Publication
Doubleday (2020), Edition: 01
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:NATIONAL BESTSELLER � �A beautifully written, extraordinary quest in which two ordinary, overlooked women embark on an unlikely scientific expedition to the South Seas.��Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew�s Last Stand From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes an uplifting, irresistible novel about two women on a life-changing adventure, where they must risk everything, break all the rules, and discover their best selves�together. She�s going too far to go it alone. It is 1950. London is still reeling from World War II, and Margery Benson, a schoolteacher and spinster, is trying to get through life, surviving on scraps. One day, she reaches her breaking point, abandoning her job and small existence to set out on an expedition to the other side of the world in search of her childhood obsession: an insect that may or may not exist�the golden beetle of New Caledonia. When she advertises for an assistant to accompany her, the woman she ends up with is the last person she had in mind. Fun-loving Enid Pretty in her tight-fitting pink suit and pom-pom sandals seems to attract trouble wherever she goes. But together these two British women find themselves drawn into a cross-ocean adventure that exceeds all expectations and delivers something neither of them expected to find: the transformative power of friendship. Praise for Miss Benson�s Beetle �A hilarious jaunt into the wilderness of women�s friendship and the triumph of outrageous dreams.��Kirkus Reviews.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Digital audiobook performed by Juliet Stevenson.
4****
Two women no one would ever consider as compatible form an unlikely team as they travel to the other side of the world in search of an elusive beetle. What they find is a strong vocation, and an ever-lasting bond of friendship and love.
Margery
I absolutely loved these characters! There were times when I had to laugh at their foibles. There were times when I feared for their safety. And quite a few tears were shed as well. Ultimately, they teach us a lesson about courage and perseverance, about not being afraid to fail … or to succeed. And they show us the beauty of a friendship based on respect and loyalty, on disagreement and compromise, on understanding and compassion.
Juliet Stevenson does a fabulous job of performing the audiobook. The voices she uses for Margery and Enid really differentiates them and perfectly portrays their characters. I cannot recommend her narration enough. 5***** for her performance.
4****
Two women no one would ever consider as compatible form an unlikely team as they travel to the other side of the world in search of an elusive beetle. What they find is a strong vocation, and an ever-lasting bond of friendship and love.
Margery
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Benson is a staid, drab, domestic science teacher whose life is stuck on “pause.” And then one day a student’s cruel cartoon caricature awakens something in Miss Benson. She sets about organizing an expedition to New Caledonia. In desperation she takes as her assistant Enid Pretty, a young, flashy, feisty, firecracker of a woman who doesn’t have a clue. But she has optimism, courage and grit. Together they are a formidable team. I absolutely loved these characters! There were times when I had to laugh at their foibles. There were times when I feared for their safety. And quite a few tears were shed as well. Ultimately, they teach us a lesson about courage and perseverance, about not being afraid to fail … or to succeed. And they show us the beauty of a friendship based on respect and loyalty, on disagreement and compromise, on understanding and compassion.
Juliet Stevenson does a fabulous job of performing the audiobook. The voices she uses for Margery and Enid really differentiates them and perfectly portrays their characters. I cannot recommend her narration enough. 5***** for her performance.
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LibraryThing member AnaraGuard
In 1950, Margery Benson is a lonely and mocked schoolteacher. On a whim, she gives up everything to chase to the other side of the world, in search of a beetle that mightor might not exist. She advertises for an assistant, seeking someone fluent in French and experienced in travel--but ends up with
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a young woman in completely impractical garb who appears to on the run from something or someone. An unlikely friendship forms and I completely rooted for these characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member tibobi
The Short of It:
What a treat. Fans of Joyce won’t be disappointed.
The Rest of It:
Margery Benson is a schoolteacher in 1950’s London, and not a very good one at that. She can barely get by, is harassed by her own students and isn’t comfortable in her own skin. Pushed to her limit after a
But first, she needs an assistant. The last person she had in mind for the job is the one who eventually shows up to take it. Enid Pretty, with her shock of yellow hair, her cotton candy pink suit and her pom pom sandals trots into Margery’s life and from day one is a major annoyance. But Margery is pressed for time as her ship is about to leave the port and she knows she can’t do it alone, so Enid is it.
What a charming story. Although the expedition is a little far-fetched, I found myself hanging on every word as these two take off on their adventure. Two, very headstrong, quirky women traveling to the other side of the world with little to no experience under their belts. This makes for a very entertaining read but it’s not all fun and games. Very early on you are tipped off that something larger is at play. This is one of those stories that you can’t put down because it’s so fun and quirky and yes, different but you know, you just know there is going to be a serious payout. That was definitely the case here.
Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine would do well by picking this book up. It has the same tone and feel and the way this friendship develops is quite sweet. Overall, it’s a feel-good book although there are two things that happen that made me a little sad. Those who have read it know what I mean. However, don’t let that stop you because I wish I still had more of the story to read. It’s that kind of story. I’ve read two other books by this author, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Music Shop and I loved them as well. Joyce knows how to write a good story.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
What a treat. Fans of Joyce won’t be disappointed.
The Rest of It:
Margery Benson is a schoolteacher in 1950’s London, and not a very good one at that. She can barely get by, is harassed by her own students and isn’t comfortable in her own skin. Pushed to her limit after a
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particularly bad day in the classroom, she takes off on an expedition to New Caledonia in search of a rare golden beetle that her father once told her about.But first, she needs an assistant. The last person she had in mind for the job is the one who eventually shows up to take it. Enid Pretty, with her shock of yellow hair, her cotton candy pink suit and her pom pom sandals trots into Margery’s life and from day one is a major annoyance. But Margery is pressed for time as her ship is about to leave the port and she knows she can’t do it alone, so Enid is it.
What a charming story. Although the expedition is a little far-fetched, I found myself hanging on every word as these two take off on their adventure. Two, very headstrong, quirky women traveling to the other side of the world with little to no experience under their belts. This makes for a very entertaining read but it’s not all fun and games. Very early on you are tipped off that something larger is at play. This is one of those stories that you can’t put down because it’s so fun and quirky and yes, different but you know, you just know there is going to be a serious payout. That was definitely the case here.
Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine would do well by picking this book up. It has the same tone and feel and the way this friendship develops is quite sweet. Overall, it’s a feel-good book although there are two things that happen that made me a little sad. Those who have read it know what I mean. However, don’t let that stop you because I wish I still had more of the story to read. It’s that kind of story. I’ve read two other books by this author, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Music Shop and I loved them as well. Joyce knows how to write a good story.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
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LibraryThing member Fireformed
** spoiler alert ** I loved almost everything about this book! It was so good! I loved the unfolding friendship between the 26 year old Enid & the 46 year old Marjory. I loved how they came to know, respect and then rely on one another. This is a wonderful example of female friendship and I'm all
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for that! The only thing that brought a star off of this book for me was the ending. I needed a redemption arc for Mr. Mundic. He should not have been the villain of this piece, in my opinion, and I really hoped for a better ending for him. There could have been many other reasons for Enid to depart (if that is what needed to happen) he did not have to be involved in it and I'm disappointed that it went there. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
Miss Benson’s Beetle, Rachel Joyce, Juliet Stevenson, narrator
The time is 1950, the place is Great Britain. One day, Margery Benson, a spinster who teachers domestic science, discovers that she is the butt of a classroom joke. Behind her back, the students are passing a note making fun of her.
As a child, her father had introduced her to a mythical golden beetle supposedly found in New Caledonia. Later on, an older man who becomes her mentor, introduces her to and trains her in, the field of entomology. She had always wanted to search for and discover the golden beetle that had never been documented. After the episode of humiliation in her classroom, she decided to go on an expedition in search of the insect. She interviews several candidates to lead her on this adventure, but through a series of unexpected circumstances, she winds up embarking on her trip with the one least qualified and most inappropriate. The two women are polar opposites.
As they embark, Margery realizes that Enid Pretty, whom she has hired, is going to try her soul. Margery is ungainly and introverted, Enid is petite and flamboyant, Margery loves browns, Enid loves primary colors, Margery is the silent type, but Enid talks incessantly. Margery is in her fifties and Enid is in her twenties. Margery is rigid and uptight, Enid is footloose and fancy free, Margery had always been moral and ethical, until her recent petty theft, but Enid lives in a world where she does what she has to in order to survive, breaking rules indiscriminately. Margery tends to pessimism and Enid to optimism. They are from different classes in society, as well. They do have one thing in common, though, both have experienced tragedies in their lives that they have had to overcome. However, each had chose a different path. Now they must learn to walk the same one, together. As they endure the hardships of the trip, they learn what it means to finally have a real friend, and to experience a caring relationship that is filled with warmth and loyalty, consideration and support.
In the search for the beetle, they learn to accommodate strange environments and a lack of creature comforts. They overcome danger, surprising each other with their resilience. They comfort each other and learn from each other. Often, Murphy’s Law interrupts their efforts, but they always soldier on, each encouraging the other when one begins to flag. They enrich each other’s lives through thick and thin. They forge a deep bond.
The characters in the novel are all damaged in some way and yet, to the reader, they are sympathetic. The book explores the damage war inflicts on the victims, soldiers and civilians alike. It exposes and mocks the class differences and elitism in British society. The humor that invades their escapades will delight the reader but at other times their stories will tug at the reader’s heartstrings.
The time is 1950, the place is Great Britain. One day, Margery Benson, a spinster who teachers domestic science, discovers that she is the butt of a classroom joke. Behind her back, the students are passing a note making fun of her.
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She snaps, grows upset at always being laughed at, and loosens the chains that bind her, first by walking out of the class and stealing a pair of boots, and then by making a monumental decision to change her life completely.As a child, her father had introduced her to a mythical golden beetle supposedly found in New Caledonia. Later on, an older man who becomes her mentor, introduces her to and trains her in, the field of entomology. She had always wanted to search for and discover the golden beetle that had never been documented. After the episode of humiliation in her classroom, she decided to go on an expedition in search of the insect. She interviews several candidates to lead her on this adventure, but through a series of unexpected circumstances, she winds up embarking on her trip with the one least qualified and most inappropriate. The two women are polar opposites.
As they embark, Margery realizes that Enid Pretty, whom she has hired, is going to try her soul. Margery is ungainly and introverted, Enid is petite and flamboyant, Margery loves browns, Enid loves primary colors, Margery is the silent type, but Enid talks incessantly. Margery is in her fifties and Enid is in her twenties. Margery is rigid and uptight, Enid is footloose and fancy free, Margery had always been moral and ethical, until her recent petty theft, but Enid lives in a world where she does what she has to in order to survive, breaking rules indiscriminately. Margery tends to pessimism and Enid to optimism. They are from different classes in society, as well. They do have one thing in common, though, both have experienced tragedies in their lives that they have had to overcome. However, each had chose a different path. Now they must learn to walk the same one, together. As they endure the hardships of the trip, they learn what it means to finally have a real friend, and to experience a caring relationship that is filled with warmth and loyalty, consideration and support.
In the search for the beetle, they learn to accommodate strange environments and a lack of creature comforts. They overcome danger, surprising each other with their resilience. They comfort each other and learn from each other. Often, Murphy’s Law interrupts their efforts, but they always soldier on, each encouraging the other when one begins to flag. They enrich each other’s lives through thick and thin. They forge a deep bond.
The characters in the novel are all damaged in some way and yet, to the reader, they are sympathetic. The book explores the damage war inflicts on the victims, soldiers and civilians alike. It exposes and mocks the class differences and elitism in British society. The humor that invades their escapades will delight the reader but at other times their stories will tug at the reader’s heartstrings.
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LibraryThing member jillrhudy
Disclosure: Thank you to Penguin Random House for sending me a free eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Miss Margery Benson's girlhood dream was to travel to New Caledonia to discover a rare golden beetle whose existence has never been proven. In her late forties, Margery walks
Twenty-something Enid Pretty is not Margery's first choice of traveling companions. Margery and Enid are misfits, and their quest seems impossible. As Margery and Enid push their endurance to its limits and their friendship grows, a disturbed P.O.W. named Mundic is tracking them down.
Miss Benson's Beetle is a rewarding postwar novel about women charting their own courses and making discoveries against all odds, in spite of their own trauma and the trauma of the men around them. Rachel Joyce's writing is powerful and confident, and these characters leap off the page. I was reminded of "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" as Margery and Enid, a generation apart, each rely on the wisdom and strength of the other to create their lives anew in a war-torn world.
Miss Margery Benson's girlhood dream was to travel to New Caledonia to discover a rare golden beetle whose existence has never been proven. In her late forties, Margery walks
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right out of her miserable teaching job in someone else's boots, knowing that no matter what happens, she must make that voyage and pursue that dream.Twenty-something Enid Pretty is not Margery's first choice of traveling companions. Margery and Enid are misfits, and their quest seems impossible. As Margery and Enid push their endurance to its limits and their friendship grows, a disturbed P.O.W. named Mundic is tracking them down.
Miss Benson's Beetle is a rewarding postwar novel about women charting their own courses and making discoveries against all odds, in spite of their own trauma and the trauma of the men around them. Rachel Joyce's writing is powerful and confident, and these characters leap off the page. I was reminded of "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" as Margery and Enid, a generation apart, each rely on the wisdom and strength of the other to create their lives anew in a war-torn world.
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LibraryThing member tamidale
I never would have imagined that I would enjoy a story about a beetle so much! I am not into bugs, but I have now unwittingly learned more about beetles than I ever thought possible. Even better than learning about the beetles was the sweet story of how two vastly different individuals could come
The story begins with Margery Benson, a spinster science teacher with a boring life and a sad past. She has no family and most likely will never marry. But her father left her with one dream and that was to find a rare golden beetle. Margery had put this dream aside for years, but one day certain events led her to take that chance and fo find the beetle.
Margery advertises for an assistant and when all her prospective applicants drop by the wayside, she ends up with Enid Pretty, who is just about as different from Margery as a woman could get. Unfortunately for Margery, Enid has a few surprises up her sleeve that come to light on their expedition.
This was a bit of slap-stick, a bit of mystery and a wonderful story of what happens when people take time to really get to know one another and reveal their hurts, their dreams and their deepest desires in life.
I loved it and recommend it to anyone in need of an uplifting story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review and advance copy and give my honest review.
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together and find a common ground and even learn to love one another like family.The story begins with Margery Benson, a spinster science teacher with a boring life and a sad past. She has no family and most likely will never marry. But her father left her with one dream and that was to find a rare golden beetle. Margery had put this dream aside for years, but one day certain events led her to take that chance and fo find the beetle.
Margery advertises for an assistant and when all her prospective applicants drop by the wayside, she ends up with Enid Pretty, who is just about as different from Margery as a woman could get. Unfortunately for Margery, Enid has a few surprises up her sleeve that come to light on their expedition.
This was a bit of slap-stick, a bit of mystery and a wonderful story of what happens when people take time to really get to know one another and reveal their hurts, their dreams and their deepest desires in life.
I loved it and recommend it to anyone in need of an uplifting story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review and advance copy and give my honest review.
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LibraryThing member sleahey
Margery Benson is a single woman past her prime, stuck in a job she hates, and feeling very alone in the world. When her circumstances change suddenly, she decides to throw caution to the wind and follow the dream of her childhood to travel to New Caledonia to bring back the elusive gold beetle and
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become a renown scientist. By default she hires the improbable Enid Pretty to be her assistant on the venture, and a more unlikely candidate can hardly be imagined. As different as the women are, they share the facts that they each have secrets and they each are obsessed with a goal. The poignance of their eventual friendship and devotion is heightened by the hilarity provided by each of their pecadillos. The strengths of two women pursuing their dreams in spite of seemingly overwhelming odds, added to the adventures they experience along the way, make this an entertaining and uplifting read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
, I always mention Rachel Joyce. Her newest book, Miss Benson's Beetle has just released.
Why is Joyce a favorite author? Her characters and the journeys they undertake. Her characters are the ones that aren't noticed, the walking wounded, those that are 'different'. But they also have something
Miss Benson had a dream when she was young, but life didn't turn out the way she expected. Forty years on, she is determined to finally follow that dream. A pair of stolen boots seals the deal. The dream? To find a golden beetle that no one has ever captured. She is going to cross the world to reach the jungles of New Caledonia. She'll need an assistant of course - and so Enid Pretty is hired. She's not quite what Margery is looking for, but needs must.
And so the journey begins. A physical journey to be sure, but also an emotional one...."She was traveling of the other side of the world. It wasn't just the ship that had been unmoored. It was her entire sense of herself."
Rachel Joyce excels at characterization. Margery and Enid are so wonderfully drawn. I could easily capture their physical appearance in my imagination. But it's what's inside that makes this such an amazing read. Enid is a bit of a mystery with clues dropped along the way. Still, the reader will be able to piece together her story from inferences and actions. I liked her more and more with every chapter. Miss Benson's sense of self, her memories, her losses are juxtaposed with her want to be more, do more, experience more. "She got the feeling she was always looking at life through a glass wall, but one that had bobbles in it and cracks, so that she could never fully see what was on the other side and even when she did, it was too late." There's a third player, one I will leave you to discover. Their story is heartbreaking, and very real.
Joyce has such a way with words. Many sentences had me stopping to enjoy them more than once. "Besides, she had been raised in a house of women whose skill at not saying a difficult thing verged on professional."
I laughed and yes, cried. (Oh, Rachel Joyce - that ending....) I gripped my book too tightly at times, and kept reading long after my eyes said stop. But I laughed out loud many, many times as well.
And the beetle? Is it found? Ahh, you'll have to pick up the book for the answer to that - and many other things. Absolutely a brilliant read - one of the best of 2020 for this reader.
Why is Joyce a favorite author? Her characters and the journeys they undertake. Her characters are the ones that aren't noticed, the walking wounded, those that are 'different'. But they also have something
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within, some drive, determination and more to find - what they need, what they want, what they can give. And the journeys? While they often involve physical travails, for the most part it is a journey of the spirit. And for this reader, Joyce's writing makes me cry, makes me hopeful, makes me think and makes me want to be a better person.Miss Benson had a dream when she was young, but life didn't turn out the way she expected. Forty years on, she is determined to finally follow that dream. A pair of stolen boots seals the deal. The dream? To find a golden beetle that no one has ever captured. She is going to cross the world to reach the jungles of New Caledonia. She'll need an assistant of course - and so Enid Pretty is hired. She's not quite what Margery is looking for, but needs must.
And so the journey begins. A physical journey to be sure, but also an emotional one...."She was traveling of the other side of the world. It wasn't just the ship that had been unmoored. It was her entire sense of herself."
Rachel Joyce excels at characterization. Margery and Enid are so wonderfully drawn. I could easily capture their physical appearance in my imagination. But it's what's inside that makes this such an amazing read. Enid is a bit of a mystery with clues dropped along the way. Still, the reader will be able to piece together her story from inferences and actions. I liked her more and more with every chapter. Miss Benson's sense of self, her memories, her losses are juxtaposed with her want to be more, do more, experience more. "She got the feeling she was always looking at life through a glass wall, but one that had bobbles in it and cracks, so that she could never fully see what was on the other side and even when she did, it was too late." There's a third player, one I will leave you to discover. Their story is heartbreaking, and very real.
Joyce has such a way with words. Many sentences had me stopping to enjoy them more than once. "Besides, she had been raised in a house of women whose skill at not saying a difficult thing verged on professional."
I laughed and yes, cried. (Oh, Rachel Joyce - that ending....) I gripped my book too tightly at times, and kept reading long after my eyes said stop. But I laughed out loud many, many times as well.
And the beetle? Is it found? Ahh, you'll have to pick up the book for the answer to that - and many other things. Absolutely a brilliant read - one of the best of 2020 for this reader.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
Of course, this is a heartwarming book, all of Rachel Joyce’s books are heartwarming. This goes beyond heartwarming. It expands on the belief that you are capable of much more than you think. Margery Benson, oh how I disliked her at the beginning of the book. She’s a spinster, stuck in a
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teaching job she hates after World War II. She’s set in her ways. She’s a large woman living in a world that admires pretty petite women. If I were to use a color to describe her, I’d use “brown.” After stealing the headmaster’s pair of lacrosse books, she flees. She has always been interested in entomology and has dreamed of finding the golden beetle of New Caledonia. Her assistant on the journey to New Caledonia is a dizzy cute, bleached blonde who cannot shut up. The two opposites make quite a duo as they head to the jungles of the South Pacific Island. Both are stronger and more resilient than either would suspect, and each learns to appreciate the other’s skills and each other’s courage. Show Less
LibraryThing member kimkimkim
I read The Music House and loved it so I had really high expectations for Rachel Joyce’s newest book. On reflection I realized that while it was not my intention I came upon this book the same way I did The Music House. It wasn’t what I expected, the characters were not who I thought they
The emotions are tender, the abilities of the women, Margery and Enid, are raw and uncharted. This is a very interesting, sometimes slightly unbelievable story of a woman who realizes that there is always darkness and with that darkness comes suffering but there other things equally real, some smaller, some help to balance it all out. These women discover they need not be the things that happened to them. They can look inward and out and become what they like.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a copy
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should be. This onion had a lot of skins that needed to be peeled. I really thought I was going to read a quirky little book about who knew what. Wrong, wrong and wrong. The emotions are tender, the abilities of the women, Margery and Enid, are raw and uncharted. This is a very interesting, sometimes slightly unbelievable story of a woman who realizes that there is always darkness and with that darkness comes suffering but there other things equally real, some smaller, some help to balance it all out. These women discover they need not be the things that happened to them. They can look inward and out and become what they like.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a copy
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LibraryThing member herschelian
Charming, funny, reminded me of a French farce at times. Margery Benson is an unforgettable character as is the younger floozy who becomes her assistant (Edith Pretty) on her quest of a lifetime to find the golden beetle which purportedly lives in the north of New Caledonia. A more unlikely couple
A very uplifting book - I found it slow to begin with, but then became totally entranced!
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would be hard to imagine. But despite the various challenges - cyclones, missing luggage, suppurating insect bites, pregnancy etc etc and various incidents on the long voyage from 1950s London to the South Pacific they forge a strong bond and manage to fight off the man who is stalking them, and those who see them in a criminal light. A very uplifting book - I found it slow to begin with, but then became totally entranced!
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LibraryThing member bblum
A new Odd Couple but British females, a cozy mystery situated in New Caledonia, a humorous but serious novel about beetle collectors. I didn’t expect to be so delightfullly pulled into the world of Marge Benson, a rather pathetic British school teacher in London still recovering from the war. Her
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secret dream is to find a gold beetle in New Caledonia. Her partner is the mismatched Enid Pretty and they have a daft man in pursuit. Enjoy the romp. Show Less
LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
This engaging and often touching novel is flawed by a vagueness of detail over some important points, a few internal contradictions in the narrative, and by a totally unnecessary villain.
Margery Benson, a mid-40s British spinster, miserable in her teaching job and apparently stuck forever in the
The young woman, Enid Pretty, slips in under the radar, so to speak, which is a difficult feat when one is a bleached blonde in a tight pink suit, carrying three suitcases and a valise, and wearing high heels with pom-poms on them. As this unlikely buddy story sets sail, the differences between Margery and Enid at first cause no end of strife, but as one might predict, they end up growing to respect and even love each other as they face a series of challenges and setbacks on their search. Meanwhile, the rejected ex-POW furtively follows them, convinced that it is his destiny to lead the expedition and save Margery from her own bad choices.
A sub-plot develops involving Enid’s … ah … colorful … past and her proclivity for lying and flirting her way out of difficulties. There is also an underlying theme of nascent feminism in the 1950 setting where Margery has absolutely no female mentors in her chosen vocation, which really is the meat of the book. Joyce excels at that, and at plunging the reader into the brutally difficult world of a field expedition in the jungles of New Caledonia, where the elusive beetle is said to dwell. The physical and social hardships faced by the two women drive them closer together and harden each one’s determination to achieve her particular goal.
After a great deal of struggle, including a couple of tropical storms and a ticking clock that can’t be ignored, there’s a frightening climax, and then … well, things just sort of dribble off into a 30-years-later epilogue that one supposes is meant to imply the world is getting better for women in science, but which skips over a number of minor details, like how Margery got out of the situation she was in at the end of said climax, how she managed to support two people over the ensuing decades, and what actually happened to the poor mad ex-POW.
There’s a lot to enjoy in this novel, but some major re-structuring and more attention to internal consistency could have improved it tremendously.
Margery Benson, a mid-40s British spinster, miserable in her teaching job and apparently stuck forever in the
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drab, colorless, ration-bound life of post WWII England, finally kicks over the traces one day. Shunned by her peers and humiliated by her students, Benson declares her ultimate independence with a burning-bridges act and determines to embark on a journey halfway around the world to find a possibly mythical insect. Advertising for an assistant on this expedition brings her several unsuitable candidates, including a former POW whose experiences have left him more than just a little unhinged, and a frivolous young woman whose faults include but are not limited to apparent dyslexia and the inability to take no for an answer.The young woman, Enid Pretty, slips in under the radar, so to speak, which is a difficult feat when one is a bleached blonde in a tight pink suit, carrying three suitcases and a valise, and wearing high heels with pom-poms on them. As this unlikely buddy story sets sail, the differences between Margery and Enid at first cause no end of strife, but as one might predict, they end up growing to respect and even love each other as they face a series of challenges and setbacks on their search. Meanwhile, the rejected ex-POW furtively follows them, convinced that it is his destiny to lead the expedition and save Margery from her own bad choices.
A sub-plot develops involving Enid’s … ah … colorful … past and her proclivity for lying and flirting her way out of difficulties. There is also an underlying theme of nascent feminism in the 1950 setting where Margery has absolutely no female mentors in her chosen vocation, which really is the meat of the book. Joyce excels at that, and at plunging the reader into the brutally difficult world of a field expedition in the jungles of New Caledonia, where the elusive beetle is said to dwell. The physical and social hardships faced by the two women drive them closer together and harden each one’s determination to achieve her particular goal.
After a great deal of struggle, including a couple of tropical storms and a ticking clock that can’t be ignored, there’s a frightening climax, and then … well, things just sort of dribble off into a 30-years-later epilogue that one supposes is meant to imply the world is getting better for women in science, but which skips over a number of minor details, like how Margery got out of the situation she was in at the end of said climax, how she managed to support two people over the ensuing decades, and what actually happened to the poor mad ex-POW.
There’s a lot to enjoy in this novel, but some major re-structuring and more attention to internal consistency could have improved it tremendously.
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LibraryThing member BONS
Such a unique work.
LibraryThing member BooksCooksLooks
Miss Benson’s Beetle is quite different from any book I have read in a while. The main character, Margery Benson has reached a point in her life where the privations of the World War and her middle age have led her to decide to chase down a dream from her childhood – a golden beetle yet to be
One day Margery loses it at work and she leaves on bad terms but it does start her on her way to her big expidition. She places an ad for someone to accompany her. One man appears to have all the right qualifications but something is a little bit off. Then a young woman applies and while she is all wrong for the job they end up going together. What Margery doesn’t know is this woman, Enid Pretty, needs to get away and doesn’t care how she does it. She knows nothing about beetles and nothing about expeditions. But somehow these two women make it work.
What follows is one of the oddest and yet more interesting books I have read in a while. It’s full of quirky characters and a really charming story. It’s not perfect – some of it felt a little bit forced – but for the most part I was enthralled with this tale.
Margery is such a wonderful character, one I really could get behind and cheer for. I truly liked her and despite some of her quirks I really wanted the best for her. She was the kind of character you want good things to happen to. I truly enjoyed how she was written.
One of the author’s other books is on my shelf and now want to add some others to read at a later date. Anyone who likes out of the box characters and stories that don’t follow the ordinary will find this book enjoyable. I didn’t know what to expect going in and I was so happy by the time I finished.
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found. Her father told her stories of its supposed existence of this mythical insect. Did it exist or was it a figment of someone’s dreams?One day Margery loses it at work and she leaves on bad terms but it does start her on her way to her big expidition. She places an ad for someone to accompany her. One man appears to have all the right qualifications but something is a little bit off. Then a young woman applies and while she is all wrong for the job they end up going together. What Margery doesn’t know is this woman, Enid Pretty, needs to get away and doesn’t care how she does it. She knows nothing about beetles and nothing about expeditions. But somehow these two women make it work.
What follows is one of the oddest and yet more interesting books I have read in a while. It’s full of quirky characters and a really charming story. It’s not perfect – some of it felt a little bit forced – but for the most part I was enthralled with this tale.
Margery is such a wonderful character, one I really could get behind and cheer for. I truly liked her and despite some of her quirks I really wanted the best for her. She was the kind of character you want good things to happen to. I truly enjoyed how she was written.
One of the author’s other books is on my shelf and now want to add some others to read at a later date. Anyone who likes out of the box characters and stories that don’t follow the ordinary will find this book enjoyable. I didn’t know what to expect going in and I was so happy by the time I finished.
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LibraryThing member Penny_L
This book is more than just an adventurous story. It's three witty, personally poignant and suspenseful stories told within a story.
Alternating from the perspectives of Miss Benson, Miss Pretty and Mr. Mundic, each character's past unfolds piece by piece. The adeptly woven storyline creates an
Quirky and fast paced, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat, and pull at your heart as you journey alongside these very intriguing characters.
I especially enjoyed how the author ended the book, the interview and personal story beyond the end of the character's story. Such a lovely read!
Alternating from the perspectives of Miss Benson, Miss Pretty and Mr. Mundic, each character's past unfolds piece by piece. The adeptly woven storyline creates an
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engrossing, humorous and thrilling read as you discover their truth.Quirky and fast paced, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat, and pull at your heart as you journey alongside these very intriguing characters.
I especially enjoyed how the author ended the book, the interview and personal story beyond the end of the character's story. Such a lovely read!
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LibraryThing member DrApple
This is a story about friendship, about not giving up, and about overcoming obstacles. The two main characters are extremely different, but by the end, they become the best of friends. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but life sometimes does not turn out the way we hope.
LibraryThing member shazjhb
Very enjoyable book about a search, adventure, and friendship. She writes delightful books.
LibraryThing member MaggieFlo
This is an enjoyable, quick read about Margery Benson and her adventure to New Caledonia to find a golden beetle of mythology.Miss Bensons Beetle
This is an enjoyable, quick read story about Margery Benson and her adventure to New Caledonia to find a golden beetle of mythology.
Margery had a happy
Margery is a solitary, anti social, friendless Home Economics teacher when she gives it all up at the age of 45 and decides to travel to New Caledonia in search of the golden beetle.
She interviews 3 candidates as her assistant and Enid Pretty sails with her to the destination. Enid is an unlikely candidate as she is flamboyant, talkative, promiscuous, unschooled and yet positive, friendly and supportive to Margery.
Their adventures are numerous, living conditions rough, finances in short supply but they manage to get along even though Enid’s past catches up with her.
This becomes a buddy story with some tragedy near the end but with a happy outcome.
Good story
Margery had a happy childhood, spending time with her father learning about a wide variety of beetles and other insects. Her happy childhood ends when her four brothers are killed at the Somme and her father commits suicide. Margery spends her formative years with her diepressed mother and two maiden aunts. Her only pleasure is in spending time at the Natural History Museum in London.
Margery is a solitary, anti social, friendless Home Economics teacher when she gives it all up at the age of 45 and decides to travel to New Caledonia in search of the golden beetle.
She interviews 3 candidates as her assistant and Enid Pretty sails with her to the destination. Enid is an unlikely candidate as she is flamboyant, talkative, promiscuous, unschooled and yet positive, friendly and supportive to Margery.
Their adventures are numerous, living conditions rough, finances in short supply but they manage to get along even though Enid’s past catches up with her.
This becomes a buddy story with some tragedy near the end but with a happy outcome.
Good story
This is an enjoyable, quick read story about Margery Benson and her adventure to New Caledonia to find a golden beetle of mythology.
Margery had a happy
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childhood, spending time with her father learning about a wide variety of beetles and other insects. Her happy childhood ends when her four brothers are killed at the Somme and her father commits suicide. Margery spends her formative years with her distant mother and two maiden aunts. Her only pleasure is in spending time at the Natural History Museum in London.Margery is a solitary, anti social, friendless Home Economics teacher when she gives it all up at the age of 45 and decides to travel to New Caledonia in search of the golden beetle.
She interviews 3 candidates as her assistant and Enid Pretty sails with her to the destination. Enid is an unlikely candidate as she is flamboyant, talkative, promiscuous, unschooled and yet positive, friendly and supportive to Margery.
Their adventures are numerous, living conditions rough, finances in short supply but they manage to get along even though Enid’s past catches up with her.
This becomes a buddy story with some tragedy near the end but with a happy outcome.
Good story
Margery had a happy childhood, spending time with her father learning about a wide variety of beetles and other insects. Her happy childhood ends when her four brothers are killed at the Somme and her father commits suicide. Margery spends her formative years with her diepressed mother and two maiden aunts. Her only pleasure is in spending time at the Natural History Museum in London.
Margery is a solitary, anti social, friendless Home Economics teacher when she gives it all up at the age of 45 and decides to travel to New Caledonia in search of the golden beetle.
She interviews 3 candidates as her assistant and Enid Pretty sails with her to the destination. Enid is an unlikely candidate as she is flamboyant, talkative, promiscuous, unschooled and yet positive, friendly and supportive to Margery.
Their adventures are numerous, living conditions rough, finances in short supply but they manage to get along even though Enid’s past catches up with her.
This becomes a buddy story with some tragedy near the end but with a happy outcome.
Good story
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LibraryThing member pennykaplan
Two unlikely women set off in 1950 to New Caledonia to find a mythical beetle. The novel is populated by outrageously eccentric characters in bizarre circumstances. Reminiscent of a British Victorian polar expedition. Very clever, but a bit too exaggerated.
LibraryThing member witchyrichy
Watching Miss Benson come into her true best life even as she fought it, was funny, heart breaking, and so true. All the characters carried baggage not of their own choices, much of it tied to the first world war. This was a gift from the same friend who gave me Where'd You Go, Bernadette so she
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knows what I like. Quirky and a little fantastic, a good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member SquirrelHead
Margery Benson is introduced in this story as a ten year old girl, sitting in her father's study and enjoying his company as he shares the book Incredible Creatures. She is quite taken with the sketches of animals and in particular a Golden Beetle from New Caledonia.
Suddenly this pleasant moment is
We quickly jump to 1950 in London, Margery is an unmarried disheveled school teacher getting zero respect or joy in her job. After a particularly horrible day at school she sinks into depression and suddenly remembers a bright spot in her life; her former obsession with the golden beetle in New Caledonia.
Margery decides to upend her sorry, boring life and take an adventure to look for the golden beetle. Some of that inspiration may come from wanting to connect to her much missed father, in my opinion. She knows nothing about New Caledonia and advertises for an assistant who speaks French so she will have an interpreter. After interviewing several people she ends up with an unlikely companion, Miss Enid Pretty. This beuatiful blonde tells her, after they are well underway toward New Caledonia, that she does not in fact speak French. She only knows "Bon Shoor" and off they go. Margery and Enid set off unprepared for an adventure of their lifetime.
These women couldn't be more different in looks and personality but a true friendship develops as they move through the jungle, end up in crazy predicaments and their lives intertwine. I very much liked the end but the middle of the book dragged a bit, just for a while.
Much thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. Opinions are mine and I was not compensated for this review.
This book will be published November 24, 2020.
Suddenly this pleasant moment is
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shattered when her father receives a visitor telling him all four of his sons have been killed in the war. His grief and shock is so great that he immeditely goes outside and kills himself. This life shattering event forces Margery and her mother to leave their home and live with relatives.We quickly jump to 1950 in London, Margery is an unmarried disheveled school teacher getting zero respect or joy in her job. After a particularly horrible day at school she sinks into depression and suddenly remembers a bright spot in her life; her former obsession with the golden beetle in New Caledonia.
Margery decides to upend her sorry, boring life and take an adventure to look for the golden beetle. Some of that inspiration may come from wanting to connect to her much missed father, in my opinion. She knows nothing about New Caledonia and advertises for an assistant who speaks French so she will have an interpreter. After interviewing several people she ends up with an unlikely companion, Miss Enid Pretty. This beuatiful blonde tells her, after they are well underway toward New Caledonia, that she does not in fact speak French. She only knows "Bon Shoor" and off they go. Margery and Enid set off unprepared for an adventure of their lifetime.
These women couldn't be more different in looks and personality but a true friendship develops as they move through the jungle, end up in crazy predicaments and their lives intertwine. I very much liked the end but the middle of the book dragged a bit, just for a while.
Much thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. Opinions are mine and I was not compensated for this review.
This book will be published November 24, 2020.
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LibraryThing member erinclark
Loved this sweet tale of friendship between polar opposites. I found it uplifting, funny and touching. I read the audio version and the narrator was excellent, truly brought the characters to life for me. Very highly recommended.
LibraryThing member brenzi
Absolutely delightful and the audio production was a big part of the reason I found this gem to be so very, very good. Margery Benson comes to the end of her rope one day while teaching an ornery group of students and quits her job. She decides she will organize an expedition to the other side of
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the world, New Caledonia, to look for the mythical Golden Beetle. She decides to take along one of the few respondents to her help wanted ad, a totally incapable assistant named Enid Pritty and then, well, let the fun and frolicking begin. One unexpected adventure after another completely envelop the two woman until they both are able to achieve their true life. Please go with the audio version and you won't ever look back. So much fun. Show Less
Awards
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2021)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
9.21 inches
ISBN
0857521993 / 9780857521996