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The Bee Sting
- Narrated by: Heather O’Sullivan, Barry Fitzgerald, Beau Holland, Ciaran O'Brien, Lisa Caruccio Came
- Length: 26 hrs and 10 mins
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The Bee Sting
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Publisher's Summary
The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie's car business is going under, but instead of doing anything about it, he's out in the woods preparing for the actual end of the world. Meanwhile his wife Imelda is selling off her jewellery on eBay and half-heartedly dodging the attentions of fast-talking local wrongun Big Mike. Their teenage daughter Cass, usually top of her class, seems determined to drink her way through the whole thing. And twelve year old PJ is spending more and more time on video game forums, where he's met a friendly boy named Ethan who never turns his camera on and wants PJ to run away from home.
Digging down through layers of family history, the roots of this crisis stretch deep into the past. Meanwhile in the present, the fault lines keep spreading, ghosts slipping in through the cracks, and every step brings the Barneses closer to a fatal precipice. When the moment of reckoning finally arrives, all four of them must decide how far they're willing to go to save the family, and whether - if the story's already been written - there's still time to give it a happy ending...
Critic Reviews
I experienced just about every possible human emotion while reading The Bee Sting, and at an intensity I have not felt with a work of fiction for a long time. Its ambition and scale are astonishing, and as a sheer technical feat of storytelling it is remarkable. Reading it, I was constantly reminded of what the novel as an artform is capable of, and what it is for. It might be a bold claim to make, of the author of Skippy Dies, that this new book is the best thing Paul Murray has ever done - but I'm making it anyway, because it's true (Mark O'Connell, author of 'To Be A Machine')
This novel is as generous, expansive, and glorious as a cathedral, as intimate as pillow-talk, and as funny and heartbreaking as nothing you've read before. Paul Murray may just be the most spellbinding storyteller writing today. A magisterial piece of work (Neel Mukherjee, author of 'The Lives of Others')
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What listeners say about The Bee Sting
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Tim C.
- 15-04-2024
Was good until the end :(
Stupid ending. Dissatisfied. It builds to a crescendo but then just stops. You are supposed to wonder what will actually happen. Annoying. The author should have made the decision & followed through with a result - happy, sad or shocking
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul Bowman
- 14-12-2023
Masterpiece
Incredible book, and incredible audiobook too. Using different (wonderful) voice actors for the 4 family members was a great decision. I feel like starting again from the beginning!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alexandra B.
- 02-03-2024
Gripping! Read phenomenally by different voices.
Loved it all! Could not recommend this more. The story, the characters, the readers!! A long one but worth every minute.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Louise
- 24-03-2024
A bit long
I loved the Irish turn of phrase and contemporary story. I felt it was a bit long, I was really glad that I was listening to it and not reading it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liz
- 08-04-2024
Fabulous narration
The different narrators brought the characters to life in this twisting story. You never quite knew what was going to happen with the individual characters, Brilliantly written.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katie Wain
- 02-01-2024
Remarkable story telling
This is an epic story of family, one that you won’t want to put down, and the character narrators only add to it. 5 stars!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-02-2024
Gripping
Could not stop listening 25 hours was still not enough excellent narration and gripping story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Martha McSoriley
- 04-03-2024
Excellent narration
Loved it! Controversial ending but overall a fantastic read. Unlikeable but Interesting characters. The narration was brilliant
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karina Mereki
- 14-04-2024
A remarkable and flawless story
I loved this book. I love the raw honesty, the endless metaphors and the commitment to the disfunction of humanity. I highly recommend this book. Warning! this book has some very strong themes that might disturb past trauma.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jessica
- 03-01-2024
Absolutely Phenomenal
I read approximately two books per week and generally only give star reviews, but this one deserved some actual comments. I can count on one hand the times I have gone out of my way to provide written comments.
At times excruciating (in a good way) in its pathos. This novel had me on edge (again in a good way) all the way through. Despite being able to guess major plot points, it did not stop the reveal from building in adrenaline. The writing and language was superb. I imagine the themes will stick with me for quite sometime. It is definitely one of those novels that you ruminate over long after you have finished it.
The voice acting was brilliant and only added to the story. An all round quality production.
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