The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Honey Bus is a beautiful homage to the honeybee and nature’s guiding principles to a life well-lived. Meredith’s struggles with her Mother and Grandmother can be comical at times but are often heart wrenching as she tries to navigate a suddenly upside-down world when her parent’s divorce and she moves to California with her unstable mother.
The saving grace of her life, and indeed of the memoir, are the scenes with the bees and her Grandfather. Through the eyes of the wise older man, we learn about how hives survive in a cruel world and how each bee is used to its fullest potential. In this way, it provides a proper allegory for how to thrive in life. The foil of the beehive, with all of its purpose and harmony, shows how destructive a fractured home life can be to a young person without proper guidance.
Ms. May does an expert job of keeping the narrative moving, and though there may be times where you can’t stand her treatment, there is a conclusive and satisfying ending. Well worth a read and one of the best so far this year.
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