The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia

"I always thought Simonopio was mine: my brother, my guide, my savior...but Simonopio belonged to them. Just as they belonged to him. Before he was mine, he was their brother, their son. Simonopio of the bees, the bees of Simonopio. That was how it was from the beginning."

      -Francisco, Jr., from the novel

Apparently, this novel by a Mexican author is the first to be translated into English. It is one of my better choices of Amazon First Reads, unique in its style with an intriguing plot. My rating is 4.

In a small town in Northern Mexico, Francisco and Beatriz Morales are struggling to hang onto their land and protect their family in the midst of government upheaval and the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. (A little too reminiscent of the current pandemic!)

At the beginning of the story when Nana Reja, an elderly woman who rarely moves from her rocking chair on the front porch, disappears and returns with a baby she has found abandoned under a bridge, the Morales family adopts the infant who has a badly deformed face and is found covered with a blanket of bees. The family and townsfolk have no idea how this child will change their lives. Some of the people think he is a "devil child" but the Morales family treats him as their own and calls him Simonopio. This mysterious child turns out to be gifted with a 6th sense and the bees he was found with are his frequent companions and protectors throughout his life. He becomes known as the "Bee Charmer."

The antagonist, Anselmo Espiricueta, is a bitter, jealous campesino (peasant farmer) on Morale's land, who has lost his family to the Spanish flu and desires everything that Francisco has. This animus, you can likely guess, drives the plot.

The story is narrated by an older adult whose identity is unknown for much of the book. The chronology is a bit confusing and the perspective changes, which kept this reader on her toes, but I am glad I happened onto this captivating novel.

The Beginning by Patrick D. Smith

 "We haven't had trouble here. We're trying to avoid it. God knows we're trying, and we've got a start. It may not seem like much to you, but it's a beginning."

               -Mayor Sidney Grenlee, from the novel

This book was advertised as possibly Patrick D. Smith's finest novel. Since I have read A Land Remembered, a favorite of mine, and several other of his novels and appreciated his writing very much, I decided to read this one. I must beg to differ on the hype. I feel it is far from Smith's best, even though I did finish it and will rate it a 3. A couple of problems were poor editing and very long sentences with frequent listing.

Many ultraconservatives trying to save people from reading anything that makes them "uncomfortable" would probably want to ban this one. In fact, the introduction written by the author in 1998 admits it was controversial after its publication in 1967. There are some very disturbing scenes.

The story takes place in Midvale, Mississippi, in the 1960's in a small town dealing with new federal legislation seeking to provide equality to blacks. In Midvale, the white sheriff, Ike Thornton and white mayor, Sidney Grenlee, are trying very hard to help their black citizens. Many of the townspeople agree with their efforts but, of course, there are racist rednecks, Con Ashley for one, who can't stand the thought of blacks having equal rights. Along come a couple of civil rights workers from California who supposedly want to open a school for blacks. The young woman, Sylvia Landcaster, has education in mind and her heart in the right place. Her coworker, Jeffrey Van Dolan, just wants to stir up trouble. I couldn't decide who I disliked the most: Ashley or Van Dolan---both pretty despicable.

The Beginning is an interesting story but as I mentioned, it is certainly not Patrick D. Smith's best!