Reading The Music of Bees is like coming home from work, putting on your slippers, and claiming your favorite chair: it's comfortable. It doesn't make waves or raise your heart rate, it won't make you emotional. Author Eileen Garvin makes a bit of social commentary here, but it fits with the story in a non-rabble-rousing way. Sweet, that's this book, with no big sting to make you want to run. No, in fact, this is a book you won't mind sharing ... the plot is believable and Garvin's writing is smooth, like a refreshing green glade with cool, soft grass. Bonus: if you knew nothing about bees before, you will when you're done here. Recommend The Music of Bees to your book group, and watch the buzz about it. Pass it to the next reader who enjoys a novel with soft drama. Start this book. You can't help but like it.
A heartwarming debut novel ... 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.
Both buoyant and bittersweet, Garvin’s impressive first novel, a luscious paean to the bonds of friendship and limitations of family, is the kind of comforting yet thought-provoking tale that will appeal to fans of Anne Tyler and Sue Miller.
... affecting ... After a slow start, the SupraGro plot gives some structure to the novel but also weighs it down by distracting from the heart of the story: the three characters and their personal growth. The bees are an obvious metaphor...but it works, and Garvin gets the local color right, such as Harry’s kiteboarding on the Columbia. While predictable, the story is genuinely touching.
