Miss Benson’s Beetle, a Mini Review

 

I write a lot of book reviews. Largely, as you are no doubt aware, I review cookbooks, but I do review books for NetGalley occasionally, most of which are fiction. Although having taken a class in literary criticism back in my college days, I find writing book reviews to be difficult. When someone asks me what a book is about — this one, Miss Benson’s Beetle, for example — I tend to say things that aren’t particularly helpful for a potential reader. Case in point, when someone asked me what this book was about I responded by saying that it was about discovery, adventure, friendship, loss, and personal satisfaction. What does that tell you about the story? Not much. But these are all of the feelings that I had while reading this excellent book.

 

This is the first time I’ve ever read a book by Rachel Joyce, and it won’t be the last. In fact, it isn’t the last because I’m now reading the book she wrote before this one, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, also good, but I wander from my point.

 

  This book is about a post-World War II school teacher, who eventually reaches a breaking point, goes a tiny bit crazy, and finds herself hunting for beetles in New Caledonia with an assistant, who is the polar opposite of herself. How she gets there is half the fun. What happens to the two of them while they are there is so much about personal discovery, acceptance of those who are different from us, and ultimately love.

  I highly recommend this book. I think it would be wonderful for book groups because there is so much to discuss here. If any of you have read it, let me know what you think. If you do read it, I want to hear from you as well.

 If you haven’t read it, you absolutely must! You can find a copy here.

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