Two Kid Schoolhouse

• Feb. 12, 2006 - The Beekeeper's Pupil - I Finished A Book!

Posted in Bees

It's not often I find a novel I really enjoy. It seems that most contemporary fiction is either insipid and silly, or so full of bleak or grotesque situations that I can't get very far into it before putting the book aside. I'm so thankful for the library so I don't have to actually spend any money to be disappointed by a book.

So it's very exciting to have finished a very good book. The Beekeeper's Pupil by Sara George is just lovely. Historical fiction, it is about two very real men, Francois Huber and his assistant, Francois Burnens. Huber was blind but obsessed with learning about bees, and Burnens became his "eyes" as they worked together. They lived and worked in Switzerland during the years of the French Revolution. The book is written as Burnen's journal.

I didn't do any research about Huber and Burnens so I don't know how much the book delves into historic fact. Most of the book is about the research they did - I don't know if anyone not interested in bees or beekeeping would enjoy the book. Maybe it would spark an interest, because it's so well-written. It is also a story about relationships. But it is not sentimental. It is very elegantly written and though there is some unpleasantness in it - an out of wedlock pregnancy, and a bit of sexual tension between Burnens and his master's wife - it never overtakes the story and it never gets ugly.

Today at the library I picked up another of George's books - The Journal of Mrs. Pepys, more historical fiction - and a nonfiction book about bees I've been wanting to get to - Sweetness and Light - in which there is at least a mention of Huber. I love bees and reading about them. Maybe someday I'll even have a hive.

But now it's just time to read.

• Feb. 16, 2006 - Sounds interesting!

Posted by Frogmom

Dragonflies and fat, fuzzy bumblebees are my favorite insects! :-)

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• Oct. 3, 2007 - thank you...

Posted by Anonymous

I was searching for information about bees because I am an art student that is infatuated with them and concerned for their future. Last year I became aware of the enormous amounts of bee death over the U.S. and Europe...it was shocking, and disturbing. To think how this effects our agriculture...us.
I am interested in learning more about the history of bees, and Huber was who I was researching on and I came upon your blog...thank you for the book references; I will have to check them out when I have time. Good luck with your bee obsession...mine has brought me much interesting work and knowledge.

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