Chris Cleave's Little Bee - Final Blog

This book is a must-read. Cleave seamlessly creates a world of beautiful people and extraordinary events - all based in reality with poignant clarity and soul. The story unfolds as the lives of two characters - Little Bee and Sarah collide and intertwine, painfully, humorously, redemptively.

I don't want to say much more, for fear of ruining any of the experience for any potential readers out there. The story is enthralling; you will find yourself finishing the book before you've realized how deeply the characters have affected your own life. There is such truth in these characters and their situations, you cannot look away from it.

I am not even sure how to classify this book, other than to say, "read it. Now." You will not soon forget the characters - any of them. Cleave's writing has captivated me and I will be reading more of his work soon.

Book 15, Blog 1

My next read is Chris Cleave's Little Bee. I was enjoying a nice stroll through Barnes & Noble, checking out the paperback books on the "buy 2, get 1 free" display. And yes, I judge books by their covers...and their back covers.

So what made me pick up Little Bee? The first two sentences of the back cover read, "We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it."

This book presents me with a challenge - to blog about it as I read without ruining the "magic...[of] how the story unfolds".

Two chapters in, and I'm already experiencing some greatly appreciated "shock" - it's not what I expected...but I like it. So far, so good!