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Grey Bees
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
7 posts | 5 read | 9 to read
Ukraine's most famous novelist dramatises the conflict raging in his country through the adventures of a mild-mannered beekeeper. From the author of the bestselling Death and the Penguin. "A latter-day Bulgakov . . . A Ukrainian Murakami" - Phoebe Taplin, Guardian Little Starhorodivka, a village of three streets, lies in Ukraine's Grey Zone, the no-man's-land between loyalist and separatist forces. Thanks to the lukewarm war of sporadic violence and constant propaganda that has been dragging on for years, only two residents remain: retired safety inspector turned beekeeper Sergey Sergeyich and Pashka, a "frenemy" from his schooldays. With little food and no electricity, under ever-present threat of bombardment, Sergeyich's one remaining pleasure is his bees. As spring approaches, he knows he must take them far from the Grey Zone so they can collect their pollen in peace. This simple mission on their behalf introduces him to combatants and civilians on both sides of the battle lines: loyalists, separatists, Russian occupiers and Crimean Tatars. Wherever he goes, Sergeyich's childlike simplicity and strong moral compass disarm everyone he meets. But could these qualities be manipulated to serve an unworthy cause, spelling disaster for him, his bees and his country? Grey Bees is as timely as the author's Ukraine Diaries were in 2014, but treats the unfolding crisis in a more imaginative way, with a pinch of Kurkov's signature humour. Who better than Ukraine's most famous novelist - who writes in Russian - to illuminate and present a balanced portrait of this most bewildering of modern conflicts? Translated from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk
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andrew61
andrew61
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
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Pickpick

In a small town in the Donbas, 2 remaining residents, Sergeyich + Pashka,frenemies, live a codependent life as bombing between russia + ukraine rains over them.Summer arrives + S drives his beehive south to find somewhere for his bees to pollinate, with curious encounters along the way. Set after 2014, this is a gentle but darkly profound bk given the current war. Sergeyich is a remarkable character+his response to life make a compelling story⬇️

andrew61 In his 2020 introduction kurov concludes ' I hope the war leaves the residents of the grey zone alone,....and that the honey made by the bees of the donbas loses its bitter after taste of gunpowder' . His 2022 intro ' we must defend our independence, our freedom. We cannot capitulate'. 8mo
Anna40 Beautiful review. 8mo
Tamra So timely 💔 8mo
BarbaraBB How timely indeed (edited) 8mo
Cathythoughts ❤️ 8mo
38 likes2 stack adds5 comments
blurb
shawnmooney
shawnmooney
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
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https://youtu.be/ls3icK3Tdy0?si=Ub673ySxTyE9ZAEA

Intro

A special guest

Weekly Highlights

Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark by Cecelia Watson

Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov, Boris Dralyuk (Translator)

Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard

My Ántonia by Willa Cather

Now and Then by William Corlett

29 likes
blurb
The_Penniless_Author
The_Penniless_Author
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1. Tagged
2. I bought the Count of Monte Cristo roughly 20 years ago and would estimate I'm on page seven, so I think that will end up winning no matter how the rest of my life goes.
3. Becoming a published author. I was going to say "becoming a parent", but I spend too much time worrying over whether I'm doing it right to be proud. (Then again, I do the same thing with writing. ?)

Tag @RaeLovesToRead

Eggs #3 Both are awesome achievements 👍🏼👌🏼👏🏻 1y
26 likes1 comment
review
RosePressedPages
RosePressedPages
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
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Pickpick

This was quiet but stark lit fic about a man living in the grey zone of Ukraine and his journey to find a place for his bees to pollinate. It reminded me of Fredrik Backman‘s writing. I really loved the MC Sergey Sergeyich for his soft and observant soul. We see how Sergeyich reckons with the war in his relationships with his frenemy neighbor Pashka, the Ukrainian soldier Petro, his ex-wife, the Tatars he meets in Crimea, and his beloved bees 🐝💛

85 likes
review
The_Penniless_Author
The_Penniless_Author
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
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Pickpick

Oh my God, I finished a book! One of the downsides of writing is never having time to read anything but your own stupid manuscript, and one of the great joys of finishing a first draft is setting it aside and focusing on someone else's words for a change. Published (and set) during the middle of Russia's shadow war in eastern Ukraine, the story follows a beekeeper and resident of Donbas turned nomad as he searches for peace and tranquility.

The_Penniless_Author This reminded me of The Seventh Seal in a way, the MC managing to eke out small moments of happiness in the solitude of the countryside before war and misery manage to find him again. Very much a slow-burn, world-building kind of novel that paints a very effective picture of what war means to people's day-to-day lives. Also, weirdly prescient dream sequence the MC and friend are celebrating the end of "the Future War" 2y
Leftcoastzen Nice review! It‘s on my #TBRMountain 2y
44 likes3 stack adds2 comments
review
Mirazzles
Mirazzles
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
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Pickpick

Wow. This is a quiet, unassuming force to be reckoned with. I highly recommend!

Leftcoastzen On my #TBRMountain 2y
Mirazzles @Leftcoastzen it is definitely worth the read! 2y
45 likes2 comments
quote
plemmdog
plemmdog
Grey Bees | Andrey Kurkov
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“But bees don‘t understand what war is. Bees can‘t switch from peace to war and back again, as people do…That‘s why he had to drive them out to where it was quiet, where the air was…filling with the sweetness of blossoming herbs, where the choir of these herbs would soon be supported by the choir of flowering cherry, apple, apricot, and acacia trees.” —Andrey Kurkov, Grey Bees

Leftcoastzen On my TBR 2y
plemmdog @Leftcoastzen my advice is stick with it. It‘s slow and methodical, but the translation was good, and I thought it was sort of like a cross between Homer‘s Odyssey and Waiting For Godot, peppered with some dark Russian humor. 2y
Leftcoastzen That sounds good to me.Thanks for the tip , I will know when I‘m in the right frame of mind to give it the attention it deserves. 2y
13 likes1 stack add3 comments