Little Bee

Unique and Insightful

This review is from: Little Bee (Trade Paperback)

10 days ago

A good story- both unique and insightful though at times a bit structured. Creatively I haven’t read anything like this. Like the back cover says “ambitious”. His writing is tight and well planned. He manages to bring in parts of the story non-chronologically without confusing the story-line and keeping the story interesting. There are lots of twists and turns and an absolute heart-rending (though perhaps overly sentimental for some?) finish. The only thing that keeps me from giving this a… + read more

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Superbly Written

This review is from: Little Bee: A Novel (Audio Book (CD))

7 months ago

In my opinion, this is one of the best novels I've read in the past six months. The plot itself is not what makes this such a good book, but its depth, its symbolism, its philosophical message, and a healthy dose of sarcasm and cynicism give this novel some real bite. I will admit, the story is slightly contrived. But one must look beyond to analyze the deeper meanings of the characters and what they say. In this way, Cleave is more artist and poet than he is storyteller with his diction and… + read more

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A potent story

8 months ago

I was happy I took a chance on reading Little Bee. I'm the kind of reader who likes it when the ending wraps up nice and tidily, so I wasn't a fan of the ending. Everything else leading up to the ending was great. I really got into how Chris Cleave wrote the characters and showed the different dimensions to Little Bee and Sarah's personalities as he revealed their history together chapter by chapter. As I got to each new chapter, I was eager to find out how they became a part of each other's… + read more

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Captivating, compelling

9 months ago

Wow....this is a book you need to read. Yes - need. Quoting from the flyleaf of Little Bee: "We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something , so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again. The story starts there. Once you have read it you'll want to tell… + read more

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Too bookclub-friendly for its own good

9 months ago

"Cleave’s sophomore effort, Little Bee, has already been released in the U.K. to resounding acclaim, and showcases his true gift at creating complex, realistic characters who are, regrettably, far stronger than the storyline they inhabit. For, despite the plaudits, Little Bee also abundantly displays what is shaping up to be Cleave’s Achilles heel in his stories; the weakness of his narrative framework." Read the full review here: http://shelf-monkey.blogspot.com/2009/02/little-bee-by-chris… + read more

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