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Chargement... The Bee Sting: A Novel (édition 2023)par Paul Murray (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreThe Bee Sting par Paul Murray
   Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  pdebolt | May 21, 2024 |    ) dugmel | May 20, 2024 |  ) Cantsaywhy | May 5, 2024 | I most enjoyed the sections from the daughter, Cass. Dickie was annoying and I never did understand why anyone put up with him. (  ) banjo123 | Mar 16, 2024 |
...anyone who starts “The Bee Sting” will be immediately absorbed by this extraordinary story about the derailing of a once-prosperous family. Although Murray is a fantastically witty writer, his empathy with these characters is so deep that he can convey the comedy of their foibles without the condescending bitterness of satire. His command of their lives is so detailed that he can strip away every pretense and lie without spoiling a surprise. And, most impressive, while sinking into the peculiar flaws of this one uniquely troubled family, Murray captures the anxiety many of us feel living on the edge of economic ruin in these latter days of the Anthropocene Epoch.... Murray explores what it’s like to maintain the trappings of Western opulence at the inflection point of our planet’s health, to carry on with the masquerade of domestic life while harboring the knowledge that everything’s cooked. For some of these characters, that’s a terrifying prospect, of course, but for others, already broiling in the crucible of their own shame, a future sterilized by cataclysm is weirdly attractive. In Paul Murray’s latest novel, “The Bee Sting” — an epic tale reaching back decades and spanning roughly 650 pages — things are pretty apocalyptic for one down-on-their-luck family, and that’s before we get to climate change. The problems, you might say, are coming from inside the house....Through the Barneses’ countless personal dramas, Murray explores humanity’s endless contradictions: How brutal and beautiful life is. How broken and also full of potential. How endlessly fraught and persistently promising. Whether or not we can ever truly change our course, the hapless Barneses will keep you hoping, even after you turn the novel’s last page. Mainly there is an inexorable trudging from bad to worse, with Murray tirelessly inventing fresh woes for the Barneses. And while financial pressure is a propulsive force—as it is to varying degrees in all his novels—other pressures come into play: sexual, religious, educational, community, parental, peer. It’s hard not to feel the author is piling on, not to wonder how the novel might have gained from some comic relief. At the same time, no moment or episode is implausible, and carried by Murray’s fine, measured prose and uncanny plotting, the book presents a striking abundance of what for too many may be normal life. A grim and demanding and irresistible anatomy of misfortune. The title “The Bee Sting” sets the tone before the reader knows how to separate false chords from genuine ones in the novel. Cass may not be the shallow Irish valley girl she at first appears to be. PJ may see more than he seems to at first. The economy may not be the catalyst for the characters’ problems. The source of all the difficulty may be self-deceit. Prix et récompensesDistinctionsListes notables
"The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie's once-lucrative car business is going under--but rather than face the music, he's spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife Imelda is selling off her jewelry on eBay, while their teenage daughter Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge-drink her way through her final exams. And twelve-year-old PJ is putting the final touches to his grand plan to run away from home. Where did it all go wrong? A patch of ice on the tarmac, a casual favor to a charming stranger, a bee caught beneath a bridal veil--can a single moment of bad luck change the direction of a life? And if the story has already been written--is there still time to find a happy ending?"-- Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (3.89)
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4
It takes place in a small town near Dublin where Dickie (what grown man goes by Dickie?) and Imelda are raising their two children, Cass and PJ. Their biological families are as far removed from each other as possible - Imelda grew up in a hardscrabble existence with a short-tempered father and a slew of brutish brothers. Dickie is from a relatively well-to-do family with a younger brother, Frank. Frank is the family's shining star and celebrated in their town for his athletic prowess and charisma. Dickie is, by comparison, dull and studious. When Frank and Imelda fall in love, it is a perfect blend of her beauty and his status. After an unthinkable tragedy, Imelda is bereft and turns to Dickie for solace. Thus, their future is ordained. Dickie is now the heir apparent to his father's successful car dealership, and Imelda is happily buying whatever she wants.
In this book, secrets abound, and Dickie's is at the forefront. His days as a student at Trinity are never far from his thoughts as the dealership struggles and his attention is focused on creating a survival bunker. Cass heads to Trinity as a student where her secrets are unearthed. PJ is left virtually on his own to aid in building the bunker while his parents are oblivious to him.
The conclusion is startling, leaving us to wonder what happened. It is a very long book with no seeming resolutions. (