- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Bond Street Books; First Canadian Edition edition (Feb 10 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 038566530X
- ISBN-13: 978-0385665308
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.2 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #189,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Amazon.ca
Amazon Best of the Month, February 2009: The publishers of Chris Cleave's new novel "don't want to spoil" the story by revealing too much about it, and there's good reason not to tell too much about the plot's pivot point. All you should know going in to Little Bee is that what happens on the beach is brutal, and that it braids the fates of a 16-year-old Nigerian orphan (who calls herself Little Bee) and a well-off British couple--journalists trying to repair their strained marriage with a free holiday--who should have stayed behind their resort's walls. The tide of that event carries Little Bee back to their world, which she claims she couldn't explain to the girls from her village because they'd have no context for its abundance and calm. But she shows us the infinite rifts in a globalized world, where any distance can be crossed in a day--with the right papers--and "no one likes each other, but everyone likes U2." Where you have to give up the safety you'd assumed as your birthright if you decide to save the girl gazing at you through razor wire, left to the wolves of a failing state. --Mari Malcolm
Review
"A very special book indeed. Profound, deeply moving and yet light in touch, it explores the nature of loss, hope, love and identity with atrocity its backdrop. Read it and think deeply."
-The Bookseller (UK)
-The Bookseller (UK)
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Most helpful customer reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating, compelling....,
By
This review is from: Little Bee (Hardcover)
Wow....this is a book you need to read. Yes - need.
Quoting from the flyleaf of Little Bee: "We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something , so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again. The story starts there. Once you have read it you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how it unfolds." Okay I was sceptical when I first saw the flyleaf, but then I started to read, and I couldn't put it down. And guess what? - I 'm going to honour the request to not tell you what happens. I know - what kind of review is that? But I think this book is a journey every reader should take on their own. What I will tell you is that author Chris Cleave has created a powerful, moving, exceptional story. The idea was inspired by his childhood in West Africa and by a visit to a British immigration detention centre. The character of Little Bee and her views of the world and life are heartbreaking and compelling. Cleave has created amazing prose, such as: "Learning the Queen's English is like scrubbing off the bright red varnish from your toenails, the morning after a dance. It takes a long time and there is always a little bit left at the end, a stain of red along the growing edges to remind you of the good time you had." The narrative moves between Little Bee and Sarah. What is interesting are their differing views on the same events. All of the supporting characters, Sarah's husband, lover and son are all powerfully written, provoking strong reaction and emotion. There is some violence in the book, but it is integral to the story. The ending is heartbreaking, uplifting and gives hope to our future. Strong stuff? Yes it is - but it's a book you'll be glad you read. As I work with new Canadians every day, I will be recommending this book to co workers. It forces you to see the world through a different set of eyes.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Harrowing...accomplished...unforgettable.,
By
This review is from: Little Bee (Hardcover)
This novel, told from multiple points of view, sears in at least as many ways, testimony to the author's abilities.
Having lived in the UK, I found myself nodding along with some of the sections, while wincing in others. 'Little Bee' manages to inform without resorting to preaching, and even the heightened drama bits were executed so well as to retain their effectiveness. Mr. Cleave gets the voices right, gets the characters right, and in the end, gets the story right. While not an 'easy read', the novel is more than worth the effort required to get through the heartbreaking passages. It reminds us of circumstances most are unfamiliar with, and of our -sometimes lacking- humanity.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Untold Story of the Dispossessed,
This review is from: Little Bee (Paperback)
This is the first book I've read written by Chris Cleave, and found his crisp writing to be highly readable, entertaining, and at the same time Little Bee has that unmistakable power rekindling reader's interest exploring the painful reality that many fellow human beings go through every single day around the globe. The central character Little Bee, whose real name is Udo, meaning peace, recollects childhood memories with her family, adventures with elder sister, and horror in the forms of boots and guns that came to their village, robbing her childhood innocence, while fleeing to a promised land does not bring that very promise of sheltering persecution from the paid thugs. Involvement of a family of journalist, the 1 meter height "batman", gives this tragic story another dimension and perspective, from the eyes of a protector, who feels so helpless protecting a refugee child from the onslaught of endless bureaucracy, and bullets. Amid the gloom and waves of sorrow, also lies satire from Little Bee, whose "Queen English" describing the promised land, her native country's convoluted politics, though piercing, provide light way of responding to constricting cruelty with refreshing humor. Great book and a great story! Kudos to the author Chris Cleave writing a courageous book for the dispossessed, and the world of refugees.
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