Little Bee

A Novel

By: Chris Cleave

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Little Bee, the young female refugee from the Nigerian delta, must master the Queen's English and the Queen's England if she is to escape her past and make a life in the UK after two years in a refugee detention center. The novel opens on the day Little Bee is released from the center with no identification papers and only the address of an English couple, Andrew and Sarah, whom she once met on a Nigerian beach. All three of their lives were horribly changed by that meeting on the beach. When Little Bee unexpectedly appears at Sarah's doorstep, it is the day of Andrew's funeral.

Told in turns in the first person by Little Bee and Sarah, the novel follows these two women as they struggle to save each other and themselves. Little Bee tries to make a life for herself in a totally alien land while Sarah must come to terms with her choices in London, including an extramarital affair and her seemingly frivolous career path. United by their past and by love for Sarah's young son, Charlie, Little Bee and Sarah become indispensable to each other. But their bond will face the ultimate test when the system catches up with Little Bee, and each woman must make a devastating decision.

©2009 Chris Cleave (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

Whirl wind

Completely enjoying the writing, storyline however didn’t expect the outcome. As a first generation American, related to the story and the diplomatic challenges that third World country refugees experience.

Hard to press stop

The book was great, easy listen. After I pause, I was always looking for the next opportunity to listen again,.

Breath of Fresh Air

Chris Cleave brings a fresh take on a classic genre. I read this book for work, (high school English teacher) and the almost eleven hours flew right by, well crafted, dynamic characters and strong narration.

Meh

It was a fine performance, but is was full of horribly unlikable characters. I spent more time with these characters than I think I needed to.

Loved this story!

I loved this story! The only thing that was a little off for me was the ending Also, the performance by the reader was excellent!

honesty

slow start, but got into the realities of life and human nature and values, which caused great reflection and interest.

Character and plot annoyingly implausible

Although it is well narrated, this book irritated me for 3 reasons. 1. In several places the plot is moved along through implausible devices. E.g. When Little Bee is selected to phone the police, even though she barely knows how to use a phone. 2. The thought and speech of characters is often implausible. E.g. The tiresome way Charlie the little boy makes a grammatical mistake in every utterance. 3. It employs predictable, well-worn stereotypes: e.g. the white working class racists that Bee encounters everywhere telling her to get back to Umbongo land. There are some clever and sometime witty conceits (e.g. Bee's thoughts about the queen). And I wouldn't say it was a bad book--just an annoying one.

Great book! Would definitely recommend.

The book is great but the ending is very unclear!
The reader does a fantastic job!

Is that how it ends?

How did the book end there?
Think it needed a wrap up or something! Waiting for more

informative and rivoting

Great tale, told from the perspective of two main characters. It is a bit choppy, as it jumps timelines, but I loved the tale and how it was slowly unravelled for the two perspectives. There was one jump in the plot that I found campy and rushed, but if you're trying to finish a book, I guess that's how you do it.