The Enlightenment of Bees
by Rachel Linden
Thomas Nelson--FICTION | General Fiction (Adult) , Women's Fiction
Cover Votes: 138 0
Thomas Nelson--FICTION
General Fiction (Adult) , Women's Fiction
Pub Date 09 Jul 2019
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"I combed through the pages with delight. This book is going to cause a real buzz." —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Sometimes a shattered dream leads to an amazing journey.
At twenty-six, apprentice baker Mia West has her entire life planned out: a Craftsman cottage in Seattle, a job baking at The Butter Emporium, and her first love—her boyfriend, Ethan—by her side. But when Ethan declares he "needs some space," Mia's carefully planned future crumbles.
Feeling adrift, Mia joins her vivacious housemate Rosie on a humanitarian trip around the world funded by a reclusive billionaire. Along with a famous grunge rock star, a Rwandan immigrant, and an unsettlingly attractive Hawaiian urban farmer named Kai, Mia and Rosie embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
From the slums of Mumbai to a Hungarian border camp during the refugee crisis, Mia's heart is challenged and changed in astonishing ways—ways she never could have imagined. As she grapples with how to make a difference in a complicated world, Mia realizes she must choose between the life she thought she wanted and the life unfolding before her.
In a romantic adventure across the globe, The Enlightenment of Bees beautifully explores what it means to find the sweet spot in life where our greatest passions meet the world's greatest need.
A Note From the Publisher
Rachel Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures living and traveling in 50 countries around the world provide excellent grist for her stories. She holds an MA in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College and a BA in Literature from Huntington University, and she studied creative writing at Oxford University during college. Currently, Rachel lives in beautiful Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two young children. Rachel enjoys creating stories about hope and courage with a hint of romance and a touch of whimsy. Visit her online at rachellinden.com; Instagram: rachellinden_writer; Facebook: authorRachellinden.
Rachel Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures living and traveling in 50 countries around the world provide excellent grist for her stories. She holds an MA in...
"I combed through the pages with delight. This book is going to cause a real buzz." - Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling
EDITION Other Format
I enjoyed "The Enlightenment of Bees" - a coming-of-age story rooted in the desire to live a life of service.
The plot follows Mia, a young woman from Seattle who embarks on a global humanitarian service trip after the life she had planned falls apart. One of the things I liked most about the book was the way it portrayed the service trip. The characters were very aware that they weren't changing the world with their service trip, but were doing the best they could with the resources they had. I also appreciated the book's analysis on how to use wealth for global service.
The book focuses a lot on the global refugee crisis, and I thought this angle seemed well-researched, which I appreciated. The author's descriptions of cities and cultures seemed authentic and mindful of different world cultures, and as someone who loves travel I enjoyed reading them.
I also really liked Mia as a character. I thought she was well-drawn and seemed genuine. The other characters weren't quite as fleshed out, and a few aspects of their personalities seemed too far-fetched or unrealistic; however, as a whole, the characters worked well together to achieve the book's purpose. I came away from the book inspired, particularly by the line "your purpose is where your greatest passion meets the world's greatest pain."
Janet P, Librarian
I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.
At twenty-six, apprentice baker Mia West has her entire life planned out: a Craftsman cottage in Seattle, a job baking at The Butter Emporium, and her first love, her boyfriend Ethan, by her side. But when Ethan declares he "needs some space," Mia's carefully planned future crumbles.
From the slums of Mumbai to a Hungarian border camp during the refugee crisis, Mia's heart is challenged and changed in astonishing ways/ways she never could have imagined. As she grapples with how to make a difference in a complicated world, Mia realizes she must choose between the life she thought she wanted and the life unfolding before her.
In a romantic adventure across the globe, The Enlightenment of Bees beautifully explores what it means to find the sweet spot in life where our greatest passions meet the world's great need.
This was a great book - I fell in love with Mia and Rosie from the get-go and their adventures were funny and heartbreaking at the same time. (that cottage in Seattle? If they are gone, when can I move in??)  The story was a joy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it from page one to last. If you are looking for a good read, this is a book to recommend to all of your fellow readers, although some of the situations they ran into are not for the faint of heart.
As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by Millenials on Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
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