The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Grief, Strength, and a Young Woman Rescued by Bees

Gary L. Latshaw: The book not only reveals much about the human condition- particularly parenting and childhood, but teaches the reader much about bees. I can never look at one again without marveling at their role in the very interdependent ecology.

United States on Jul 09, 2023

Kathi: Enjoyed this book so much. The mothers underlying disfunction is sad but the wonderful story of a grandfather's teaching of life to his granddaughter through bee keeping is marvelous. It also educated me just how important a honey bee is. Worth the read!

United States on May 17, 2023

ca mom: The author is the same age as my daughter. They attended school together. We had no idea she faced such challenges. It made her story all the more moving.

United States on May 11, 2023

samsreviews: When families fall apart, the children are often left traumatized in a myriad of ways. One caring person can make all the difference in a child's life. In Meredith's case, it was her grandfather who rescued her and introduced her to the world of bees. There she found healing. Meredith, in turn, introduces us to the amazingly complex society of these buzzing and benevolent creatures . A worthwhile read on multiple levels.

United States on May 01, 2023

Marsha J. Mayer: I became very engrossed in this wonderful story and became attached to the main character and her family. This is beautiful descriptive writing that had the right combination of emotion and detail. This was clever and interesting about a family and the influence of beekeeping on the little girl's life. There was always optimism infused by the endearing grandfather, one each of us would long to have or miss the one we did have. There were so many moments that were gratifying and special that I had to read over them more than once. I highly recommend this book to everyone and know it will generate many interesting discussions of what parts each reader liked the best.

United States on Jan 18, 2023

John Oswell: That 2 young children survived such a dysfunctional and ultimately physically abusive mother is amazing and disturbing. Her grandpa, the bees and the honey bus are the wonderful part of the story and as a small scale backyard beekeeper myself her writing of the bees is excellent. Sue Hubbell's Book of Bees comes to mind. Thank you Meredith, I'll be reading this again, at least the bee parts.

Canada on Mar 29, 2022

Sydney Brooks: I enjoyed this book, mostly learning about the behaviours of bees.

Canada on Oct 13, 2021

Barbara Forde: Lovely story about a young girl finding the home life stability she craves thanks to her grandfather and the lessons he taught her about life, love, commitment and the role a single individual plays in making society....all taught through the life of bees.

Canada on Nov 03, 2020

Beekeeper: I never usually write reviews so this hopefully will support how much I enjoyed this read.
My dad woke up in the middle of the night to hear an interview on the World Service with the author - hearing this interview he knew it would be a book I'd really relate to and bought it as a gift.
I'm a beekeeper myself, who had an unconventional upbringing and not always the easiest starts in life. There was a lot in this book I could really relate to as the bees really did save her life and teach her about love. Its beautifully written and for anyone reading they'll learn some valueable lessons about the amazing life of bees. Her Grandad is identically described as my own! Its a lovely read.

United Kingdom on May 21, 2020

reviewsbychloe: Meredith uses these pages to tell us about her childhood and her relationship with bees. With complicated family dynamics, her grandpa and the bees become her confidants and provide her with the refuge she craves from her turbulent relationship with her mum.

The more time she spends with the bees, the more she learns of their roles and their family dynamics; and whilst she’s not experiencing it at home, she sees the stability, support and strength that a family should have. Her grandpa uses the bees as a medium, to discuss family issues, allowing Meredith to understand and cope with her mum.

After finishing this memoir, it’s fair to say I clearly knew very little about honey bees before I started it!

I was absolutely fascinated by how these bees ‘work a hive’; it’s a very sophisticated mini-metropolis with every bee having a role to play in their society, their dedication to everything they do is both enthralling to watch and incredibly humbling. We could learn a lot from bees.

This is a beautiful, moving and powerful read that will make any reader reflect on themselves and the relationships surrounding them. It’ll make you feel grateful for...

United Kingdom on Sep 02, 2019