Little Bee

Critics

• Exit Wounds

  Some 50 years ago, the region near Nigeria’s Atlantic coast provided the setting for Chinua Achebe’s haunting novel of a world torn asunder by the vicissitudes of Anglo-imperial expansion. To capture the tragedy of colonialism in that account, “Thing ... (read full critics)

  nytimes published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

• Book review: Chris Cleave's *Little Bee*

  Little Bee Chris Cleave Simon & Schuster Hardcover 288 pages February 2009 Sarah O'Rourke finds her whole world changed within the span of a couple of years after a violent confrontation on a beach in Nigeria and the death of her husband, Andrew, soo ... (read full critics)

  curledup published on Tue, 7 Sep 2010

10 Reviews

• 2 people find this helpful

  

  "Little Bee is a Nigerian girl who has learned to talk like the Queen. She's a refuge who has been detained in an immigration detention center forty miles east of London for two years. I've never heard a Nigerian woman speaking the Queen's English, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the dialogue. ... (continue)

  "Little Bee is a Nigerian girl who has learned to talk like the Queen. She's a refuge who has been detained in an immigration detention center forty miles east of London for two years. I've never heard a Nigerian woman speaking the Queen's English, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the dialogue. But I believed in Little Bee from the first paragraph, and I loved her (...) Little Bee's life is entangled, by accident, with the life of another woman, Sarah, a white British magazine editor who lives in Kingston-upon-Thames. Sarah has just had something terrible happen to her, and she can't figure out how to feel. Sarah and Little Bee knew each other briefly in other terrible circumstances. Sarah was on vacation. Little Bee was in the middle of her real life. Now she's in the middle of Sarah's real life. Sarah has a young son who always wears a Batman costume, so he's always ready to fight baddies. There are a husband and a lover in the mix. Little Bee is in Britain illegally. Sarah's life has lost its meaning. Cleave works his magic throughout: the two women learn how to help each other. Their relationship feels perfectly natural."
  http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/fiction/fr/little-b…

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  Angelica Dadomo said on Mar 29, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Wonderful

  The strong narrative voice carries this story through and keeps you enthralled. As the blurb says it is the unfolding of the story that is its strength, so I will refrain from giving away the contents. Suffice to say one of the best books I have read in a long time.

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  Liz4211 said on Aug 25, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  Little Bee is so real. You can hear her breathe beside you as you read.
  Heart wrenching and yet inspiring.

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  Stuna said on Jun 19, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  started off great...

  but then I didn't like the rest of the story!

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  Cittti said on Nov 29, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  The story plot is basically good, and the writing is elegant, but too many unnecessary details. It feels like an old lady is nagging about her never-ending memories and carried away by some little things such as the color of tree leaves or the cloud in the sky.

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  sharlen said on Oct 25, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  Little Bee

  Delightful use and examination of English (British) language, compelling characters, intriguing plot. Highly recommend for all of the above.

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  mlbleichwehl said on Oct 4, 2010 | Add your feedback

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Book Details

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• English Books
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• ISBN-10: 1416589635
• ISBN-13: 9781416589631
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Also available as: Paperback and eBook

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