A Recipe for Bees
-
-
5.0 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
International Bestseller
Shortlisted for the 1998 Giller Prize
A Globe and Mail Notable Book of 1998
Over 40,000 copies sold in hardcover
In A Recipe for Bees, Gail Anderson-Dargatz gives readers a remarkable woman to stand beside Hagar Shipley and Daisy Goodwin — but Augusta Olsen also has attitude, a wicked funny bone, and the dubious gift of second sight.
At home in Courtenay, B.C., Augusta anxiously awaits news of her dearly loved son-in-law Gabe, who is undergoing brain surgery miles away in Victoria. Her best friend Rose is waiting for Augusta to call as soon as she hears. Through Rose, we begin to learn the story of Augusta's sometimes harsh, sometimes magical life: the startling vision of her mother's early death; the loneliness of her marriage to Karl and her battle with Karl's detestable father, Olaf. We are told of her gentle, platonic affair with a church minister, of her not-so-platonic affair with a man from the town, and the birth of her only child. We also learn of the special affinity between Rose and Augusta, who share the delights and exasperations of old age.
Just as The Cure for Death by Lightning offers recipes and remedies, A Recipe for Bees is saturated with bee lore, and is full of rich domestic detail, wondrous imagery culled from rural kitchens and gardens, shining insights into ageing, family and friendship. And at its heart, is the life, death and resurrection of an extraordinary marriage
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Already published in the U.K. and a bestseller in Canada, Anderson-Dargatz's (The Cure for Death by Lightning) latest is a warm and wise love story, an exploration of the extraordinary as revealed in everyday lives. Augusta Olsen inherited from her mother a passion for bee-keeping along with a spirited nature and the often troubling gift of clairvoyance. At 18, she marries 30-year-old Karl Olsen, a shy man who takes her to live with his domineering father, Olaf, on an isolated farm in British Columbia. Augusta quickly grows to resent Karl's taciturnity, his refusal to stand up to his tyrannical father and his lack of sexual finesse. Determined not to give in to despair, Augusta accepts the friendship of the local minister, finds work in town and has a brief affair with Joe, a gracious and sensuous man very unlike her husband. Karl bears "with equilibrium" the cruel small-town gossip about Augusta's infidelity, even after the birth of a daughter he knows isn't his. Augusta impels her young family's move from Olaf's farm, but only years later does she rediscover the "ointment for her soul" in bee-keeping, starting a small business that reconnects her to the community and sparks her first "love affair" with Karl. As she ages, Augusta struggles less with Karl's stoic temperament, coming to appreciate his steadiness and the miracle of the way he expresses his love for her in "a simple gesture he had been planning for a day or two, a message contained in flowers." Augusta is a headstrong heroine with prismatic perspectives; her long, never-dull life as told by the gifted Anderson-Dargatz is both charming and impressive in its quiet, cumulative power. The author's family photos, which introduce some chapters, add resonance to her touching tale.
