Attendees: Cheryl Swenson, Michelle Smith, Janna Atkins, Mary Margaret Shepherd, Pam Meyers (host)The book takes place in present-day Scotland. The point of view rotates between Marnie (age 15), Nellie (age 11), and Lennie (an elderly gay man). Marnie and Nelly's parents are dead, and they buried their parents in the back yard. The girls are trying to avoid being put into foster care, so they are pretending that their parents are still alive. According to the author, the title is related to a part of the book, when the girls are talking about bees, "She hasn't mentioned them, but she still thinks about them." The conversation is about bees (literally) but refers to the parents.
Pam heard about the book from NPR's "Fresh Air." The message that the author wants to convey is one of abandonment. This is Lisa O'Donnell's first book.
At the beginning of the book, we were wary of reading it....it's shocking and abrasive at the outset. The tone of the book becomes more gentle and palatable, partially due to Lennie's influence.
Rating: Of the four members who read it, two members gave it a 3. One gave it a 3.5 and one gave it a 4.
Book for August: Me before You by JoJo Moyes
Possibilities for future book clubs:
The Goldfinch
Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty
Brewster
The Fault in Our Stars
The Light Between Oceans
Orphan Train
Burial Rites
The Valley of Amazement
The House Girl
Orphan Train
The Bloodletter's Daughter
Pecan Man
