The Bee StingThe Bee Sting
What it's about
The Barnes family of the Irish midlands were once rich, but after the 2008 crash, Dickie's car dealership is failing. His wife Imelda is selling her jewelry on eBay; their teenage daughter Cass is drinking her way toward college; their twelve-year-old son PJ is planning to run away. And Dickie is spending his days in the woods building a bunker with a strange survivalist. Each tells their side, and all their secrets.
Why it's worth reading
It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's funny, sad and gripping.
You'll love it if you liked
The Corrections
A Fraction of the Whole
Olive KitteridgeGood to know
It's over 600 pages, and the mother's chapters have no punctuation. The ending is abrupt and debated.
By the numbers
- Readers16 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz37 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #267 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #406 of the 481 new books we rank
- #2385 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Paul Murray
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Every Summer After
The Book of Form and EmptinessExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is The Bee Sting worth reading?
Yes. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It ranks #2,385 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 59.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Bee Sting about?
The Barnes family of the Irish midlands were once rich, but after the 2008 crash, Dickie's car dealership is failing. His wife Imelda is selling her jewelry on eBay; their teenage daughter Cass is drinking her way toward college; their twelve-year-old son PJ is planning to run away. And Dickie is spending his days in the woods building a bunker with a strange survivalist. Each tells their side, and all their secrets.
How long does it take to read The Bee Sting?
About 18 hours (736 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Bee Sting?
If you liked it, try The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz or Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.