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Book club questions for The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin explore the complex lives of three unlikely beekeepers who form an unbreakable bond through their shared love of bees, released on April 12, 2022.
The book follows the lives of Alice, Daphne, and Simon, who are all dealing with their own personal struggles. Alice is a retired accountant who inherits a neglected farm and turns to beekeeping to bring it back to life. Daphne is a young mother who has fled an abusive relationship and finds solace in the quiet routine of beekeeping. Simon is a troubled teenage boy who finds purpose and connection in caring for bees. Together, they form a unique and supportive community that defies societal expectations.
What inspired Alice to become a beekeeper, and how does this decision change her life? How does Daphne’s experience with abuse affect her approach to beekeeping, and how does beekeeping help her heal? What role do the bees play in the lives of Alice, Daphne, and Simon, and how do their interactions with the bees reflect their own personal struggles? … and more!
With a heartwarming and inspiring story that celebrates the power of community and the resilience of the human spirit, Garvin’s novel explores the complexities of human relationships and the healing power of nature.
From the unexpected bond formed between three beekeepers to the challenges of rebuilding a farm, there is much to discuss in The Music of Bees. The novel also touches on themes of grief, redemption, and the importance of finding one’s true passion.
So, let’s dive into some book club questions for The Music of Bees! ❤️
The Synopsis
Three lonely strangers in a rural Oregon town, each working through grief and life’s curveballs, are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing–and maybe even a second chance–just when they least expect it.
Forty-four-year-old Alice Holtzman is stuck in a dead-end job, bereft of family, and now reeling from the unexpected death of her husband. Alice has begun having panic attacks whenever she thinks about how her life hasn’t turned out the way she dreamed. Even the beloved honeybees she raises in her spare time aren’t helping her feel better these days.
In the grip of a panic attack, she nearly collides with Jake–a troubled, paraplegic teenager with the tallest mohawk in Hood River County–while carrying 120,000 honeybees in the back of her pickup truck. Charmed by Jake’s sincere interest in her bees and seeking to rescue him from his toxic home life, Alice surprises herself by inviting Jake to her farm.
And then there’s Harry, a twenty-four-year-old with debilitating social anxiety who is desperate for work. When he applies to Alice’s ad for part-time farm help, he’s shocked to find himself hired. As an unexpected friendship blossoms among Alice, Jake, and Harry, a nefarious pesticide company moves to town, threatening the local honeybee population and illuminating deep-seated corruption in the community. The unlikely trio must unite for the sake of the bees–and in the process, they just might forge a new future for themselves.
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.
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Selected Reviews for The Music of Bees
“An exquisite debut that combines a moving tale of friendship with a fascinating primer on bees.”—People, “Best New Books”
“A story for this unique time about three people trying to mend their broken lives [that] tells of the power inside each of us that builds the sweet life we want even if we don’t get there the way we had dreamed. It’s exactly the book we need after a year of uncertainty.” —The Spokesman-Review
“Sensational . . . A heartwarming, poignant, emotional story of friendship and healing.” —The Reading Café
“I knew nothing about bees before reading this marvelous book, but now I’m craving honey. Who knew that the intricate miracle that is a beehive can contain such deep, surprising life lessons? This emotionally resonant story strikes to the heart of how grief can crack you open but lead to unexpected new ways to connect.” —Judy Blundell, New York Times bestselling author of The High Season
Book Club Questions for The Music of Bees
I hope you and your book club will enjoy my discussion reading guide for The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin. ✨
- The Music of Bees features three main characters who are very different from each other but are all united by their love of bees. How does this common interest shape their relationships, and what does it symbolize for each of them? For example, consider how Alice describes the importance of bees: “Bees are magic, Mary. They’re our little fairies. They take what we don’t need and turn it into the most amazing elixir” (p. 33). How does this quote relate to the characters’ experiences, and what deeper meaning might it hold?
- In the book, Alice is a beekeeper and shares her knowledge about the queen bee and her daughters with Jake. How does this conversation relate to the larger themes of the book?
- Alice’s parents were well-known and respected apple orchard farmers. How does their legacy influence Alice’s life and decisions, and how does this theme connect to the other characters in the book?
- One of the major plot points in the novel is the potential threat of a pesticide company to the bees and their habitats. What do you think the author is trying to say about the balance between economic development and environmental protection, and how does this issue relate to our own society?
- Each character in the novel has their own unique struggle to overcome. How do their individual journeys intersect, and what themes emerge from these interactions? For example, consider how William reflects on his relationship with his son: “The boy was always too quiet. Too small. Too something. I didn’t know how to be a father to him” (p. 71). How does William’s experience compare to that of Alice or Harry, and what do their struggles say about the challenges of human connection?
- Jake’s father is cruel to him, causing Jake to feel trapped and miserable. How does Alice’s offer of a job and a place to stay change Jake’s outlook on life?
- Harry has a prison record and is trying to start fresh in Oregon. How does his past affect his interactions with Alice and the other characters?
- One of the central themes of the book is forgiveness. How do the characters in the novel navigate their own feelings of anger, resentment, and betrayal, and what role does forgiveness play in their personal growth?
- Alice narrowly avoids hitting Jake with her truck and they form an unlikely friendship. How does this chance encounter lead to a greater sense of purpose for both Alice and Jake?
- Throughout the book, Alice is struggling with unfulfilled dreams and a sense of stagnation. How do the events of the book, particularly her relationship with Jake and Harry, help her overcome these feelings?
- The book explores themes of family, loyalty, and finding one’s purpose in life. How do these themes manifest in the different relationships between Alice, Jake, Harry, and even Uncle H?
- The Music of Bees explores the relationship between humans and nature. How does this relationship evolve throughout the book, and what commentary does the novel offer on the importance of environmental stewardship? For example, consider how Alice describes the bees’ importance in the ecosystem: “They pollinate the plants we eat, the flowers we love, the trees that give us oxygen. Without them, we’d be in deep trouble” (p. 33). How does this quote relate to the themes of the novel, and what message might the author be trying to convey about the impact of human actions on the natural world?
- Compare and contrast the lives of Alice, Jake, and Harry. What similarities and differences do they share?
- The characters in the novel are all grappling with issues related to identity and belonging. How do they define these concepts for themselves, and how do their perspectives change over the course of the book? For example, consider how Mary reflects on her sense of self: “She had always thought of herself as a mother first, a wife second, and everything else a distant third” (p. 16). How does Mary’s journey relate to those of other characters in the novel, and what does it suggest about the search for purpose and meaning in life?
- How does the setting of the novel, the town of Hood River, Oregon, impact the story and the characters?
- One of the most poignant scenes in the novel is when Alice and Jake finally reconnect after many years apart. How does this scene encapsulate the themes of the novel, and what insights can we gain about forgiveness and redemption?
- At one point in the novel, Alice reflects on the importance of community and says, “We all need someone to lean on from time to time.” How does this statement relate to the themes of the novel, and what insights can we gain about the importance of community and connection?
- Discuss the importance of community in the novel. How do the characters form a sense of belonging with each other and with the town they live in?
- How does Alice’s passion for beekeeping reflect her personality and her outlook on life?
- The novel deals with themes of second chances and starting over. How do the characters experience these themes throughout the story?
Additional Recommendations
Hope you enjoyed my book club and discussion questions for The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin!
Here are some more of my book club recommendations:
Foster by Claire Keegan
An international bestseller and one of The Times’ “Top 50 Novels Published in the 21st Century,” Claire Keegan’s piercing contemporary classic Foster is a heartbreaking story of childhood, loss, and love; now released as a standalone book for the first time ever in the US
It is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas’ house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household—where everything is so well tended to—and this summer must soon come to an end.
Winner of the prestigious Davy Byrnes Award and published in an abridged version in the New Yorker, this internationally bestselling contemporary classic is now available for the first time in the US in a full, standalone edition. A story of astonishing emotional depth, Foster showcases Claire Keegan’s great talent and secures her reputation as one of our most important storytellers.
Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash
A sweeping, tenderhearted love story, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash tells the story of two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own.
As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: they decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter, Beatrix, to America. There, she’ll live with another family for the duration of the war, where they hope she’ll stay safe.
Scared and angry, feeling lonely and displaced, Bea arrives in Boston to meet the Gregorys. Mr. and Mrs. G, and their sons William and Gerald, fold Bea seamlessly into their world. She becomes part of this lively family, learning their ways and their stories, adjusting to their affluent lifestyle. Bea grows close to both boys, one older and one younger, and fills in the gap between them. Before long, before she even realizes it, life with the Gregorys feels more natural to her than the quiet, spare life with her own parents back in England.
As Bea comes into herself and relaxes into her new life―summers on the coast in Maine, new friends clamoring to hear about life across the sea―the girl she had been begins to fade away, until, abruptly, she is called home to London when the war ends.
Desperate as she is not to leave this life behind, Bea dutifully retraces her trip across the Atlantic back to her new, old world. As she returns to post-war London, the memory of her American family stays with her, never fully letting her go, and always pulling on her heart as she tries to move on and pursue love and a life of her own.
As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.
Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe
This night not only marked the end to the drought, but also the end to the long-held secret we’d kept hidden under the magnolias.
Magnolia, South Carolina, 1980
Austin Foster is barely a teenager when her mama dies giving birth to twins, leaving her to pick up the pieces while holding her six siblings together and doing her best to stop her daddy from retreating into his personal darkness.
Scratching out a living on the family’s tobacco farm is as tough as it gets. When a few random acts of kindness help to ease the Fosters’ hardships, Austin finds herself relying upon some of Magnolia’s most colorful citizens for friendship and more. But it’s next to impossible to hide the truth about the goings-on at Nolia Farms, and Austin’s desperate attempts to save face all but break her.
Just when it seems she might have something more waiting for her―with the son of a wealthy local family who she’s crushed on for years―her father makes a choice that will crack wide-open the family’s secrets and lead to a public reckoning. There are consequences for loving a boy like Vance Cumberland, but there is also freedom in the truth.
T. I. Lowe’s gritty yet tender and uplifting tale reminds us that a great story can break your heart . . . then heal it in the best possible way.
Thank you for reading my book club discussion questions and as always, happy reading! ❤️