A Hive for the Honeybee

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Summary: The sweetness of an acomplished writer, the sting of satire
Review: A Hive for the Honey Bee is an excellent book- and will bring pleasure to all ages. Combining satire and a genuine love of life, the novel explores the life of the honey bee in fine detail- without boring us with unnecessary technicalities. The sort of novel which ought to be a treasured part of your bookshelf.

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Summary: New Irish author launched in US!
Review: As the original commissioning editor in Ireland of A Hive for the Honey-Bee, I thought it would be nice to let you know how this book came to be (not intended a pun on bee!).

The author, Soinbhe Lally, is an editor's dream. I literally "discovered" Soinbhe Lally's work one day in the slush pile. She sent in an anthropromorphic tale called Song of the River about a group of farmed salmon who break free. It was so good, so beautifully written, I rang Soinbhe straight-away to tell her how much I loved the book. That was the start of our working relationship and friendship. A short time later I met Arthur Levine in Bologna. He asked me to give him a book which would make the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. I gave him Honey-Bee.

Soinbhe has such integrity as a writer, I learned to trust her instincts 100%. Despite the diverse nature of her writings, I let her write whatever she wanted to and from the start her books were shortlisted for just about every Irish award there is.

Soinbhe Lally is a lyrical, intelligent and wildly talented writer who, whether writing about fish, bees, the Irish potato famine or fairy stories, constantly astounds with her insight, poetic language and raw talent. In the world of writing, she is a thoroughbred through and through.

Soinbhe Lally ranks amongst the best writing for children and young adults today. I would like to wish her and Arthur Levine Books, her US publisher, enormous success with this beautiful book. Poolbeg Press, her Irish publishers, are thrilled she is receiving the world-wide recognition she deserves.

P.S. Soinbhe's name is pronounced "Sun-va".

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, mysterious
Review: I found this book extremely disturbing, though very good. After I finished reading it, I went back through it again and saw that everything that Daisy said was a prophecy. This really got me thinking- Do workers really drive the drones out of the hive when they're not needed anymore? Belle's death was terribly sad, and even more sad to me is the "lot" that worker bees have- Before reading this book, I always considered worker bees lucky because they seemed to run everything. I never realized what a mess the drones make. I recommend this book to people with an understanding of nature, life and death, philosophy, and love. Younger readers would probably have a difficult time understanding the nature of this book's purpose. All in all, it was an excellent book, full of feeling.

Rating:
Summary: BZZZZ! Simple on the surface...
Review: I just finished A Hive for the Honeybee during my lunch hour and couldn't wait to encourage both adults and teens to read it. There are rich poetic levels here - a simple story about the life of a worker bee which is a pleasure in and of itself - but this honey-sweet story masks a haunting, unflinching yet not heavy-handed look at stereotypes and society. I imagine teens who've lived through both Animal Farm and Antz will love it.
I cried a bucket over bees!
Now I have to pull myself together and get back on the reference desk!

Rating:
Summary: not just for children
Review: I read this book in 6th grade and gained an immediate new perspective on life. A Hive for the Honeybees may be a quick read but it is beautifully written and very deep. I adore this book and recommend it to people of all ages. Expect to cry a bit though.

Rating:
Summary: Kirkus missed the boat on this one
Review: This is hardly a sexist story. Lally draws real life comparisons from the hard facinating real world of bees. Females run the hives,Queens rule, drones serve one purpose. The beauty in this book is the identification with misfits in a fixed society. Social structure, politics, nature,love,friendship,and poetry are delicately examined with a beautiful lesson on what we can and cannot control in an imperfect world.I loved it.Read it again.