Of Bees and Mist

3.72 based on 549 reviews.

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Hardcover Book

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Product Description

Raised in a sepulchral house where ghosts dwell in mirrors, Meridia grows up lonely and miserable. But at age sixteen, she has a chance at happiness when she falls in love with Daniel-a caring and naive young man. Soon they marry, and Meridia can finally escape to live with her husband's family, unaware that they harbor dark secrets of their own. There is a grave hidden in the garden, there are two sisters groomed from birth to despise each other, and there is Eva-the formidable matriarch and the wickedest mother-in-law imaginable-whose grievances swarm the air in an army of bees. As Meridia struggles to keep her life and marriage together, she discovers long-buried secrets about her own past as well as shocking truths about her new family that inexorably push her love, courage, and sanity to the brink.

"Of Bees and Mist" is an engrossing fable that chronicles three generations of women under one family tree over a period of thirty years-their galvanic love and passion, their shifting alliances, their superstitions and complex domestic politics-and places them in a mythical town where spirits and spells, witchcraft and demons, and prophets and clairvoyance are an everyday reality. Erick Setiawan's astonishing debut is a richly atmospheric and tumultuous ride of hope and heartbreak that is altogether touching, truthful, and entirely memorable.

Product Details

  • Media: Hardcover Book, 404 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Aug. 31st, 2009)
  • ISBN-10: 1416596240
  • ISBN-13: 9781416596240
  • Dimensions: 6.55 x 9.57 x 1.40 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.43 lbs

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Customer Reviews

  • Book Rating 3 out of 5
    Read Reviews on Goodreads

    by karen from Woodside, NY | Sep 17, 2009

    i wish i liked this more, i truly do. it's in the running for best cover of the year, which is of course why i bought it (in hardcover, before reading any reviews of it, and barely reading the flap-copy) but it seemed like my brand of tea - crumbling houses, family secrets, a touch of magic realism. only it was more than a touch. this is basically a fairy tale. which hit me unexpectedly as i was reading. but it's fine, i acclimate to the tone and continue reading... it's just that it's not very tidy. there is a fascinating story in here, it's just muddled underneath other half-stories. magical realism is tempting for a writer because problems and conflicts can be resolved in any way the author chooses, without worrying about expectations or truth-feeling. but it's easy to let the story slip away under such circumstances. and that may have happened here. i still cared about the characters, and appreciated that it stuck to common fairy-tale ground like wicked stepmothers (or in-laws) and true love marred by magic and fate etc, but usually in a fairy tale, at least SOMEONE is happy. i would definitely read a second book by this author. please.


     19 people found this review helpful


  • Book Rating 3 out of 5
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    by Quiltgranny from Belton, MO | May 6, 2009

    What a surprise I received when I started reading this book. I actually was prepared to dislike it because I had read elsewhere that it is a fantasy, and I don't do well with that type of narrative.

    BUT - as I continued to read on, the magical became real and accepted not only by the people in the story, but the reader as well. I was not bothered by the mist or the bees, or the fireflies or the "ghosts". Instead I saw them as allegorical for desire/emptiness, hatred, and personal reflections. The "ghosts" reminded me of Allende's House of Spirits, though not quite as well executed.

    I was bothered a bit by not knowing where this story of two families took place - perhaps I missed it in the early pages. I had to go back several times to read the first 20 or so pages to get some people and events straightened out in my mind as well. Understanding the cultural intricacies might have helped it flow a bit better.

    All in all, a very nice book that I had a hard time leaving when it was time to sleep. And a very well done FIRST novel by a non-native English speaker. The author's story is a fascinating read as well!


     1 people found this review helpful


  • Book Rating 5 out of 5
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    by Jo-ann from The United States | May 8, 2010

    Of Bees and Mist intrigued me with its red cover and delicate graphics. I got this book from the library. Part legend, part ghost story, this stormy love story transcends time, place, reality, and more. I found it fascinating that there is no mention of time or place to ground the story, and there is no clue as to ethnicity as well. I hesitate to call it "magical realism," but there is no other way to describe it.

    There are so many books I've loved with the word "bees" in the title. The Secret Life of Bees, Bee Season, Little Bee, and here is another one to add to the list of favorites. Characters transcend earthly bonds, cause weather, curse one another, and yet the love each character has for another is like a tensile wire threaded throughout the story. My husband, who rarely reads fiction, loved it. It is one of those stories that is "un-put-downable." After I read it, I bought several copies in hardback to give to friends. I try to do that with every book I love this much, to support the author.

    BTW, Erick Setiawan's story is just as fascinating.



  • Book Rating 4 out of 5
    Read Reviews on Goodreads

    by Denise from The United States | Feb 3, 2010

    Of Bees and Mist is a magical tale of love and jealousy between two families across three generations. There are haunted houses, vengeful bees, concealing mists, and every sort of magic, good and bad, that you can imagine. The writing is richly descriptive and lyrical and the characters are drawn in detail with full, fantastic histories backing them up.
    Magical realism is a favorite genre and I enjoyed Of Bees and Mist. It did seem that Setiawan was a bit unnecessarily harsh on his characters, the calamities are unrelenting and even the best of people can't seem to catch a break. They don't seem to learn much as they fight the same battles over and over throughout the book. Still, the characters were unique and interesting and the writing beautiful. An original debut novel, I look forward to seeing what Erick Setiawan writes next.
    I listened to the audio version of the book and Marguerite Gavin captures the character's voices well. The swarms of bees and enchanted, enraged men especially come across in her narrative interpretation.


     1 people found this review helpful


  • Book Rating 4 out of 5
    Read Reviews on Goodreads

    by Meagan from Greeley, CO | Jan 31, 2010

    Meridia, the daughter of two distant, distracted, and angry parents, has grown up in a house haunted by an unrelenting cold, mysterious colored mists, apparitions in the mirror, and a staircase that expands and contracts without warning. When she is sixteen she meets and falls in love with Daniel, whose mother Eva becomes the driving force of the novel. Eva dominates and manipulates everyone in her life, and her anger is manifested as a swarm of bees. Meridia and Eva spend the book locked in a battle over business, reputation, and the lives and love of the other family members.

    This book, which takes place in a fantastic and unnamed country, is heavily steeped in magical realism. Flowers grow overnight and cannot be killed; a woman's hatred turns her bed to ice; a mother's guilt turns her feet into hooves. The exotic setting, strong and complex female characters, and evocative writing make this a book to read slowly and savor. It was selected by my book club, and I anticipate some really interesting discussion!


     3 people found this review helpful


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