life.The story is told in the first person from the POV of each of the three main characters. I remember that the voices were clear and distinct. Also, the burgeoning relationship between the neighbours is credibly drawn.Read this if: you’d like a sneak peek into the slums of modern-day Glasgow and the life of many of those who receive welfare; or if you like stories with young, resourceful protagonists. 4 stars
    • 5/5
      Marnie, 15, and Nelly, 12, are sisters who have just buried their parents, Gene and Izzy, in the backyard in The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell. When their father is discovered dead by their mother, who then hangs herself in the shed, the girls decide to bury them both in the backyard so Marnie and Nelly can stay together and won't be sent to foster care. Once Marnie is sixteen she can legally be on her own and take care of Nelly, guaranteeing that they will both be safe.

      Even when their drug addicted, alcoholic, neglectful, and irresponsible parents were alive, the girls were often on their own, fending for themselves. What the girls weren't counting on was Lenny, their elderly gay next-door neighbor in their Glasgow, Scotland, housing estate noticing their parents had, by all appearances, abandoned them. He steps up to offer some measure of stability and support for them. He believes the girls when they tell him that their parents have left the country for an extended trip in Turkey. With Lenny, the trio form an odd family-like relationship - until their grandfather enters the picture.

      Although the details of the circumstances that cause the girls to accept Lenny's companionship are gruesome, they make an endearing set of misfits. The chapters are all in Marnie, Nelly, or Lenny's voice. Marnie's chapters are hard. She's drinking, smoking, promiscuous, and seemingly headed down the same destructive path as her parents, even though she is an intelligent teen who could potentially overcome her circumstances. She's a realist, tough talking, and brutally blunt and to the point. Nelly's chapters are often short. She is a violin prodigy, who is most certainly on the autism spectrum. She often speaks in a stilted old-fashioned manner and is socially awkward. Lenny's chapters are all written as if he is talking to his longtime companion and lover who recently died. He's been labeled the neighborhood pervert, but he is longing for redemption. He wants to care for another person again and he slowly takes the girls under his wing, caring for them as best he can even while he doesn't quite understand the extent of the psychological damage that has already been done to them.

      What you might not expect is the humor mixed in with the grim in this coming-of-age story that also deals with normal adolescence pressures. The characters are believable and well developed. To be honest, the beginning chapters, when the girls are burying their parents, are repulsive and gruesome. But as the book continues it is painfully clear that all of these characters are wounded in some way. By the time the girls and Lenny connect, it is slowly becoming more and more apparent just how much they all need each other. Since we get to hear each of their individual voices, I felt a connection to all three of them and wanted desperately for everything to be okay - even though they were all in an impossible situation where a good ending seemed highly unlikely.

      The writing was also incredible. Even when relating the most appalling details, O'Donnell manages to insert bits of humor. The bond between sisters is palatable, even when they are feuding, we know that they will eventually reunite and forgive. I appreciated the unspoken message that we can decide what will constitute a family; even an unconventional family is still a family and can offer love, support and stability. While O'Donnell is an accomplished screenwriter, this is her debut novel - and what a glorious debut it is. Grim, yes, but also very well crafted. I'll be looking forward to another novel from Lisa O'Donnell. (The trade paperback of The Death of Bee was just released on October 22, 2013.)

      Very Highly Recommended

      Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from HarperCollins and TLC for review purposes.

    • 4/5
      Great read! Two sisters in Glasgow bury their parents in their backyard, and so the story begins! It is told from three points of view - the two sisters, Nelly and Marnie, and their next door neighbor, and registered sex offender, Lennie. When a drug dealing ice cream vendor, a jilted teen aged lover, and a forlorn grandfather come looking for the parents, the plot thickens! A story filled with emotion, lively characters, and vivid language! Good stuff!
    • 3/5
      idiotic book for those who don't like books .but this book make even the book haters to like this
    • 5/5
      Es ist Marnies fünfzehnter Geburtstag. Und es ist Weihnachten. Zusammen mit ihrer Schwester Nelly begräbt sie in einer Nacht-und-Nebel-Aktion ihre Eltern im Garten. Keiner interessiert sich für die Mädchen. Ihre Eltern waren nicht besser. Nur der seltsame Nachbar Lennie beobachtet die Schwestern aus seinem Haus heraus. Mit Lennie will niemand etwas zu tun haben. Vielleicht ist er pädophil und schwul, sagen die Leute. Doch Marnie und Nelly können sich ihren Lebensunterhalt nicht selbst verdienen und das Geheimnis um die beiden Leichen im Garten lastet schwer auf ihren Schultern. So entschließen sie sich, doch zu Lennie zu gehen. Eine Entscheidung, die ihr Leben verändern wird.Marnie ist ein taffes Mädchen, das die familiäre Vergangenheit hart gemacht hat für das Leben. Sie selbst verkauft Drogen und nimmt auch einiges davon. Sie hasst ihren Vater und ihre Mutter.Nelly hingegen ist ein Psycho. Sie spielt hervorragend Geige, spricht als käme sie aus einem gehobenen Stand und verdrängt die Wahrheit so gut es geht.Lennie fühlt sich einsam. Seit sein Freund verstarb, hat er niemanden mehr, um den er sich kümmern kann. Als er die Mädchen sieht, will er sie nicht einfach ihrem Schicksal überlassen.So treffen die Drei in ihrer Verzweiflung zusammen und es bildet sich ein Band aus Loyalität und Zuneigung.Dieses Buch hat von Anfang an WOW gemacht. Abwechselnd erzählen uns Marnie, Nelly oder Lennie ihre Sicht der Geschichte und der Entwicklungen. Jeder von ihnen macht das auf seine ganz eigene Art und Weise und so spinnen sich für den Leser ganz automatisch die Zusammenhänge der Familienbande und Hintergründe zusammen. Jeder Charakter versprüht hierbei einen eigenen Charme und man liebt jeden gleich, egal wie eigenartig er doch ist. Man ist gefangen in diesem Buch, wünscht sich nichts sehnlicher als ein Happy End für alle.Die Kapitel sind alle kurz und knapp. Es wird in einem ausgewogenen Verhältnis erzählt, dass heißt alle Figuren kommen gerecht zu Wort. Jeder darf seinen Senf zu einer Situation abgeben, seine Meinung kundtun und seinen Frust hinausschreien.Bienensterben ist ein wundervoller Roman. Ich möchte weder Lennie, noch Marnie oder Nelly jetzt schon gehen lassen.
    • 2/5
      I had read a review that described this book as "darkly funny". The "dark" I wont argue, but the "funny" was pretty much non-existent. I ended up skimming the second half, a rare thing for me, and was still disappointed. Overall, a depressing read, so I'm sure it will be highly acclaimed as a book club book. Bleh.
    • 4/5
      Good book, but still processing it.
    • 5/5
      I had to stop reading this book about 1/3 of the way through because I started it on a Sunday night and realized I would have to read it all the way through if I kept going. It is breathtaking and will make your heart stop. Just a stunning piece of work.
    • 5/5
      From the very first page I fell in love with The Death of Bees, the debut novel of Lisa O’Donnell. Fifteen year old Marnie decides not to report the death of her parents and instead she and her sister, eleven year old Nellie, bury them in the back garden. The girls do not want to be separated or go into foster care. They tell everyone that their parents have gone to Turkey and this lie is easily accepted as the parents are druggies that have left their children alone before. The girls are haunted by their experience and while Nellie has nightmares, Marnie takes to drinking, and casual sex. Eventually the girls are befriended by Lennie, the elderly gay man next door and these three, along with Bobby the dog, bond together as a family. All is well until their grandfather shows up demanding explanations and wanting the girls to come live with him.One of the things I absolutely loved about this book were the voices of the two girls, Marne in her own way was sensible and practical with very modern sensibilities while Nellie was romantic, hilarious and old-fashioned. What was very clear was that these girls loved and cared about each other. Although rather gruesome in places, the author had a light, sympathetic style and although the subject matter was at times appalling there was an element of black humor that made this story really appealing to me. While this book won’t appeal to everyone, it was a stellar read for me. I found it both original and imaginative. My emotions were quickly engaged and The Death of Bees became a book that I couldn’t put down and one of my favorite reads of 2016.
    • 5/5
      I don't know what I was expecting when I started this book, but I know this was not it. It made me feel so many different emotions; happy, disgusted, uncomfortable, sad, etc, ect. This book is very unique and the author has such talent! One of my favorites for sure
    • 4/5
      This is a great little story about parents getting murdered (just plain dying? Suicide?) and their two resilient girls burying them in the back garden, which is, apparently, pretty representative of what happens in Glasgow all the time. And their next door neighbor, who sorts of takes the girls in under his wing. Oh, and he was convicted of pedophilia (paedophilia for them Scots) for soliciting an underage male prostitute in the park.I really enjoyed the interwoven narrative from each of the main characters -- Marnie, the eldest daughter and Nelly, her preternaturally bright and aloof ward by default, and Lennie, the next door neighbor living out the last days of his life. Each one of them have something to hide -- from each other, from themselves, from the outside world -- and the book is a kind of cozy mystery where certain things get revealed and lit from different angles pretty masterfully, I thought. Like swimming in a murky local pond, with all of its organic material making the waters difficult to see through, until you see the shaft of light ahead, lighting up that boat that sank when you tried to float it years ago.The characters were a great bunch with whom you could spend a bit of time, sharing their secrets and getting swept along in the book.
    • 4/5
      More than anything else, I LOVED the depth and rawness of the characters in this book. It wasn't uplifting
      , at all, but I didn't really mind. I could've read an entire book on each of these characters. Marnie, the tenacious, headstrong girl who has built up emotional walls with everyone she knows. Nelly, who's character was slowly revealed throughout the book. Lennie, my favorite, who was heartbreakingly misunderstood. Even the dead parents had such personality. This is definitely a book that I will remember for a long time. I wasn't ready to be finished with their stories, and would love to read a sequel, or even a prequel.
    • 5/5
      Lisa O'Donnell is my new favorite writer. She sets her novels in Scotland, though their origins are universal: children struggling in a world where loathsome and/or incompetent adults hold sway.Marnie and Nelly are Glaswegians whose parents are drug addled and criminally neglectful. When they get their just desserts, the girls try to stay together and to avoid detection. This is a common theme, but here, in alternating voices, is a story of uniqueness, courage, strength, and powerful love.The girls' next door neighbor is an older gay man, Lennie, whose lover had recently died. He is by nature a nurturer and saves the girls in every possible way, especially when their missing maternal grandfather returns to claim them, and Marnie knows right away that he's "off".This book made my heart hurt and heal. Most highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Dark and yet beautifully funny and uplifting. This is a story about sisters and the unbreakable bond as well as the impact of abusive families on adolescents. I also thought the depth of the characters was well done. The author was sympathetic to the more socially unacceptable characters and showed shades of good and bad in every one.
    • 4/5
      Have to love a book that starts "Today is Christmas Eve. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved."
    • 3/5
      The book is enjoyable and easy to read, but I wouldn't say it's great. The situation we open with at the beginning of the book is an interesting one, and I like the fact that there was no buildup--it's all aftermath. The characters are interesting though I never felt we fully got to understand Nelly (mostly because none of the characters seemed to) and in fact, I wanted more insight into all of the characters than any of the narrators were able to give me. The middle of the book dragged a bit, but it was overall a satisfying read.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the authors prose to the character's and story line, I felt it a realistic, disturbing, yet optimistic portrayal of a difficult life.Having worked in social services for over 20 years, I knew these girls; had met their parents and often prayed they'd find a Lennie of their own.Regardless of whether you've experienced, or even aware of people who live in, desperate circumstances I think you'll find this book to be , in the end, an inspirational ride.
    • 4/5
      The Death of Bees is a gritty and heartbreaking story. Fifteen year old Marnie and her twelve year old sister have lived a life of neglect and poverty. When their parents die unexpectedly they bury them in the backyard and tell people their mom and dad are traveling.so they won't be put into foster care. When an elderly neighbor befriends the girls they have stability and the beginnings of a true family. The story is told in multiple points of view and while at times their are a few light moments this is a grim story. I thought.the book was well written and does a good job of holding your interest
    • 4/5
      Nice book about teenage sisters who are being raised by undesirable parents. Tells the story of how they survive on their own, and are befriended by a neighbor, who others see as undesirable, but showers the girls with love and nurtures them. They end up with an otherwise absent grandfather who had disowned his daughter, their mother, years earlier and is looking for forgiveness which does not come. I think teens would like this book.