The Murmur of Bees
Published on 16. April 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
476 pages
978-1-5420-4050-1 (ISBN)
Description
From a beguiling voice in Mexican fiction comes an astonishing novel-her first to be translated into English-about a mysterious child with the power to change a family's history in a country on the verge of revolution.
From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can-visions of all that's yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats-both human and those of nature-Simonopio's purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.
Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.
From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can-visions of all that's yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats-both human and those of nature-Simonopio's purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.
Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.
Reviews / Votes
"The book's publication in the United States by Amazon Crossing announces a writer whose absorbing yet accessible prose and gift for sprinkling the mystical into a deeply human narrative is sure to draw comparisons to Latin American greats, such as Isabel Allende." -The Washington Post"Sofia Segovia is already a famed author in Mexico, and with The Murmur of Bees she's poised to become an international favorite too." -POPSUGAR
"A unique and deftly penned novel by an author with a genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling that holds the readers rapt attention from beginning to end, The Murmur of Bees is unreservedly recommended." -Midwest Book Review
"Acclaimed Mexican author Segovia's first work translated into English is a gorgeous novel of family, friendship, land, and murderous envy, a tale reminiscent of Isabel Allende's early tales...With the help of a gifted translator, Segovia skillfully envelops readers, fully engaging their senses and imagination in this wonderful novel." -Booklist
"The Murmur of Bees is unpredictable and heart-rending, a novel both grand in scope, capturing the fate of a country in flux, and deeply personal, with its intimate portrait of a family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable." -Brooklyn Digest
"Ms. Segovia combines a subtly magical atmosphere and unique, yet believable characters with kinetic narration to craft a story with broad appeal." -San Francisco Book Review
"This is an incredible book by a great writer. I encourage everyone to run to obtain a copy. I await other books by this author." -Historical Novel Society
"A magical-realism romp from Mexico, Sofia Segovia's The Murmur of Bees-her first novel translated into English-offers a dizzying swirl of history, family lore, tragedy, redemption, and, of course, magic." -Washington Independent Review of Books
"The Murmur of Bees by Mexican writer Sofia Segovia is the rare novel in historical fiction, realistically framed within historical events-the Mexican Revolution, the Spanish flu-and, at the same time, filled with preternatural circumstances and fantastic characters that have earned Segovia comparisons with magical realism writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende. It is universal at heart but also deeply imbedded in its setting." -Historical Novel Society
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Publishing group
Amazon Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 207 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5420-4050-1 (9781542040501)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Sofia Segovia was born in Monterrey, Mexico. She studied communications at Universidad de Monterrey, thinking mistakenly that she would be a journalist. But fiction is her first love. A creative writing teacher, she has also been a ghostwriter and communications director for local political campaigns and has written several plays for local theater. Her novels include Noche de huracan (Night of the Hurricane), El murmullo de las abejas (The Murmur of Bees)-which was called the literary discovery of the year by Penguin Random House and named Novel of the Year by iTunes-and Huracan. Sofia likes to travel the world, but she loves coming home to her husband, three children, two dogs, and cat. She writes her best surrounded and inspired by their joyous chaos.
Follow her on Facebook and Twitter or visit www.sofiasegovia.com for more information.
Simon Bruni is a literary translator from Spanish, a language he acquired through "total immersion" living in Alicante, Valencia, and Santander. He studied Spanish and Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London and Literary Translation at the University of Exeter.
Simon's many published translations include novels, short stories, videogames and nonfiction publications, and he is the winner of three John Dryden awards: in 2017 and 2015 for Paul Pen's short stories "Cinnamon" and "The Porcelain Boy," and in 2011 for Francisco Perez Gandul's novel Cell 211. His translation of Paul Pen's novel The Light of the Fireflies has sold over a hundred thousand copies worldwide.
For more information, please visit www.simonbruni.com.
Follow her on Facebook and Twitter or visit www.sofiasegovia.com for more information.
Simon Bruni is a literary translator from Spanish, a language he acquired through "total immersion" living in Alicante, Valencia, and Santander. He studied Spanish and Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London and Literary Translation at the University of Exeter.
Simon's many published translations include novels, short stories, videogames and nonfiction publications, and he is the winner of three John Dryden awards: in 2017 and 2015 for Paul Pen's short stories "Cinnamon" and "The Porcelain Boy," and in 2011 for Francisco Perez Gandul's novel Cell 211. His translation of Paul Pen's novel The Light of the Fireflies has sold over a hundred thousand copies worldwide.
For more information, please visit www.simonbruni.com.