The Murmur of Bees

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This lyrical novel offers many paths to follow as you may learn about a different corner of the world and make connections to your own experiences. What follows are a selection of topics to explore. I often like to start with how a story is told and this novel in particular puts storytelling front and center. Storytelling Being in possession of that story meant Simonopio could make endless changes, could add or remove characters as he saw fit and give them the traits of the people around him.” (p. 146) When Sra. Morales moves the family to Monterrey, Nana Reja and Simonopio decide to stay in Linares. Simonopio is supposed to be her godson, who she raised since infancy, but, out of sight, out of mind. One morning an elderly, mute woman named Nana Reja hears cries that no one else can hear and discovers a baby with a cleft palate abandoned under a bridge protectively covered from head to toe in bees. Having lost her own baby boy long ago, she takes this unusual child to the home of wealthy Mexican landowner Francisco Morales, whose father Guillermo she was a nursemaid for. Francisco and his wife Beatriz adopt this boy, Simonopio, as their godchild, and over time discover that, though he can’t speak intelligibly, he has visions, can understand messages from the bees, and has an intuitive knowledge of the future. Set primarily in Linares, Mexico, this is part historical fiction, dealing with the Mexican Revolution and the impact of questionable agrarian law reform on landowners like Francisco. This sets the stage for a major conflict with one of Francisco’s increasingly bitter and ambitious sharecroppers, Espiricueta, who feels he deserves more and despises Simonopio as cursed by the devil. It’s also part magical realism, as Simonopio’s gifts come into play throughout the events of the story to protect not only Francisco and Beatriz, but their two older daughters and a charming young son, Francisco, Jr. - whose complicated journey to adulthood develops over the second half of the story, and to whom Simonopio is particularly close. From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can—visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats—both human and those of nature—Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.

Simonopio was born with a cleft palette. Due to this, everyone had a difficult time understanding him, in turn causing him not to talk. Although he is “adopted” by the Morales, and is described as their godson, he is never given the same opportunities as the Morales children. Everyone thinks he is mute, and also portray him as simple. The only character in the book who is written as treating him as a brother with real affection for him is Francisco Junior. At one point in the book, Francisco Jr. is 4 years old and speaking gibberish, which turns out not to be gibberish at all, but the language of Simonopio, who can talk. Instead of the family attempting to learn to understand Simonopio’s language, they tell him to stay away from Francisco Junior until he can talk “properly” How does the writing style of The Murmur of Bees reflect storytelling? How did you find the non-linear pathways? Were they intriguing? Confusing? Poetic? What other novels have you read with non-linear storylines and how did the arc of those novels unfold? I’m made of everything that touched my senses during that time and entered the part of my brain where I keep my memories… I know a memory from reality, even if I grow more attached to my memories than to reality with each day.” (p. 16)

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If you would are looking for other books offering the reader a family history consider Commonwealth, Everyone Knows You Go Home, Homegoing, or all we had. Each is a very different style from a multi-century view in Homegoing to a family during the 2008 housing crisis in all we had. Everyone Knows You Go Home shares some magical realism. Any would be a good choice as a follow-up and comparison to the Murmur of Bees. Characters I have stopped listening, because at the halfway point nothing much has changed and it's either going to happen in the next couple of hours, or at the end, or not at all. The fact that I'm not able to connect with the storytelling halfway in is a sign that I'm most likely going to be even more annoyed if I keep investing. The author says that she didn’t think about magical realism as she was writing, that it “can’t be attained when you plant it, it has to come or it feels contrived.” The way he saves the land happens in typical, enigmatic Simonopio style when he appears before Francisco Morales with a handful of orange blossoms and wordlessly offers them. He never speaks because he has a cleft palate — and perhaps because he simply chooses not to. Francisco understands this gift and knows immediately what to do to save his family and their way of life.

Over the ensuing years, the family witnesses marvelous events. Some, like the Spanish Flu of 1917, the 1910 Revolution’s land seizures, or a tenant’s jealousy, prove more tangible threats than demonic possession. Through it all, Simonopio repays the Morales’ kindness many times over: tending the ancient woman who rescued him or retrieving young Francisco Morales when he strays. It’s clear that there is far more to Simonopio than the swarm of bees which follows him everywhere – the Morales have a protector with near-supernatural abilities. How do you tell your own stories? Does a story you share about your day over the dinner table or to a colleague during a break differ in style from a story you might tell on a long drive? Love of Family and Love of LandNamed Simonopio, the baby grows into a gifted child. Though he cannot speak, he is deeply in touch with nature –followed constantly by a swarm of bees, able to sense danger and see visions of the future. Simonopio dedicates his life and skills to protect his adopted family, especially the boy Francisco (also our narrator), as they experience incredible events such as the Mexican Revolution, Agrarian Reform, and the devastating Spanish Flu epidemic. Where I’m At: Resources, character list and discussion questions will help get your book group exploring northeast Mexico as you travel to a land of fruit trees, bees and magical realism.

The story and the writing take on a new dimension when Simonopio's worst nightmare becomes a reality - when 'the coyote' catches 'the lion' and a tragedy strikes. Segovia's writing skills come to shine in these chapters, when portraying the hatred and cruelty of the evil character, mingled with the chilling desperation of the trapped lion and his curb. Some scenes may be upsetting, but in general, the story is easy to read and immersive that you won’t be able to put it down. The end was exactly as I expected; more precisely, it made me happy. Reading Vox's 11 questions you’re too embarrassed to ask about magical realism may provide you with some new perspectives on the depth and breadth of magical realism.

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Esa ficción aplicada a los atributos mágicos del personaje principal me encantó y creo que fue de las cuestiones que más destacan de esta novela y que, personalmente, más disfruté. Sofía loves to travel but lives and writes surrounded by the mountains of her hometown, Monterrey, Mexico, with her family (close and extended), the Frenchie Amélie, the Brussels Griffon Leeloo Dallas, and Mika the Exotic Short Hair cat.

Francisco wants to setup some orange orchards by reducing cane & maize on his farms, and travels to California taking Simonopio with him. He trusts his intuition in plant choice and is well rewarded as after a wait period the orchards bloom with bumper harvests. The Spanish Flu ravages the region, and a lot of lives are lost. Carmen & later Consuelo get married and move out of Linares. Further tragedy visits the battered town in a few years when a young girl Lupita is found brutally murdered. Simonopio senses the evil lurking in the area may come next for him & others of the Morales family. Simonopio hopes he and the bees are up to the challenge. Stephen: I’m glad that the last few chapters have focused more on Simonopio. His independence seems to be growing and he is developing a greater connection with nature than any human. The bees are guiding him somehow. All the same, I really like how much Francisco and Beatriz love him and care for him. I like Beatriz a lot as a character. What have you made of the family dynamic? From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can - visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats - both human and those of nature - Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.I think the best thing about The Murmur of Bees was the setting, and if the sensory details had been amped up, it might have been a lovely escapist period piece. I think if it hadn’t been so long and tedious, I might have enjoyed it more, but it felt so much like drudgery to listen to that only the prospect of writing this review kept me going. The spiritual monologue in the end didn’t land with me either, because it was delivered by a self-absorbed guy whose emotional maturity is so stunted that he can’t be bothered to visit his supposedly-beloved brother for like 60 years. I’m glad I finished it, because it felt like I’d achieved a difficult and unpleasant chore. I don’t recommend this unless you really love historical family epics (can’t call it a drama, dramas have plot and characters) and you’re willing to overlook a scattered focus, tasteless morality, and unsympathetic characters. El tono humorístico de muchas situaciones de esta historia lo disfruté mucho, reía al terminar la mayoría de los capítulos.