Reviews

this is one of the most menacing, compelling, gut wrenching books i’ve read in a long time. paul murray’s ability to build tension, then suspend it, and then yank you right back into it is incredibly satisfying. i found myself thinking of the characters when i wasn’t reading it, and only when i finished it did i realise it had felt like i had been holding my breath for some time.

joemcc's review against another edition

Go to review page

Too slow. Gimmicky lack of punctuation. Uninteresting characters

thisislauraw's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The first thing I have to say is that the audiobook narration was fantastic. If you’re dithering about whether to read this in physical or audio, I highly recommend the audio. Superb voice acting from everyone involved.

The Bee Sting is a chonky book, over 600 pages (or 26 hours if listening to the audiobook), and I enjoyed it immensely.

The story of an Irish family: Dickie, Imelda, Cass and PJ Barnes. Each has their own section and stories within stories. It’s a rich and complex book, and I quickly became invested in the characters and their lives.

It was interesting how my opinions and feelings towards each of the characters changed as the book progressed. Characters I’d initially liked, I came to dislike. I began to feel for others that I’d not thought much of earlier on.

The last section of the book has a switch to second person narration, which felt jarring and took me out of the story a little (probably the opposite of what the author intended, but it’s a tense I struggle to connect with).

And of course, there’s the ending…

After 26 hours of the intertwining stories, getting caught up in the Barnes family and their struggles, I really can’t say that I care for the ending. I understand it, but it fell so flat for me.

absreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

aurie1000's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a book that will stay with me. Read in audio form which was excellent. It just kept getting better with layer on layer on layer. I would have preferred a less ambiguous ending but this was in keeping with the rest of the book.

lucymossmason's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

More...