The History of Bees

By Maja Lunde,

Book cover of The History of Bees

Book description

“Imagine The Leftovers, but with honey” (Elle), and in the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this “spectacular and deeply moving” (Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author) novel follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked The History of Bees as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’m personally fascinated by bees (there are a few of them that turn up in my own book), so a speculative novel where they play a starring role was always going to be a must-read for me. Lunde’s novel spans 150 years and reminds us that for all our ingenuity and invention, humans are nowhere near as smart as the natural world, and we mess about with it at our peril. For bee aficionados, there’s a great deal of knowledge in these pages. There’s also thoughtful, reasoned speculation about what the 21st Century will mean for China’s place in…

Want books like The History of Bees?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The History of Bees.

Browse books like The History of Bees

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in extinction, sagas, and bees?

Extinction 32 books
Sagas 48 books
Bees 42 books