Little Bee and a bit about P&P&Z

Little Bee - Synopsis from the front flap... by Chris Cleave

"We don't want to tell you WHAT HAPPENS in this book. It is a truly SPECIAL STORY and we don't want to spoil it. NEVERTHELSS, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say: "THIS IS THE STORY OF TWO WOMEN. Their lives collide on fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again - the story starts there...

"Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds."

Little Bee - My take on the story... My sister gave me this book and told me that I had to read it. As it is well written, the story grabs you and not having all the information, sort of pulls you along. You are anxious to know why the characters are where they are and why they made the decisions they made. As the information is revealed you begin to ask yourself...What would I have done? How would I have handled the situation?

There is a statement that Sarah, one of the two women, makes. She says, "Little Bee had changed me, Lawrence. I can't look at her without thinking how shallow my life is." Interestingly they both took life changing steps and Little Bee felt just as insignificant. Upon self reflection, I have often thought that my struggles seemed so insignificant in my little life compared to some. I know that in reality, we all matter, but do you wonder sometimes if someone matters more than you? That your prayers aren't as important as others and that could be why you never seem to have those answers? Just a passing thought!!! Probably not one to dwell on, but rather, one to build from. We can then think, what can I do to make this world a better place? How can one little person help? I think, just day by day, doing one more thing better than we did yesterday, choosing differently, less selfishly and with real intent. Hopefully we won't have to make the decisions these people had to make.

I really liked this book but I don't want to give anything away. If you have a chance to read it, I would love to discuss more. Until then, a recommended read!


Now for those of you that are interested...I also read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and some other bloke. The book was P&P but made even more intense by the introduction of zombies. Apparently, this is the way the book was to originally have been published, but the original editors felt that there was too much violence and "reality." In fact, there was more risque verbage and high use of double entendre throughout. A funny and fascinating twist. Up next...Sense and Sensiblitiy and Seamonsters. I can hardly wait!!!