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Post by geminii on Jan 11, 2022 13:20:21 GMT
Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel JoyceI can see from comments here & on Goodreads, that a couple of us have already finished this read, so time to get the discussion / review thread up and running ..
Please remember to 'white out' any spoliers ..
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Post by sarita on Jan 11, 2022 15:54:03 GMT
Let's get going then.
Initially I really struggled with the main two characters and couldn't see where the story was going. It looked like pantomime. Having loved R. Joyce's first two books I persevered and I'm glad I did.
It was never going to be a 5* but it progressively picked up pace and the true characters were better understood. With hindsight I could have given 4 * but not when I rated it. There are a number of deeper themes in the story, hiding behind the off the wall pages.
I was happy to learn that such a beetle does exist.
I didn't like the trick of including a dog to kill it later. Authors do that regularly, doesn't make sense to me.
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Post by adelynechan on Jan 11, 2022 18:14:49 GMT
I liked the plot right from the beginning, having got sufficient hints in the early chapters to be able to guess where the story was going. The excitement only increased when Miss Benson started planning her trip, when I found out we were "going" to New Caledonia (by cruise + flying boat no less!). Not all of the following two paragraphs are technically spoilers, but I can't be bothered to figure out what is and what isn't so I'm just going to white out the whole chunk.
Things started to go a bit south for me from the minute Enid Pretty appeared though, I disliked her right from the time that she showed up at the train station with a million suitcases and waving with her foot (that description was just so apt, I couldn't get the image out of my head) - and she's basically just a complete character clash with me. I found her just so unbelievably selfish, everything and anything was about her, and I really admired Miss Benson at times while they were on the cruise ship. I was hoping that I would eventually grow to like her, and while I did start to soften towards her character in several parts, it unfortunately never quite happened, and she irked me right through till the very end.
That aside, I did enjoy the story arc - the journey of discovery for Miss Benson both in the context of the beetle and also what she wanted in life. I was so happy for her when she found the golden beetle right at the end, I was starting to think by this stage that it might be a case of her never finding them but reconciling with the fact. And, despite my dislike of Enid's character, Miss Benson obviously didn't share my sentiments and I'm happy with how her character turned out.
I did like the writing style though, and will definitely try something else by the author. Also, this will sound silly, but the font used in my copy of the book seemed to suit the storyline to a tee, and I found that rather amusing. Thank you for choosing this one, while Enid's character drove me up the wall I did enjoy my beetle-hunting adventure!
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Post by geminii on Jan 11, 2022 19:57:57 GMT
adelynechan .. sometimes it's best to simply white out the whole chunk .. lol
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Post by pennylane on Jan 12, 2022 11:20:51 GMT
Here is what I posted on Goodreads -
Loved the original premise of this story of two unlikely companions journeying across the globe in search of an undiscovered gold beetle and finding friendship. It started off tragically but didn't take itself too seriously for the most part, though it had it's moments. I loved the descriptions of the local flora and fauna of New Caledonia and of their various exploits in the jungle. Not my usual genre but it was a buddy read with a few others which made a change and made me laugh at times.
I did like how the friendship between the two developed and I could see where it was all headed, which was sad and sweet in the end.
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suzann
Novella
Lost between the pages!
Posts: 179 
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Post by suzann on Jan 21, 2022 17:09:32 GMT
I listened to this as an audiobook and quite enjoyed it Enid was quite funny and I had a chuckle at times. It’s not the type of book I would usually go for but it was nice to listen to something a bit different.
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wyres
Agatha Christie Whodunnit
Posts: 351
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Post by wyres on Mar 11, 2022 16:24:19 GMT
This was a lovely quirky tale of Margery Benson and her need to go looking for a Golden Beetle, a beetle that she'd dreamed of finding at any cost. Meet Enid Petty a most unusual candidate for the position of assistant to Margery on her expedition searching for the elusive insect at the other side of the world, so to speak.
The story was a well written one that reads like a comedy of errors in some ways as what transpires takes them both on one hell of a joinery, I must admit that the results of what was happening to them didn't always have me laughing at all. I enjoyed the interaction between Margery and Enid. My head was wanting things to end well for them both.
I
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