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Craig Silvey
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Honeybee Paperback – September 29, 2020

by Craig Silvey (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,980 ratings
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Late in the night, fourteen-year-old Sam Watson steps onto a quiet overpass, climbs over the rail and looks down at the road far below.

At the other end of the same bridge, an old man, Vic, smokes his last cigarette.

The two see each other across the void. A fateful connection is made, and an unlikely friendship blooms. Slowly, we learn what led Sam and Vic to the bridge that night. Bonded by their suffering, each privately commits to the impossible task of saving the other.

Honeybee is a heart-breaking, life-affirming novel that throws us headlong into a world of petty thefts, extortion plots, botched bank robberies, daring dog rescues and one spectacular drag show.

At the heart of Honeybee is Sam: a solitary, resilient young person battling to navigate the world as their true self; ensnared by a loyalty to a troubled mother, scarred by the volatility of a domineering step-father, and confounded by the kindness of new alliances.

Honeybee is a tender, profoundly moving novel brimming with vivid characters and luminous words. It's about two lives forever changed by a chance encounter -- one offering hope, the other redemption. It's about when to persevere, and when to be merciful, as Sam learns when to let go, and when to hold on.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    421 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Allen & Unwin
  4. Publication date
    September 29, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    6.1 x 1.18 x 9.13 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1760877220
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1760877224
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen & Unwin (September 29, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 421 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1760877220
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1760877224
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1.18 x 9.13 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,980 ratings

About the author

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Craig Silvey

Craig Silvey

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
6,980 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding.
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
I was hooked from the first page. A truly fabulous book. So much sadness, heartache, despair & kindness & love shown by two people who’s path’s collide. Set in my hometown, I followed Sam on his journey. I highly recommend this book.
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Essex Girl
4.0 out of 5 stars Another page turner
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2021
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Another wonderful story and page turner by CS and always great to have the backdrop of Perth.
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grant puglia
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2023
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A real page turner and a heart wrencher to boot. An amazing story that makes examine not only your own beliefs but who you really are.
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Sandra G
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! Great characters, emotive, believable!
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2020
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Easy to read, very well written, appealing to multi generations, compelling. I loved HONEYBEE!
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Aussiemum
4.0 out of 5 stars Written in a compelling way
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2021
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This is a well-written story about a 14 year boy in Australia and his identity struggles. It is heart-breaking in many ways.

As someone who has worked as a high school teacher in Australia, I just want to say that I hope this book in no way reflects the reality of how the police and responsible adults engage with a young teenage boy in Australia.

It astounded me that the cops in particular but also the counselor did not try to get the boy back into some form of schooling. (The cop was very negligent overall in my opinion in his questions and quick release of Honeybee back into the care of his mother without any follow-up from a social worker). It was as if Honeybees issues were so overwhelming that the no one thought school at all important. But this is a dreadful form of neglect by all the adults in his life.

In my state (which is admittedly not Perth), 14 year olds who drop out of school are monitored and there are people whose job it is to help get them back into an educational program.
One person found this helpful
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Joshua Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
I have a copy of Jasper Jones near where I sleep that I have always meant to read, but Honeybee made it there first. I'm so glad it did.

This is a really important book to celebrate and to be read widely. I sincerely hope that it finds it's way into the hands and hearts of any sympathetic librarian, parent, teacher or friend to any teenager, regardless of their journey.

Thanks Craig Silvey for treading where some may have feared to, and for telling this story with the dignity and bravery that so trans people have to live with, every single day.
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Joyce Johnston
5.0 out of 5 stars Both heart breaking and heart warming
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2020
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I put this book down a few times anticipating the next page would just hurt too much to read. Its been too long since I have done that.
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Laurie Wilson
4.0 out of 5 stars Boy in drag cooks and swallows universe
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
Sam Watson is a 14 year old boy in the throes of adolescence, which can be enough of a challenge in itself. But he also has to deal with a mother who is living a dissolute life and lives in poverty, his mother’s partner who is trying to kill him, and a strong suicidal wish. Oh, and he is transgender and dreams of being a drag queen. But he has developed an extraordinary skill in cooking, which seems to help him through the many scrapes he finds himself in, and leads to his eventual self-actualisation. It is a tribute to Craig Silvey’s writing that he manages to pull off bringing together these bizarre elements. Fortunately, Sam encounters two or three people who understand him, and the novel leaves the reader with some faith in humanity. Perhaps the sequel will be the Honeybee cookbook, as we are not given details of Sam’s transformational recipes!
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Top reviews from other countries

Miss Prudence
5.0 out of 5 stars Just beautiful and heartbreaking
Reviewed in Australia on January 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Sam’s journey to find himself , his disposition of having a dispossessed and broken mother who is caught in an endless cycle of poverty that leads her to rely on the worst kind of man and betray her child . This book raises so many sad issues but also such hope and love and positive views on older people . Wonderful and emotive
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Lily Malone
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant writing
Reviewed in Australia on June 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is obviously excellent, but at the end of it, I'm a bit mixed.
Brilliant writing. Great characters. Wonderful character arcs and story.
I think my 'but' is, I felt distanced the whole time I was reading, and never 100% invested to the point where I'd be thinking about the book when I put it down, or at night when I should be sleeping, (which is what happens when I'm really engaged). This probably says more about me, than the story.
Loved the character of Peter, and Aggie, and Vic, and definitely felt sympathy for Sam.
One person found this helpful
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Caroline Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars heart breaking & heart warming
Reviewed in Australia on April 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
What an incredible read. A roller coaster of emotions. Incredible characterisations- I fell in love with the beauty of them and it restored my faith in human goodness . A beautifully told story.
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Robyn Kenworthy
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping from beginning to end!
Reviewed in Australia on December 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
A thought provoking novel that made me laugh and cry. I read it in a day! Written in a way such that you develop real feelings for the characters. A brave expose of the world of a young teenaged, challenged and confused trans boy.
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Jenni harrison
4.0 out of 5 stars High school english text
Reviewed in Australia on May 26, 2021
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I enjoyed reading this book and thought the characters were very likeable and well-developed and the story line was certainly topical, however I couldn’t help but get the feeling this book was written with the aim of becoming a set reading text for a Year 10 English class, which is certainly a good marketing strategy. I have read Rhubarb and Jasper Jones but don’t think I would bother reading another of Craig Silvey’s books after this.
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