The Music of Bees

A Novel

By: Eileen Garvin

Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer

A national best seller!

A Good Morning America Buzz Pick | A Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick | IndieNext Pick | LibraryReads Pick | Recommended by People ∙ The Washington Post ∙ Woman's World ∙ NY Post ∙ BookRiot ∙ Bookish ∙ Christian Science Monitor ∙ Nerd Daily ∙ The Tempest ∙ Midwestness ∙ The Coil ∙ Read It Forward ∙ and more!

“An exquisite debut that combines a moving tale of friendship with a fascinating primer on bees.” (People)

“This heartwarming, uplifting story will make you want to call your own friends, not to mention grab some honey.” (Good Housekeeping)

Three lonely strangers in a rural Oregon town, each working through grief and life's curveballs, are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing - and maybe even a second chance - just when they least expect it.

Forty-four-year-old Alice Holtzman is stuck in a dead-end job, bereft of family, and now reeling from the unexpected death of her husband. Alice has begun having panic attacks whenever she thinks about how her life hasn't turned out the way she dreamed. Even the beloved honeybees she raises in her spare time aren't helping her feel better these days.

In the grip of a panic attack, she nearly collides with Jake - a troubled, paraplegic teenager with the tallest mohawk in Hood River County - while carrying 120,000 honeybees in the back of her pickup truck. Charmed by Jake's sincere interest in her bees and seeking to rescue him from his toxic home life, Alice surprises herself by inviting Jake to her farm.

And then there's Harry, a 24-year-old with debilitating social anxiety who is desperate for work. When he applies to Alice's ad for part-time farm help, he's shocked to find himself hired. As an unexpected friendship blossoms among Alice, Jake, and Harry, a nefarious pesticide company moves to town, threatening the local honeybee population and illuminating deep-seated corruption in the community. The unlikely trio must unite for the sake of the bees - and in the process, they just might forge a new future for themselves.

Beautifully moving, warm, and uplifting, The Music of Bees is about the power of friendship, compassion in the face of loss, and finding the courage to start over (at any age) when things don't turn out the way you expect.

“A hopeful, uplifting story about the power of chosen family and newfound home and beginning again...but it’s the bees, with all their wonder and intricacy and intrigue, that make this story sing.” (Laurie Frankel, New York Times best-selling author of This Is How It Always Is)

"Eileen Garvin's debut novel is uplifting, funny, bold, and inspirational. The Music of Bees sings!" (Adriana Trigiani, New York Times best-selling author)

©2020 Eileen Garvin (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“An exquisite debut that combines a moving tale of friendship with a fascinating primer on bees.” (People)

“This heartwarming, uplifting story will make you want to call your own friends, not to mention grab some honey.” (Good Housekeeping)

"A sweet story and a nice reminder that 'flaws' can actually be strengths.” (The Washington Post)

If This Is Her First Book….

Then I can hardly wait for her 2nd, 3rd and so on!
Well written, very well narrated, this book was an absolute delight, from start to finish!

Tone is off

I began reading this book and switched to Audible for a drive. I find the narrator annoying. Her tone is hard to describe: feigned folksy is the best I can do. It undermines the emotional appeal of the story, which is otherwise good so far. I can’t wait to get back to the paper copy!

Heartwarming and educational book

I’m not sure why some people think that everything is political, but it’s a fact that bees are in trouble. I enjoyed learning about why that is, and also really loved how the story is about chosen family, and connection. I love this narrator as well.

A pleasant summer listen

This is a heart warming rich narrative of a gaggle of misfits with a den mother. The characters are very relatable and the good guys win in the end.

The story is a bit predictable, although there is enough conflict and drama to hold your interest. The subject, bee keeping, is presented in an interesting manner.

The narration is excellent.

As a Beekeeper, this story describes the life and plight of Honey Bees

As a beekeeper, I’ve heard the call of the Queen bee in a hive. It is definitely a unique tone that you never forget. The Ms Gavin develops a wonderful story, and Ms Plummer does a terrific job of bring the story to life. I’m looking forward to Ms Garvin’s next story.

Great listen

If you’re a Barbara Kingsolver fan, bet you’re going to LOVE The Music of Bees, same as I do. Excellent voicing work from Therese Plummer, too, with pitch changes and accents in all the right places. I’m off to find another book by Eileen Garvin!

Bees are magic

Learned so much, about bees! and even more about a family of choice! Lovely story and a window into small rural town!

A nice surprise

I normally would not pick a book like this. So when someone from my Bookclub suggested this. I was a bit skeptic. Not quite sure. If I want to read it. And I’m glad that I did. What a pleasant surprise! These characters have a sense of understanding of Significant to their purpose. Most of the time I don’t get that from my kind of books. If you like books that give you hope and happy thoughts. This book is for you

Great story

So good to see good things come to good people! Be kind to one another

Smitten!

This was such a pleasure! Bees are absolutely amazing creatures!The story was interesting, informative and made me smile frequently. All of the characters were uniquely their own and it was a joy to listen to them grow.