Miss Benson's Beetle: An uplifting story of female friendship against the odds

Product Information

The premise may not sound the most compelling, but it didn’t take long for Enid in her frothy pink and her pom-pom sandals and Margery in her boots and pith helmet to worm their way into my heart. I loved seeing them discover their worth and take charge of their lives in an era when gender roles were strictly confined. Rachel's books have been translated into thirty-six languages. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Rachel was awarded the Specsavers National Book Awards 'New Writer of the Year' in December 2012 and shortlisted for the 'UK Author of the Year' 2014. When the two women meet, Marjorie is dressed in dull colored jungle clothes. The much younger Enid shows up dressed in a pink, provocative outfit. Her hair is dyed a bright yellow, and she is later described as looking like a call girl. She is enthusiastic about the expedition, and pleads to be Marjorie’s assistant. She never stops talking, rambling on from one subject to another, which is very annoying to Marjorie. Enid is not prepared. She doesn't even have a passport and knows nothing about beetles, but time is short so Marjorie reluctantly agrees that Enid accompany her on this journey of exploration. The book runs like a movie. I am there. I am in the jungle. Tarzan could be around the corner. I see the trees, the snakes, the bugs, and the bug bites. The characters are real. I see their clothes and hair. I hear them talk, I see them walk. (I feel like I’m about to make up a Dr. Seuss story, lol, so I’ll stop now!)

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, Miss Benson’s Beetle is a quirky and poignant story about two women - one middle aged and frumpy, the other beautiful and uneducated - who go on an unlikely quest to locate a mythical beetle that may or may not exist. It’s such a well-drawn portrait of unique characters and the friendship that blooms from their adventure that it’s hard not to hope someone turns it into a movie or limited series one day.By the time she was eighteen, Margery’s room was like the study of the mad biologist. Insect books everywhere, drawings pinned to the wall, her notes and journals, not to mention all the homemade insect houses and jars”.

I continue to be amazed at the number of novels hitting the shelves that feature strong women who take control of their lives and work to become their best selves. The settings and plots are completely unrelated in these books; what connects them is willingness of the main characters to ignore the social norms prevailing at the time and follow some inner compass toward fulfilling themselves. Margery speaks no French and advertised for a French-speaking assistant to accompany her on this trip. She rejected Mr. Mundic, a prisoner-of-war from Burma (likely suffering from PTSD) who felt spurned and began to stalk her. The assistant she ends up hiring not by choice is Enid Pretty, a floozy 26-year-old woman with yellow hair who talks non-stop and thinks she can travel without a passport. Poor Margery. And yet, this is where the fun begins. It also marks the beginning of an unlikely and solid friendship between two women who cannot be more diametrically different from each other.This saucy story also offers a questionable character, a scandal, a natural disaster, and above all an uplifting friendship, written with so much humanity and humor. It made me laugh out loud many times. With her assistant they make a rather peculiar pair. Margery not much of a talker, Enid nonstop-talkative. “By the time they reached Tilbury, she felt murderous. If she could have killed her, quietly and without anyone noticing, she would have.” Margery is reserved, Enid excitable. Margery would rather talk to beetles than men, Enid can put on a saucy talk whenever needed. Margery is serious about expedition, Enid doesn’t think it hurts to have some fun. Now, Margery wonders if Enid is an entirely stable person. I don't really have pictures on my desk unless they remind me of the characters. While I wrote Miss Benson's Beetle, I had a photo of two women on my desk who traveled together. I loved the way they stood together - one looking at the camera, the other staring into the distance. It was the inspiration for the photograph described at the end of the book. But it was also an inspiration to me - to keep trying to honour and capture that spirit. While on the RMS Orion ship - he stayed in his hiding place. He had no food but was used to hunger from having to lived off yellow rice that was crawling with weevils. So….Mundic wasn’t the main focus — but I had a heart for him. So the women become unlikely friends through extraordinary circumstance. Through the expedition, the women grow and become women they are proud of. There are comical situations, in fact almost zany. And the POW brings sadness and fear. Reading about the two women living in wilderness situations is fun. This is a story of female friendship, of women who depend upon each other, of women who grow to respect each other.

Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love. Driving on the island was a trip…over dirt roads bouncing through holes…steering hard to avoid falling trees, or goats. When we hosted Rachel Joyce for an Ask Me Anything, curious readers wanted to learn everything from what her writing space looks like, to how she develops her characters, as well as the setting of this heartwarming, exotic odyssey: New Caledonia. Rachel Joyce: I was delighted when I heard she was reading it. Absolutely delighted. And she has such fun with it, I think. WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; DAILY MAIL BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; BOOKMARK BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020; GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020We jump ahead decades. Margery is in her early 40s now, plodding along in a life that she doesn’t like and never wanted. She is teaching home economics to a bunch of ungrateful students. Everyone has their breaking point and one day everything is just too much for Magery; the after-war bleakness of England, the gloomy rainy days, the continued rationing and the hurtful, ungrateful kids. She walks out of that life and soon into a new one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this fabulous, enthralling book. It evoked strong emotions from sadness to joy. The description of post-war England and the vivid, atmospheric portrayal of the jungle was transporting. The story was lovely and beautiful despite all the hardships and conflicts endured. Q: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing? What would be your own advice for new writers? The truest friendships are those that allow us to step out of the confines of what we once were, and to realize instead what we might be”. In 1914, when Margery Benson was 10 years old, her father showed her a book of magical creatures, none more fantastic than the golden beetle of New Caledonia. Thirty-six years later, jobless and alone, she’s determined to have the adventure of her life and find that beetle. I chose this book because I once read a wonderful book called Perfect by Rachel Joyce, and now she's one of my favorite authors. She's also a British author and I very much enjoy that locale in my books.She places an ad in The Times: “Wanted. French- speaking assistant for expedition to other side of the world. All expenses paid.” The right applicant will help her find the Golden Beetle of New Caledonia, to prove its existence to the entomologists at the Natural History Museum.