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Larry WatsonLarry Watson, the author of Montana 1948 and many other fine novels, has just published Let Him Go, his latest foray into literary fiction. Let Him... Continue »
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35 Local Warehouse Literature- A to Z

Little Bee

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Little Bee Cover

 

Staff Pick

Little Bee is a Nigerian native who escapes horrific violence in her own land and flees to the UK in search of the English couple who inadvertently witnessed the pinnacle of her abuse. Chris Cleave creates a memorable character study here. Little Bee is a wonderful mix of wisdom, strength, sorrow, determination, and humor. But mostly she is the embodiment of hope. Fantastic!
Recommended by Dianah, Powell's City of Books

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

WE DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS BOOK.

It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.

Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:

It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific.

The story starts there, but the book doesn't.

And it's what happens afterward that is most important.

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

Review:

"[A] psychologically charged story of grief, globalization and an unlikely friendship....Cleave's narrative pulses with portentous, nearly spectral energy." Kirkus

Review:

"Book clubs in search of the next Kite Runner need look no further than this astonishing, flawless novel... Cleave effortlessly moves between alternating viewpoints with lucid, poignant prose and the occasional lighter note. A tension-filled dramatic ending and plenty of moral dilemmas add up to a satisfying, emotional read." Library Journal

Review:

"Little Bee will blow you away....In restrained, diamond-hard prose, Cleave alternates between these two characters' points of view as he pulls the threads of their dark — but often funny — story tight. What unfolds between them... is both surprising and inevitable, thoroughly satisfying if also heart-rending." Washington Post

Review:

"Every now and then, you come across a character in a book whose personality is so salient and whose story carries such devastating emotional force it's as if she becomes a fixed part of your consciousness. So it is with the charmingly named title character in Chris Cleave's brilliant and unforgettable Little Bee." The Oregonian

Review:

"The voice that speaks from the first page of Chris Cleave's Little Bee is one you might never have heard — the voice of a smart, wary, heartsick immigrant scarred by the terrors of her past....Read this urgent and wryly funny novel for its insights into simple humanity, the force that can disarm fear." O Magazine

Review:

"Little Bee is a loud shout of talent." Chicago Sun-Times

Review:

"The charge, then: buy this book. Resist opening it until you are ready to start reading, for once you begin you'll find yourself unable to stop....Prepare yourself for Cleave's poignancy, his control, and the pathos he so effortlessly evinces. Expect astonishment, for this is a work inspiring in depth and style; a work that alters perceptions." Bookslut

Review:

"Cleave is a nerves-of-steel storyteller of stealthy power, and this is a novel as resplendent and menacing as life itself." Booklist (starred review)
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About the Author

Chris Cleave is a columnist for The Guardian newspaper in London. His first novel, Incendiary, was published in twenty countries; won the 2006 Somerset Maugham Award; was shortlisted for the 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize; won the United States Book-of-the-Month Club's First Fiction Award; and won the Prix Special du Jury at the French Prix des Lecteurs 2007. His second novel, Little Bee, was shortlisted for the prestigious Costa Award for Best Novel. He lives in London with his French wife and three mischievous Anglo-French children. He keeps his website at www.chriscleave.com.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 42 comments:
julieb43, May 25, 2013 (view all comments by julieb43)
A beautifully written novel focusing on a young woman's attempts to escape her painful past. Little Bee is an engaging and sympathetic character, a young Nigerian who has lost everything in her native country. Sarah, the Englishwoman fate introduces to her is somewhat flaky but ultimately proves to be a good friend to Little Bee. The story of these two women from such different worlds coming together is a joy to read. The difficult issue of refugees is woven throughout the novel and awakens the reader to the horrors these individuals endure. The novel never gets bogged down though because the story and characters are so interesting.
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ReadinginKS, January 30, 2013 (view all comments by ReadinginKS)
Compelling informative insightful great read!
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Katherine L Miller, January 2, 2013 (view all comments by Katherine L Miller)
This novel is harrowing and well written, calling attention to the confusing and complicated interplay between international business, dictatorships and immigration; and illuminating the human response to the possible by adding elements of profound grief, mental illness and childhood.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781416589648
Subtitle:
A Novel
Author:
Cleave, Chris
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Contemporary Women
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
2010
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Publication Date:
20100216
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
304
Dimensions:
8.44 x 5.5 in 9.59 oz
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Related Subjects


Featured Titles » General
Featured Titles » Literature
Featured Titles » Miscellaneous Award Winners
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Contemporary Women
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Featured Titles
Health and Self-Help » Psychology » General
Religion » Comparative Religion » General

Little Bee Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$4.95 In Stock
Product details 304 pages Simon & Schuster - English 9781416589648 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

Little Bee is a Nigerian native who escapes horrific violence in her own land and flees to the UK in search of the English couple who inadvertently witnessed the pinnacle of her abuse. Chris Cleave creates a memorable character study here. Little Bee is a wonderful mix of wisdom, strength, sorrow, determination, and humor. But mostly she is the embodiment of hope. Fantastic!

by Dianah
"Review" by , "[A] psychologically charged story of grief, globalization and an unlikely friendship....Cleave's narrative pulses with portentous, nearly spectral energy."
"Review" by , "Book clubs in search of the next Kite Runner need look no further than this astonishing, flawless novel... Cleave effortlessly moves between alternating viewpoints with lucid, poignant prose and the occasional lighter note. A tension-filled dramatic ending and plenty of moral dilemmas add up to a satisfying, emotional read."
"Review" by , "Little Bee will blow you away....In restrained, diamond-hard prose, Cleave alternates between these two characters' points of view as he pulls the threads of their dark — but often funny — story tight. What unfolds between them... is both surprising and inevitable, thoroughly satisfying if also heart-rending."
"Review" by , "Every now and then, you come across a character in a book whose personality is so salient and whose story carries such devastating emotional force it's as if she becomes a fixed part of your consciousness. So it is with the charmingly named title character in Chris Cleave's brilliant and unforgettable Little Bee."
"Review" by , "The voice that speaks from the first page of Chris Cleave's Little Bee is one you might never have heard — the voice of a smart, wary, heartsick immigrant scarred by the terrors of her past....Read this urgent and wryly funny novel for its insights into simple humanity, the force that can disarm fear."
"Review" by , "Little Bee is a loud shout of talent."
"Review" by , "The charge, then: buy this book. Resist opening it until you are ready to start reading, for once you begin you'll find yourself unable to stop....Prepare yourself for Cleave's poignancy, his control, and the pathos he so effortlessly evinces. Expect astonishment, for this is a work inspiring in depth and style; a work that alters perceptions."
"Review" by , "Cleave is a nerves-of-steel storyteller of stealthy power, and this is a novel as resplendent and menacing as life itself."
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