This is quintessential Joyce: at once poignant and playful, with huge heart and the same resonance, truth and lightness of touch as her phenomenally successful debut, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
SYNOPSIS:
It is 1950, two unlikely women set off on a hare-brained adventure to the other side of the world to try and find a beetle, and in doing so discover friendship and how to be their best of themselves.
Britain, post Second World War. In a moment of madness Margery Benson abandons her sensible job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist.
Enid Pretty, in pink hat and pompom sandals, is not the companion she had in mind. But together they will find themselves drawn into an adventure that exceeds all expectations. They must risk everything, break all the rules, but at the top of a red mountain they will discover who they truly are, and how to be the best of themselves. This is a novel that is less about what can be found than the belief it might be found; it is an intoxicating adventure story but it is also about what it means to be a woman and a tender exploration of a friendship that defies all boundaries.
MY THOUGHTS:
I love, love, loved this book! There is something so captivating about Joyce's writing; her characters come to life on the page and you cannot help but get caught up in their story. I have read two of Joyce's other books The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, and Miss Benson's Beetle blew me away once again. These books are like a comforting, warm hug where the real world stops and you are immersed into the fictional world of Harold, Queenie and Margery.
The thing I love the most about Joyce's novels are that they are character driven. There is no explosive story line, in fact quite the opposite. The plots are about ordinary people, with ordinary lives embarking on their own journey and along the way the kindness of humankind shines through. The characters are realistic, relatable and humble.
As the opening chapter begins you meet a young Margery and discover her fascination for beetles. The book then jumps 30 years later where Margery is working as a teacher and has become quite lost. Never having married or had children, she is forty and leading a mundane life, one in which she doesn't particularly enjoy. Suddenly, through a unexpected predicament, Margery decides to follow her passion and find the golden beetle that her father first showed her in a book. It has never been proven to exist but Margery is determined to find it and bring back a specimen for The National History Museum's archives. So in search of an assistant Margery begins her mission.
This book was very humorous in places and I completely feel in love with not only Margery but her travelling companion Enid. No two characters could be more polar opposites. Margery, old fashioned in both her viewpoints and dress code; Enid vibrant, colourful and flippant. I loved how both characters came together and formed such a touching, loving friendship.
The journey both women encountered, both physically and mentally was a testament to their inner strength, determination and supportiveness towards one another. It was such a heartwarming story and one I was sadden by once it was over. I could have continued reading about Margery and Enid forever. Much praise to Rachel Joyce who has once again filled my heart with two delightful characters and thrown me into a world of discovery, love and friendship.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours and Doubleday for inviting me to join the Miss Benson's Beetle blog tour. A truly wonderful book which I will treasure and highly recommend.
AUTHOR:
Rachel Joyce is the author of the Sunday Times and international bestsellers The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, The Music Shop and a collection of interlinked short stories, A Snow Garden & Other Stories.
Her books have been translated into thirty -six languages and two are in development for film. 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 201 2 and shortlisted for the ‘UK Author of the Year’ 201 4. Rachel was a Costa prize judge and University Big Read author in 2019.
She has also written over twenty original afternoon plays and adaptations of the classics for BBC Radio 4, including all the Bronte novels. She moved to writing after a long career as an actor, performing leading roles for the RSC, the National Theatre and Cheek by Jowl. She lives with her family in Gloucestershire.