Little Bee (US)
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“Most days I wish I was a British pound coin instead of an African girl.” READ THE FIRST CHAPTER OF ‘LITTLE BEE’ “Little Bee will blow you away” – WASHINGTON POST “There’s one true story in particular that made me determined to write the novel.” “We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret” “Where can I learn more about Nigeria, London, and the real world of refugees and asylum seekers?” |
* NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Novel Award * Nominated for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book * Longlisted for IMPAC Dublin Literary Award * A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice |
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| Note: LITTLE BEE is published in the UK, Ireland and Australia as THE OTHER HAND | |||
Entries (RSS)
I heard there was a movie or was going to be one based on Little Bee, is this true? I just finished the book, great book! Thanks
Hi Amber – thanks for reading the book – glad you liked it! Yes there is a movie being made for Little Bee, although it isn’t happening very fast. I’ll post an update on this website and on Twitter @chriscleave, as soon as I know more about the film.
Thank you once again. That answer was really insightful and helpful. Best of luck to you
I just finished reading Little Bee, and I loved the book. I now have my daughter reading it for a book report for school. I am getting ready to go and buy Incendiary. I can’t wait to read it.
Parabéns pelo talento!!! “Pequena Abelha”, realmente, é um livro sensacional!!!
I will never be able to fill my car tank with gasoline without being reminded of “Little Bee.” The horrific deeds and heroic actions of the books’ many characters have made real, for me, the hurdles, perils, fears, and even tortures that refugees and prisoners have endured. Greed (corporate and individual) is the often the root of evil. We consumers have a role in this.
[...] Siguiendo en la linea de las letras tengo que decir que el mejor libro que leí este año fue Little Bee de Chris [...]
[...] stijl en heb genoten van The Hours en Flesh and Blood (aanrader!!). The Other Hand kende ik als Little Bee, maar de titel is aangepast voor de Britse markt. Tot slot ben ik ook erg benieuwd naar het vervolg [...]
Hi Mr Cleave,
I had submitted a short but sincere comment about your novel before, but I see it does not take place in the website.
Is there a specific reason for choosing the comments to be posted, if not Have I posted stg. wrong?
I would be happy to see my comment as well as the others’.
I finished your book by the way.
Regards
Hi Umit, I’m sorry your comment didn’t get published. I publish all comments that are in English and not too crazy, so I expect it was just a technical error that meant I didn’t see yours. Please can you resend the comment? Thanks & sorry about that.
- in a poetic language you find your path in the crooked landscape of the mind and strike the very heart.
Thank you for the touching story of Little Bee,
a danish reader made wondering
Hello Ida – thank you very much for your kind words.
The horrific deeds and heroic actions of the books’ many characters have made real, for me, the hurdles, perils, fears, and even tortures that refugees and prisoners have endured … wow, keep up the good work
Just finished reading Little Bee!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! Chris, the novel was wonderful, couldnt put it down. Recommending to all my friends and colleagues!
Hi Ahlishia – thank you for your kind words, and for recommending the novel to your friends! If you liked ‘Little Bee’ I hope you might like my new novel, ‘Gold’, which is out in July. All good wishes – Chris
Dear Chris Cleave
just finished Little Bee and liked it a lot – especially its humor and tenderness in the face of tragedy.It was never moralistic but showed how the characters felt and what motivated them instead. I wish I could tell a story the way you do.
Thanks Chris, I don’t know what my wife missed because she couldn’t get through the first chapter ? I am halfway through Little Bee and am totally into it. Good Stuff !
Dear Chris,
I read your novel “Little Bee” and completely fell in love with it. I was actually traveling, and while walking in the duty free (in Lebanon), I met a salesman in Virgin megastore that recommended it to me.
You have no idea how many of my friends want to borrow the book, from how much I’ve been talking about it!
I’m also extremely glad it’s being turned into a movie! Because, I’m actually a communication arts student and as I read, I imagined how it would look like on screen
Congratulations on a fantastic work of art, I can’t wait to buy your other books!
Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Hi Chris
What really got to me in your book are the examples of things that we in the “so called superior Western world” have accepted as normal but through Little Bee’s fresh view are rather twisted really. When Little Bee is talking to the girls back home of what she experiences in our world – mostly very funny examples, but when you think it through, pretty sad at the same time. (sad as in how did we get here)
“Then it is not shameful in Great Britain, to show your bobbis in the newspaper”.
Well done, very captivating from start to finish. I can’t help hoping all ended well for Little Bee, such a strong character. As well as Sarah, I like to believe she and Charlie made it back to the UK, she put up a fight over getting Little Bee back to the UK, her book got published and she won and got Little Bee to join them as Charlie’s caretaker/babysit whilst studying to become a someone in the UK who can make a difference for refugees….
I am looking forward to getting hold of Gold in July and any other books by you in the future.
Best wishes from Holland – Rina
(I recommended reading your book in our bookclub, and will prepare and present The Other Hand (little bee for the Dutch) this coming Tuesday, I hope your book went under their skin too).
Hi little Bee,
really cute, it is my favorite Book
Dear Chris,
I just finished reading ‘the other hand’ and am still standing beside the Little Bee… and I absolutely refuse to let go of her hand and won’t let the soldiers take her… I know this is unreal, but I am disappointed that you let them take her after what happened to her sister…
You tell a good story, you just make it too real to be taken as just a good story. I don’t know whether to thank you for enlightening me about things that can happen in certain parts of our world or to regret reading this book… coz Nkiruka and Little Bee will never go out of my head now.
Keep hope alive in the other books, will you?
Loved the Little Bee and her lovely way of expressing herself, not the end though.
Regards,
Dear Chris,
I just finished reading “Little Bee”, and am trying to think how I can express in words how much I think of it, and thank you. As a artist, I realized that you have done what I hope to do in art: establish a dialogue with the viewer, so that a rhythm is set up between him/her and the content and feelings I expose…that what can be gained is what is really between the lines to be discovered. The structure, the wording, the relationship of a novel to “real” life all work towards that goal. (I hope this is understandable!)–
I am left feeling both sad (even horrified) but also uplifted. I thought of my grandparents whom I did not know: refugees from pogroms of Russia, the hard times they had in American, of the many refugees (a few of whom I know) flowing into Israel (where I now live) every day–of those we almost don’t see in the back of restaurants, cleaning hotel rooms…and those dying on the way, trying to leave the unlivable.
A question: I wrote about the book to a Nigerian e-friend. She teaches at a university, is very fluent in English, but had never heard of it. (I’m sending her my book.)–What is the situation there with your book? Do you know of any impact it has made there?
Thank you. Elinore
I can’t remember specifically when I read this heart breaking book but I do know it was on the new release shelf and have passed it on to friends. This morning when I awoke to my cell buzzing about Joseph Kony and read the controversial messages back and forth about this issue, I again thought of your book. It’s hard to live in the Land of the Free and the Brave and understand how another country can be so horrific. I can’t help but compare Little Bee to what the documentary of Kony 2012 has to show and not be over-whelmed with compassion.
I’m writing a paper on your book Little Bee and I was wondering, did the husband deal with manic depression?
Hi Preston, good luck with your paper. The Andrew character probably did suffer with some post-traumatic issues, and with depressive illness. If you’re interested in the condition, there is some very good information at Mind UK.
Dear Mr. Cleave,
I was really touched by your story, and I appreciate the creation of Little Bee. I truly admire your ability to unfold such a complex, universal story. Little Bee most definitely enhanced my appreciation and understanding of the simultaneous beauty and tragedy of being human. Thank you for writing it.
- a Wisconsinite from the states.
Dear Mr. Cleave,
I just emerged from the world of Little Bee and Charlie and Sarah. Somehow a chunk of my heart remains on the shoreline, lingering in the heartbreak and hope that your novel stirred inside me. It seems simplistic to say that you are a talented writer with and eye for nuances of the despair that consumes us and the ties that bind, but hopefully you will understand. My own son Isaiah spent ages three and four living in a Batman costume, answering the phone, “This is Batman…” and to tell you the truth, I think that one reason I connected with your story so completely was that you captured and recorded a very tender piece of my own family’s history. I look forward to reading your other novels, so please keep writing!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Kuser
Georgia, United States
I was wondering how I could learn more about you book. I’m writing a paper that compares Little Bee to the movie The Secret Life of Bee’s and need some information on how the people reacted to Little Bee while she was staying with Mrs. O’Rourke.
Hi Preston, thanks for your enquiry. I’m not sure exactly what information you need but if you can let me know, I’ll try to help.
Hi Jennifer, what a kind message – thank you. Your son sounds very like mine when he was in his Batman phase! All good wishes to him & to you – Chris
I just read your book in my Lit&Comp class. I absolutely loved it. Thank you for writing!! I am glad I didn’t pick a different book. Can’t wait to read more!!!
Hi Hannah – thanks very much! Delighted you liked it. I’ve a new one coming out in July called ‘Gold’ – hope you’ll enjoy that too.
Hello Chris,
I have read your book and really enjoyed it. One of my friends recommended it to me, I usually pick my own books, but that time i took her advise and it didn’t disappoint me. I am looking forward to reading “Gold”.
Acabo de ler o livro, realmente fascinante! fiquei encantada com a história! obrigada e sucesso !!
Chris,
I just finished reading Little Bee for a book discussion group at the library. The characters are so real and it was difficult to put it down. There are many issues to ponder. Thank you for writing such a memorable book.
Hello Chris! I loved your book and I wonder if you could tell me a little bit about the background of Yevette, as I am writing an article on translations of speech paterns and linguistic registers. Thank you so much.
Hello Cristina, the character of Yevette is a refugee from Jamaica, and her life experience is based on testimonies that I read while researching the refugee experience. It’s relatively unusual for someone from Jamaica to arrive in the UK as an asylum seeker, but it does happen. In terms of how I represented her speech in the text, I didn’t have any formal system for doing it. I just listened to a lot of Jamaican English – here where I live in London and also via internet radio from Kingston Jamaica – and I tried to reproduce it on the page. It was quite difficult to know how to do that. Jamaican English is different from other Englishes in that it has signature pronunciation, distinct idioms, additional vocabulary and distinctive syntax – however, it isn’t a separate language, like French, that one might represent on the page in italics. I had the same issues when representing Nigerian English, and in my first novel ‘Incendiary’ representing an East End register of British English. I just try to listen hard and represent what I hear as best I can on the page. Hope that helps, and good luck with your article.
Thank you Judith – delighted you liked it.
Obrigado, Kellen!
Dear Chris,
Thank you for the gift of Little Bee. Having lived in (East) Africa, Europe and the United States, you have created authentic characters and perspectives. The book was moving and you made it easy for the reader to feel compassion and move back and forth between the characters. I’ll be thinking about your moving story for some time.
All the best,
Cindy
Dear Chris,
We will be discussing your book on Tuesday, April 3rd on our radio book group. (We broadcast for blind and vision-impaired listeners.) I would love to be able to tell our listeners whether you know if your book “Little Bee” has changed, in any way, conditions for refugees in detention centers ofrat least caused people to discuss this issue. I know we are going to have a great discussion and we think your book is beautifully written. Thank you for writing about an issue of such great importance, not just in Britain, but in many other countries around the world.
My best regards,
Valerie Clapham
P.S. Apologies for posting this questions twice, as I saw one can post questions to you on another web site via video – just eager to get an answer for Tuesday if possible.
OMG I LOVE “LITTLE BEE” one of the top Best books I’ve read..Thank you Mr, Cleave. You are a Genius
much Love and respect to you.
Hi Valerie – many thanks for discussing the book on your program. I don’t think my novel has changed anything for refugees in the UK or elsewhere – it’s probably pressure on specific issues from serious journalists such as Caroline Moorehead and Paul Lewis that embarrasses government into correcting the worst inhumanities of the detention and deportation system. I do think a novel can get people interested in an issue, though, and help them to see it from a human angle rather than an ideological one. I think that’s a good thing to have in the mix when people are forming their opinions. And I do know that “Little Bee” has got a lot of people talking about asylum and detention issues. Whether people make the transition from talking to militating for change is up to them. I’m always pleased when they do.
Thank you so much for replying – I really appreciate it. Looking forward to reading your next book
My best regards,
Valerie Clapham
I just finished reading Little Bee and I need only one word to describe it:Marvellous!!.
This is the best book I have read in a long time. I might be fiction but it is closer to reality then most people would think.
I am looking forward to read another book from you!
Kindest regards
Mieke
OMG! TODAY I finished Little Bee and what to say But It is freakin amazing! I used to read it in the morning while riding the bus to school , in the afternoon and before i slept under the Lamp! There are moments when I felt shocked, Happy, pleased, scared and sad!
Perfect Storryyy!
Cheers to Batman xx
We really have no idea do we in the western world? Gosh what an empotional journey The Other Hand take you on. I don’t think I have been so moved by a character in a book, Little Bee is so full of sorrow, fear of the horrors she has seen yet joyful, kind & clever. You are an insightful man Mr Cleave, you have captured the very best and worst of all of us. Thank you.
Chris, I am astonished with Liitle Bee…It has been the best book that I`ve read…oh my…Congatulations.
It is rare that a book moves you and changes the way you think and view life- that is what Little Bee has done for me. My favorite book- ever! (I love historical fiction.) I have recommended it over and over…and will keep on recommending it. Little Bee’s character is so unlike my rural Kentucky upbringing, but I fell in love with her heart. And it changed mine. Thank you for writing such an inspiring book. Can’t wait to read more…
Dear Mr. Cleave,
Four days ago I purchased “Little Bee” at the airport while enroute to a vacation. Thank you for both a work of art and also for opening my eyes. I can’t stop thinking about it and wanted to let you know it has made me desperate to make a difference! As a mother of two children, I struggle with the responsibility of how I can teach them how important it is to not only do well in school, but also to “do good” in life. Little Bee will be a wonderful tool someday when they are old enough to appreciate it. I am saving this book for them and will give it to them when they go on a holiday some day. Thank you for your talent as a writer and for teaching me about a subject I would have otherwise known nothing about.
Best regards,
Carol Ann