Hour of the Bees

By: Lindsay Eagar

Narrated by: Almarie Guerra

What does it mean to be fully alive? Magic blends with reality in a stunning coming-of-age novel about a girl, a grandfather, wanderlust, and reclaiming your roots.

Things are only impossible if you stop to think about them....

While her friends are spending their summers having pool parties and sleepovers, twelve-year-old Carolina - Carol - is spending hers in the middle of the New Mexico desert, helping her parents move the grandfather she's never met into a home for people with dementia. At first, Carol avoids prickly Grandpa Serge. But as the summer wears on and the heat bears down, Carol finds herself drawn to him, fascinated by the crazy stories he tells her about a healing tree, a green-glass lake, and the bees that will bring back the rain and end a hundred years of drought. As the thin line between magic and reality starts to blur, Carol must decide for herself what is possible - and what it means to be true to her roots. Listeners who dream that there's something more out there will be enchanted by this captivating novel of family, renewal, and discovering the wonder of the world.

©2016 Lindsay Eagar, original book published by Candlewick Press (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Charming YA tale

I enjoyed this little story although not in the class of
Secret Life of Bees.

We listened together

This was a wonderful book to listen to with my kids (11 and 8). It got us through a road trip and they begged to listen every day of our vacation. The story was beautiful and the narration was superb.

Love it!

I absolutely loved this book. It started a little slow for more--taking a while to build. Once it did, I fell for characters and larger meanings in the plot. It is an amazing modern fairytale.

Beautiful and Magical!

Carol and her family have moved to her grandfather's farm for the summer to help pack and get it ready to sell. Grandpa Serge has dementia and is unable to care for himself out on the sheep farm. When they arrive, Carol just thinks of the summer she is missing with her friends. As the summer progresses, however, Grandpa Serge is telling Carolina a magical tale of a village, a tree, immortality, and love. Throughout this tale, bees make appearances, as well as in Carol's real life. How does this magical tale and Grandpa Serge connect? Read and enjoy this lovely story of family and belief in each other.

thought-provoking

such a wonderful book 💓 it is so thought-provoking. I really enjoy it so much meaning behind the meaning.

It was the best

I loved the book so much! It was intersting, colorful and so much more!
It has a good lesson!

How do you measure time?

Urban raised Carol is dragged off to the desert by her parents to help move her grandfather, who she has never met that is dealing with dementia, to a facility. All she can initially think about when she arrives at the sheep farm amidst the heat and dust is all the summer activities she is missing with her friends. As the story progresses, her focus and curiosity shifts as Grandpa Serge begins to tell Carol a story about a magical tree and the bees that followed Rosa. The stories captivate Carol and she begins to question whether the stories are real or just part of Serge's dementia. Will this leave a lasting impact on her or will it turn out to just be a made up story?

its a pretty good book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

no i wouldn't bc the book get confusing

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hour of the Bees?

when grandma rosa dies

Which scene was your favorite?

when in carols dream she's scared bc it soundalike there is bees so she freaks out but its just her dads truck

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

sometimes it made me laugh but theres one scene and i cried

Any additional comments?

overall it was pretty good but just some parts of the story didn't make sense to me but the rest was pretty good.

Cuento Precioso

What a lovely, magical tale. 💛 I loved this story and its reading. The writing and performance were a perfect match.

Heartwarming story

It was a little hard to get invested in the story at first, but I am so glad I continued to listen because I fell in love with it. I cried but it has a lot of hope.