Customer Reviews

Day of the Bees: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am a university English professor so I have spent a great part of my life reading works of literature. Day of the Bees is one of the most astonishingly complex and beautiful works I've read. The declaration of this book is: all praise to sovereign passion--no novel since Wuthering Heights has done it better. Thomas Sanchez has dared to change his style and cross literary genres. He creates a mythic tale of an artist and his muse, involved in a devouring eroticism. This book transcends all expectations and demolishes the notion that romance can't thrive in the modern literary novel. I read that it took the author ten years to write this book and I give him all of my praise for a difficult job well done. This book is both literary and entertaining and I recommend it highly.

A sweeping tale of passionate love set during the turbulent events of WW2 and spanning 50 years.

Zermano world renowned Spanish painter and his beautiful French lover Louise Collard were separated during the Nazi occupation of France. The world thought Zermano had tired of Louise, she who had once fired his inspiration for his paintings and his lust. In the end it was Louise who left the legacy and Louise who led the way. After her death intimate letters written by her to Zermano, but never posted were accidentally found. They recount the period during the war when she and Zermano were separated, when unspeakable horrors and cruelties abounded in war torn Europe.

Passionate, beautifully written letters describe the love between Zermano and Louise and recount Louise's life during their enforced separation.

This is not a soppy love story, but a powerfully, deeply moving and well written historical tale of two tragic lovers, touched with passion, politics and art. A wonderful book I didn't want it to end and which I highly recommend.

If you are not a 100% true romantic in heart, skip this book. If you have longed for someone, for something that is greater than yourself once in your life, you will probably enjoy this highly dramatic and erotic book. I am a big fan about letters and romance, and I think the writing is exquisitely beautiful. Though, at times I find this book too slow and too outrageous for readers like me to accept. However, I greatly appreciate the writer's effort of offering a magical, somewhat out-of-ordinary love story to our almost too ordinary lives.

As this novel opens, Louise Collard, reputedly the famous model and lover of the great Spanish painter Francisco Zermano, has died in a small Provencal town. Lured by the promise of an auction of Louise's own private collection of Zermanos, and even more by curiosity about the reclusive Louise herself, the art world descends en masse on Provence.

Day of the Bess is narrated by an American art history professor who has devoted much of his professional life to the study of Zermano. Arriving in France, the narrator hopes to find a clue that will help him unravel the mystery of Louise and Zermano since it appears as though this once-beautiful woman was cruelly abandoned by the man who had loved her so passionately in the countryside of occupied France during World War II.

The Professor (as he is always identified) arrives at Louise's remote country home long after the auction is concluded (yes, he does possess the stereotypical absent-mind) only to be told that nothing remains but a few worthless knitting baskets. The professor, apparently believing that something is better than nothing, gladly accepts them.

The baskets, however, contain something more interesting than any painting could ever be and something that is, perhaps, even more valuable. Concealed in a secret opening are bundles of letters written by Zermano to Louise, as well as letters from Louise to Zermano that had never been sent. The beautiful and enigmatic Louise apparently had not been quite as abandoned by her lover as the public seems to have thought and, as the professor reads the lovers' pained and passionate words he begins to piece together the mystery of their relationship.

Day of the Bees is a story told through the letters of these doomed lovers, set against the backdrop of war-torn France. This is, above all, an emotional story and a mystery of the heart. The war, too, becomes a major character as it impacts the lives and future of both Louise and Zermano.

Although some have compared Day of the Bees to The Bridges of Madison County, I think it deserves far more than that. The Bridges of Madison County was sentimental drivel, and poorly-written sentimental drivel at that, while Day of the Bees is beautifully and poetically written. It reminds me more of The English Patient than anything else, although it is highly original and of course, unique. The character of Zermano seems to be modeled after Pablo Picasso, although, of course, Zermano is not based on Picasso. This story is fiction, not fact.

It gives nothing of the plot away to say that Zermano left Louise for reasons he considered valid even though she begged him not to go. Still madly in love with his mistress, however, Zermano never gives up writing to Louise. Her apparent silence pains him immensely.

Louise, as we learn, has lost none of her passion for Zermano. It is through her beautiful and poetic letters that we learn of the genesis of their doomed, but undying, love and the violence and danger that forced them to separate, a danger that will stalk Louise for the rest of her life. And, although the politics of World War II do play a part in this book, this is not a political story.

From the book's first page we know that the lovers never reunite and that Louise manages to survive the war, but this is still a mystery of the most profound kind, a mystery of the relationship between two people who love each other to their very core, a mystery concerning the shadows cast by the actions we take or fail to take, the choices we make (and perhaps later regret) and the forces that impose themselves on our lives against our will. This is the shadow world in which Louise Collard lives and it is in the portrayal of this shadow world that Day of the Bees truly excels.

As a woman who has lived most of her life in the countryside of Provence, I can attest to the genuineness of Sanchez's portrayal and his detail of setting. His language is rich and emotional and poetic. The passion shared by Louise and Zermano is vibrantly alive and absolutely riveting. Some of the book's best scenes, whether those portraying the savagery of war or the passion of sexuality are so original and haunting they are almost surreal.

Some readers may find the letters, themselves, a problem. They can be poetic in the extreme and sometimes this poetry threatens to overwhelm the actual novel and the story of Louise and Zermano. But deep, abiding love and intense sexual passion are poetic; I, myself, had no problem with the letters. In fact, I found them gorgeous. Louise's letters, in particular, are one of the strongest parts of Day of the Bees. Many male readers, and readers who prefer a little less passion, might find this book somewhat overly-lyrical, though.

The ending is not at all surprising but it is not a letdown, either. Sanchez's touches of humor and whimsy regarding the character of the professor are aptly-placed and never intruding. This is Louise's story, rather than Zermano's and, if anything, I wanted to know more about this fascinating woman and why she made the choices she did.

This is definitely a character-driven novel and those looking for a swiftly-moving plot will be sorely disappointed. If you're looking for a book about love and passion, a rich, multi-layered story of lyrical and poetic darkness, you couldn't possibly do better than this.

I must admit I only read 1/3 of the book. I simply couldn't go on. The premise alone that someone would write these long, involved letters and never post them--not to mention that they went undetected following her death until the narrator happens along, was just too insulting to the reader. It brought to mind The Bridges of Madison County--another overly romanticized and maudlin tale.

As a tremendous fan of Sanchez's previous books ("Mile Zero" is one of the best novels I've ever read), I was stunned by how bad this book is. This novel is incredibly overwrought and overwritten; at some points you feel like the author may be trying to parody the historical romance genre. While the plot is a strong one (there are some similarities to "Corelli's Mandolin) and the idea of a Picasso-like painter and his mistress seems as if it would work well, Sanchez can't pull it off (despite trying hard... painfully so). Perhaps this was his attempt to write something that might become an "English Patient" type film... as someone who really admires the author's previous work, I can only hope that "Day of the Bees" is an aberration.

Like many other readers, I picked the book after reading the promising blurb, and the beautiful cover. Elements such as the French Resistance, the fiery passion of an artist and a mysterious, seclusive woman, secrets lost in the past all seemed very intriguing.
Well, this book has nothing to offer. It is actually so forgettable and full of cliche that the reader feels as if he/she has received an undeserved slap in the face.
Most of it is in the format of letters, which however are also foolish, since it is as if the characters are retelling their story without any personal views on it, so don't expect much.
As for the French Resistance theme it is a small part of the book, and without many if any historical elements and the role the characters play didn't captivate me at all.
Art... Where, exactly? Why does it matter that the male character is a painter? What is the significance of his being an artist?
No answer.
There are some pretentiously lyrical sexual scenes, which serve practically no purpose and most of the text actually has that supposedly lyrical and poetic edge to it.
If you'd like to read a truly beautiful story with themes of art and love in it, then I highly recommend "Possession: A Romance", by A.S.Byatt

I've become disenchanted with American's views on literature after reading the other reviews.

This book is a comedy -- a masterful comedy, with tons of wit. If you can read with a light heart and an open mind, you will experience one of the richest novels you have ever cracked open. The author is brilliant and rare among contemporary writers in writing something that is not a screenplay, but an enjoyable read. This book is an experience in itself. Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy an American writer who will be remembered as one of our best.

Day of the Bees is an incredibly beautiful novel where every word is delicious and every twist and turn breathtaking and heartbreaking. I haven't ever come across such a magical and interesting heroine like Louise. She haunts me still days after having read the book. And the ending: WOW!!! You will be blown away by the ending and will have a unique journey all the way there. I am a lucky reader for having read Day of the Bees and I can't imagine anyone who has ever really been in love or has been vulnerable to desire not liking this incredible treat of a novel. There is nothing not to like about it, plain and simple. I highly recommend Day of the Bees.

I will admit right off that the beautiful cover of this book caught my eye. Then I read the back - Picasso like painter and his muse, Provence, the French Resistance, and a love story! It sounded fantastic. It wasn't. I don't know if it is because I find the letter format tiresome to read or the unrealistic nature of these letters (describing things that the intended receipient would already know) or if it was the ludicrous attempts at eroticism and lyrical writing, either way - I could barely finish this book (a rare thing for me). I found the characters unbelievable, the situation annoying, and the big secret revealed at the end a terrible anticlimax. I want to give it away to save other readers from having to wade through this but I won't... email me if you want to know why he left Louise.