Sofía Segovia

Francisco Morales is the heir to the lands of his father. Like most of the landowners in the town of Linares, in northern Mexico, his main crop is sugar cane. But an abandoned baby with a cleft palate, wrapped in a blanket of bees, who old Nana Reja finds under a bridge, eventually brings Francisco and his wife Beatriz, who become his loving godparents, good fortune. This baby, Simonopio, is gifted with sight, both present and future, and is irrevocably connected to his protective swarm of bees. And the bees ultimately help Francisco preserve his family lands for his own children – amid the backdrop of the Mexican revolution and ever-changing land reform – by leading him, through Simonopio, to orange trees. At moments, I was reminded of Isabel Allende’s The House of Spirits, in general, and also Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, in the magical realism aspects of the story. Beautiful story.… (mer)

A enchanting story conceived from a small village in northern Mexico. A fantasy in some ways, but more a story with a parable. REVIEW BY JO ANN BUTLERFrom his birth in 1910, it is clear there is something unusual about Simonopio Morales. It isn?t just the birth defect which disfigures the infant?s face and robs him of speech ? when old Nana Reja finds the little boy abandoned under a bridge in Linares, Mexico, Simonopio is blanketed by bees. Though some mutter that the child was disfigured by the devil?s kiss (or the devil himself) the Morales Cort?z family, a prosperous farming clan, adopts Simonopio to raise as their own.Over the ensuing years, the family witnesses marvelous events. Some, like the Spanish Flu of 1917, the 1910 Revolution?s land seizures, or a tenant?s jealousy, prove more tangible threats than demonic possession. Through it all, Simonopio repays the Morales? kindness many times over: tending the ancient woman who rescued him or retrieving young Francisco Morales when he strays. It?s clear that there is far more to Simonopio than the swarm of bees which follows him everywhere ? the Morales have a protector with near-supernatural abilities.The Murmur of Bees, an award-winning novel by Mexican author Sofia Segovia, intrigues from the start. Ms. Segovia combines a subtly magical atmosphere and unique, yet believable characters with kinetic narration to craft a story with broad appeal. I particularly loved Ms. Segovia?s vivid depiction of northeastern Mexico, letting this reader explore the area?s pastoral farms and rocky hillsides with Simonopio and his murmuring bees. You will enjoy The Murmur of Bees too!… (mer)

The Murmur of Bees has been on my Kindle for a long time. I was prompted to finally read it as part of the Kindle challenge for Hispanic Heritage Month. And what a book: historical fiction set during the Mexican Revolution, focusing on the time period when Mexico was also ravaged by the flu. It is the story of the wealthy Morales family struggling to keep their land and farm as the government closes in to take over. It opens with magic as an old grandmother leaves her rocking chair and brings back a baby covered by bees. The infant is disfigured, seems unable to speak, and while the family welcomes it, others in the community believe it is a demon. And thus the tragedy is set from the beginning. Magical elements were woven throughout the tale and I was mesmerized.… (mer)