Book Review: Miss Benson's Beetle - Highly Recommend

 

Rachel Joyce has done it again! This novel was every bit as delightful as her best-selling novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. As Joyce carries her characters into uncharted territory, they always change and grow. She weaves adventures that illustrate firm beliefs about the kind of world where we'd all like to live. Miss Benson's Beetle is an enduring tale that explores a woman's purpose and passion and the rare gift of friendship along the way. It is my must-read suggestion for this trying year.

Doughty Margery Benson is a caricature to her young students. Horrified by their cartoon drawing of her, Margery flees the school and sets out on a journey of a lifetime. She is, at last, doing what she's always wanted to do, tracking a golden beetle in New Caledonia. Her deceased father inspired her love of entomology and also left her with a significant hole in her heart. But she cannot embark on this quest alone, so she reluctantly hires a bumbling assistant, Enid Pretty, who talks too much and dresses too provocatively. While Margery is pressing toward something, Enid is running from something.

Getting to know Margery Benson and Enid Pretty is quite an experience! What a remarkable ride the reader gets as these two unusual women foster an unlikely friendship and face an uncertain future! I can't help but use frequent exclamation points. These memorable characters feel real, and their exploits will stay with me for a good while. This would make a fantastic book club selection. It will spark great discussions and reactions. 

As if my satisfaction of the novel wasn't enough, a section at the end of the book offers a hypothetical conversation between the author and her characters. Then, the author shares the photograph that inspired the tale. I'm always curious about the birthing process of a novel. I relished Joyce's comments about what life is teaching her and what lessons arise from her interaction with these two women who appeared first in her imagination and then in a museum photograph. Keep it up, Rachel Joyce! Your writing is more than "very good" - it's pure gold! I hope you will continue to pursue it with your protagonist's persistence.