Brilliant. The voices spoke to the reader’s soul. I am not disturbed by the ending any more than by the entire reality of our world. Each decision we make has consequences and affects others – we are really not separate, are we? As Bee said, there really isn’t a “them”. Brilliant, Mr Cleave, and lasting.
The juxtaposition of children playing in a kitchen and pretending to be in the jungle and children playing in a’ jungle and pretending to be in a kitchen was breathtaking.

Hello Chris,
As a resident of Texas, I am fascinated with the subject of refugees and the “business” of incarcerating them. I see the symbolic meaning in your choice of ending LITTLE BEE, but I must say that I am left a bit empty. Indeed, Bee does deserve to live a full, safe, and happy life, but don’t we all? Although I understand, I think, your leaving the reader with as many questions as answers, but the bereft feeling I still harbor (three days after finishing the book) is difficult to shake. Thank you for touching so many people in such a profound way. I hope that your lovely story ripples far into the future!
Stephanie

Mr. Cleve, Sorry, even though I found the story of Little Bee enthralling, I found Charlie very annoying. I was an elementary school teacher, and have two daughters. In my opinion, a normal four year old would not talk the way Charlie did unless he had very poor modeling. Charlie should have had excellent modeling with Sarah and Andrew as parents.

This story moves my soul. I have just read it and can’t stop thinking aobut it.

Specifically, what about when the time the men came suddenly on the beach? There were a group of them and there was the leader with the deep wound in his neck. He said he was not a savage. I wonder did he have to have an “offering” (Anderw’s finger) in order to keep his status with the rest of the men. When Little Bee’s sister was being murdered, is that why he went into the ocean – to kill himself?

Also, what about when on the beach Andrew said, “THis is not my / our affair” – then later we have the time at the gas station when Sarah is putting gas into her car and Little Bee thinks she can almost hear ther family’s screams with each drop of oil (not my affair?).

Then when Little Bee is on the river bank for a day of holiday and she has called the police to find Charlie. When Little Bee asks what it means to belong, she is told, “You don’t belong here – You are not British and don’t understand our values- (still not our affair)?

Did Lawrence intentionally tell Little Bee to phone the police when Charlie was missing, betting that she would do it to protect Charlie – thus sacraficing herself for his safety?

Anyway, I live in Fresno CA and would read this story again with a book group. I feel like I need to reflect with others. I would like a kind of book group that meets in someone’s home – could be mine (also with people who actually read the book). Any ideas?

Thank you for giving voice to another of the small stories that make up the enormous story of human rights violations. As a feminist, mother, artist, therapist and humanist, I must say that this story exemplifies my deep belief that all of our actions have deep meaning and we must be constantly cognizant of our action’s implications as individuals and as nations. Whatever fictions were employed in the writing of this novel are overpowered by the reality of the everyday atrocities , small and enormous that we allow, overlook, forget, legislate, justify, and grieve in relation to our fellow humans. Beautiful and horrible.

I absolutely loved this book. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. I finished it this morning, and have thought about Little Bee, Sarah and Andrew all day! I loved the way you would drop hints or make a reference about something, then you actually came back to that reference or hint to bring it full circle. Sarah is a great character. She has her flaws, like the rest of us, and she seemed so real and identifiable, and so honest. I kept thinking of how we treat immigrants here in America-what we take from them, how we use them and how they are viewed. It’d be great if this book were required reading in high school and colleges. It would most definitely increase awareness and understanding of the immigration issue, which has recently heated up with Arizona’s new law. I loved Little Bee. she used what she had available to help her survive, even if (especially) all that she had were her thoughts, memories or stories that she made up of her sister in her minds eye to get through. Most of all, I loved how the story was not “told” and how, rather, it unfolded, in layers, and with two viewpoints. A very insightful, compassionate book.

For the past few years, I have felt numb and I have felt as if my heart has turned cold. I am only fifteen years old and reading this book was an amazing experience for me. My heart began to ache for Little Bee and I was feeling something – I was actually feeling something. Thank you so much for a wonderful book; it has given me so much hope and sympathy.

I LOVED this book and I enjoyed every moment discovering the truth of little bee page after page. I could not put it down and I absolutely LOVE the characters of this book. This wonderful piece of writing and it has made me realize a lot of things–very important things. Thank you so much.

I have always found it difficult to find a book that I feel compelled to stick with, certainly books that I absolutely love and cannot put down are few and far between. I found it more than easy to stay up all night with Little Bee, I hate to have just now finished the last lines. Little Bee is an involving story that had me feeling each changing emotion and atmosphere seamlessly from page to page. Until I saw the portrait on the back jacket I assumed Chris Cleave was a woman and mother because of his true to life portrayal of his female and child characters. I recommend this book to any reader who wishes to be reminded what it means to feel truly human.

Dear Chris,
Thank you very much for “Lıttle Bee”. I read it and I loved it. It was very nice story. Yes I will not forget Little Bee after read it….good luck…!

Dear Chris,

I bought “Little Bee” in an airport 3 days ago and just finished it. The horrible scene on the beach will not let me go. But your ability to weave humor into a the fabric of a tragic story is remarkable. Like others, I want to know what happened to Bee, Sarah, and Charlie after the story ended. (I don’t really care what happened to Lawrence.) I would love to think that everything turned out all right in the end, as in Bee’s fantasy, but of course, your point is that it often doesn’t. What happens next is up to us. Thank you for creating a book that shows how all of our lives are woven together, whether we know it or not.

I read this book I believe it was a year ago. And I was so very touched by the depth of the story and its characters. As a women, i tend to pick-up more of the chick lit type of stories with happy endings and all. But this book, just got me from the bookshelf at my local library. Thank you for writing something so deep and profound that has me looking for much deeper prose. The world is indeed terrible at times….I bring up your book as a must read all the time. Thank you
!!!

Hello Mr.Chris.
Greetings from Turkey.I got a lot of tear on my face while the book was finishing.”Küçük arı” was splendid I think.it was excellent.it was too real.I couldn’t believe that it was not real.Thank you so much to give to my world this book.I want to meet you,one day.I’d like to see you,one day.I hope I will able to realize it.
Good luck!
Have a excellent writing!

Just read Little Bee . . . still astonished. And changed. The complexities of our current world are so extreme, so boundless. How can any one person make a difference? I am an artist which often seems so pointless. I used to believe that engaging in the creation of beauty (which is the only currency that I truly understand) had enough power to combat cruelty and ugliness, at least on some subtle level . . . a bit naive, to be sure, but it was the only ‘reason’ that I could attribute to my creative abilities. Little Bee caused me to look inwards and see a more practical thing that I could offer, something that could truly be life changing for someone. LANGUAGE. The ability to communicate. I am going to learn to teach English as a second language. I thank Udo from the bottom of my heart for causing me to find this new way to serve and so broaden my creative pupose/vision.

Chris,
I was a pretty good reader growing up. My first language is Spanish so I grew up reading Garcia Marquez, Borges, Neruda, Vargas Llosa, etc. and I loooved it. Then I moved to the US, had children and got too busy to read. I am fluent in English but it was hard to connect to books in English and I just didn’t try hard. This summer things changed. Someone on a TV show talked about Little Bee so, as I prepared for vacation, I decided to buy it and see if I could get into it. I LOVED it – LOVED it. I admire you for being able to build such rich, complex and honest characters and for putting together such a beautiful human story. It was hard to read it at times. Having lost my father at a very young age, it was particularly difficult to read through the part about the funeral…heart-breaking. Just wanted to say thanks for bringing me back to the world of books through such a deep journey. I’ve started reading Incendiary now… Thanks.

Chris,
I haven’t finished Little Bee, but I reached the part where Little Bee finds the Jeep in the jungle with the skeleton inside….a remnant of the war so many years before……and I just had to write to you. My parents lived in Nigeria in 1966-67 and were able to leave before the conflict was too bad. My father was in charge of drilling oil wells ‘up the river’ and dealt with the native people all the time, both as an employer and a friend. He told of having to pay the juju woman to cast ‘good luck’ spells so the well would be successful. I wish I had listened more carefully to his stories. The top floor of the villa behind my parent’s house in Lagos disappeared one day when a bomb maker’s creation blew up. There were many other stories of violence leading up to the tragic war against the Ibo. I did not know of the events thirty years after my parents were evacuated that caused such horror during the ‘oil wars’. I love this book, I love the character of Little Bee, and will do research on the subject. My father passed away in 1996. My brother was an engineer on offshore Nigerian wells and commuted to and from London where he and my sister-in-law, nephews and nieces resided in Kensington. He passed away in 2002. He never told his stories.

Hi Chris Your book was astounding. A friend gave it to me in the US while I was on vacation there from South Africa. The book intertwined humor with tragedy so brilliantly. I loved the introspective manner that you dealt with the emotional aspects of all your characters. The story combined the the 1st and 3rd world in a very compelling way. The title had a special meaning for me as my late grandmother used to call me Bienchen – which means little B in German. If you ever come to Cape Town let me know I will show you around this beautiful place. When’s you next book out???/

Thanks, Chris, for a superbly written book. I have been attending a book club at Penn. And this month our group suggested we read “Little Bee”. I bought the book and I couldn’t put it down. I was so engrossed in the tales of those two women from two different world. It was as if I had join their journey and experience much of the things, sights and sounds they had encountered. The book evoked so many emotions, i.e., sorrow, pain and injury. I thought a lot about the social injustice in the world today. But that being said, I felt strong and encouraged to see that if we help one another, the world doesn’t have to be a dark place. But together we can shine a bright light in the life of those who need compassion and understanding. Bravo! You did a good job in the writing of this novel.

Hi Chris,

I was pulled in by the beauty of the language. I am compelled to read on by the ache in my heart.

Thank you.