Status
Available
Publication
William Morrow Paperbacks (2014), Edition: Reprint, 368 pages
Description
"In the vein of Amelie and Chocolat, Sarah-Kate Lynch's THE WEDDING BEES is a charming, witty, honey-sweet novel about finding new love, letting go of the past, and the magic of rooftop honey in New York City"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member khiemstra631
Author Sarah-Kate Lynch thought of the six things that mattered most to her in life at a particular moment: love, friendship, manners, New York City, the South and honey. She decided to write a book about them, and The Wedding Bees is the result. And what an enjoyable result it was! Sugar Wallace,
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running from her previous life in Charleston, SC, allows her queen bee, Elizabeth, to walk on a map to determine their next landing place. Staying in each place for one year, they have moved around the country until Elizabeth takes them to a penthouse apartment in New York City. The tenants in the small apartment house make up the plot of the book. One has anorexia; one is bullied by his employer and very shy; one is a single mom with a cranky toddler; and two are cranky old people who seem to hate each other. Then there's Theo, who ran into an old man, George on the street. George becomes a volunteer doorman at the apartment building, while Theo falls madly in love with Sugar. Whether they can come together as a married couple while resolving the other peoples' problems forms the crux of the book. The only fly in my ointment was the strange practice of capitalizing the "M" in any word that ended in "Ms." and adding a period even if it was in the middle of a sentence. I hoped for an explanation or clue as to what this meant by the end of the book, but I never received it. Perhaps I was just a bit dense as I do know what the abbreviation Ms. means, but I really didn't get it in terms of this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member astridnr
The Wedding Bees was an enjoyable Sunday read. I even considered becoming a beekeeper while reading this book. It was obvious how the book was going to end, but the journey there was enlivened with endearing characters and interesting events. The heroine, Sugar has spent years running away from her
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past, never living in one place for more than a year. She harbors a secret that prohibits her from staying on one place too long, but when Theo comes into her life, all of that changes. Show Less
LibraryThing member lasperschlager
Many years ago I read Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch and really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to reading her new book The Wedding Bees: A Novel of Honey, Love and Manners and was not disappointed in the story. The story of Sugar Wallace and her bees was woven together nicely
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with the past and finding a way to move toward the future. There are a handful of characters Sugar meets when she moves into her Alphabet City apartment. Sugar binds each of them together with honey and kindness and we get to watch as friendships and love grows amongst them all. The main story though is the relationship between Sugar and Theo and how they balance the fears of the past with love and trust. The bees certainly played a big role in their relationship and I liked the uniqueness of that part of the book. High recommend - great for fans of Sarah Addison Allen. Show Less
LibraryThing member mchwest
This book was truly about honey, and what giving the gift of caring and love will bring back twofold to yourself. A story of a young woman who follows her bees, yes, it is fiction but if you need a break and are looking for a story of hope and togetherness then this is the next book for you to
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read. The truth of the fact I too feel Southerners know a different way with manners .You will be in the market to try new types of honey when finished. Loved it. Show Less
LibraryThing member dgmlrhodes
The Wedding Bees is a wonderful love story featuring Sugar (Cheri Lynn) and Theo. Sugar Wallace has escaped her past and follows the lead of her bees to determine the place she lives. Sugar makes lifelong friends wherever she goes, but she follows the guidance of her bees and doesn't stay long.
Over the years, the bees have guided her life decisions and they land their sights on Theo on this tale. Without giving away the plot lines, I will just say that the characters are whimsical and lively making for an enjoyable tale.
I loved the characters in this book and it was an easy read.
Reader received a complimentary copy from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.
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Over the years, the bees have guided her life decisions and they land their sights on Theo on this tale. Without giving away the plot lines, I will just say that the characters are whimsical and lively making for an enjoyable tale.
I loved the characters in this book and it was an easy read.
Reader received a complimentary copy from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.
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LibraryThing member JenniferLynn
I loved this book. It's not the usual type of book that I read. I enjoyed the different characters (except Sugar's parents) and the interesting events that took place.
LibraryThing member cyncie
This is an enchanting story about a Charleston woman who is introduced to bee-keeping by her beloved grandfather. That leads to a life of adventure and healing, after a disastrous engagement in her hometown. She moves from one place to another with her bees and makes great changes in the people she
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meets along the way, with an emphasis on honey, love and manners. It's an easy read with characters that draw you in. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lorelai2
The Wedding Bees tells the tale of Sugar Wallace,once a reluctant Southern belle being pushed into a bad marriage, who is now a wandering lady beekeeper that spreads good manners and cheer to others with as much vest as the honey her special set of bees create.
When Sugar's latest move lands her in
It may be cliched to say but The Wedding Bees is a truly sweet story that manages to be charming without being cloying. Author Sarah-Kate Lynch makes this very whimsical novel a true heartwarming delight to enjoy.
When Sugar's latest move lands her in
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New York,she gets more than she bargained for as everything in her new life(including the bees)insist that the true love of her life is literally around the corner. As Sugar encourages her moody neighbors to embrace the goodness in the world all about them, they do so for her in return.It may be cliched to say but The Wedding Bees is a truly sweet story that manages to be charming without being cloying. Author Sarah-Kate Lynch makes this very whimsical novel a true heartwarming delight to enjoy.
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LibraryThing member whitreidtan
I first discovered Sarah-Kate Lynch when I read Blessed Are the Cheesemakers many years ago. That was a book that left me with a smile on my face and a good and contented feeling in my heart. So I was eager to pick up her latest novel, The Wedding Bees. And I'm happy to say that Lynch has written
Sugar Wallace is a good and cheerful soul who cares about everyone around her, striving to make their lives happier and better. She's not a saccharine Pollyanna, just the caring, giving kind of person who is a pleasure to be around. But Sugar can't seem to lighten her own heart as she moves hither, thither, and yon around the country every year, never putting down roots, forever fleeing her past. Each year, Sugar, who fled her native Charleston so many years ago, severing ties with everyone she loved, takes the queen from her bee colony, places her on a map, and moves wherever the queen stops. This year, Sugar and the bees have landed in Alphabet City in Manhattan in an apartment building filled with eccentric, quirky, and emotionally battered folks.
The very day that Sugar moves in, she meets George, an elderly man she initially assumes is homeless, and Theo, the cell phone absorbed, Hawaiian shirt wearing man George stumbles into. Immediately intervening to make sure that George is not injured, Sugar makes her first friend and, although she doesn't know it yet, meets her fate. Her highly attuned bees can tell that something has happened though as Sugar settles in, has George (who is not homeless but just feeling useless) instated as the building's honorary doorman, and meets the rest of her neighbors: fragile, anorexic Ruby; excruciatingly shy Nate, who is a talented chef; single mom Lola trying to make ends meet and to do the right thing for her small colicky boy; Mrs. Keschl, a cantankerous old woman; and her counterpart with whom she has an ongoing feud, the crotchety, complaining Mr. McNally. Sugar fits into this odd assortment of people and slowly and quietly helps them to see the goodness in each other and in humanity. And just as each of them finds sanctuary in the genuine caring warmth of Sugar's friendship, they each play a part in helping her to accept her own past and to move forward into a bright and honeyed future.
This is a gently romantic and magical novel about helping the lost, treating others with respect and love, and moving past hurts to embrace all of the wonderful possibilities out there. Sugar is a lovely character and her ability to find the goodness in everyone who comes into her life is truly a gift. She has her own demons and has to find the courage to face them but with a little assist from friends who care and bees who can feel her destiny in every quiver of their bodies, she'll find the happiness with which she has blessed so many others. The secondary characters are enjoyable in their own rights and their growing care for Sugar is splendid to read. Sweet, enchanting, and fanciful, for readers who want to read a novel with a smile on their faces, this ray of sunshine, drizzle of honey, confection of a novel will fit the bill perfectly.
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another charming and whimsical novel of finding yourself, opening your heart, and loving. Sugar Wallace is a good and cheerful soul who cares about everyone around her, striving to make their lives happier and better. She's not a saccharine Pollyanna, just the caring, giving kind of person who is a pleasure to be around. But Sugar can't seem to lighten her own heart as she moves hither, thither, and yon around the country every year, never putting down roots, forever fleeing her past. Each year, Sugar, who fled her native Charleston so many years ago, severing ties with everyone she loved, takes the queen from her bee colony, places her on a map, and moves wherever the queen stops. This year, Sugar and the bees have landed in Alphabet City in Manhattan in an apartment building filled with eccentric, quirky, and emotionally battered folks.
The very day that Sugar moves in, she meets George, an elderly man she initially assumes is homeless, and Theo, the cell phone absorbed, Hawaiian shirt wearing man George stumbles into. Immediately intervening to make sure that George is not injured, Sugar makes her first friend and, although she doesn't know it yet, meets her fate. Her highly attuned bees can tell that something has happened though as Sugar settles in, has George (who is not homeless but just feeling useless) instated as the building's honorary doorman, and meets the rest of her neighbors: fragile, anorexic Ruby; excruciatingly shy Nate, who is a talented chef; single mom Lola trying to make ends meet and to do the right thing for her small colicky boy; Mrs. Keschl, a cantankerous old woman; and her counterpart with whom she has an ongoing feud, the crotchety, complaining Mr. McNally. Sugar fits into this odd assortment of people and slowly and quietly helps them to see the goodness in each other and in humanity. And just as each of them finds sanctuary in the genuine caring warmth of Sugar's friendship, they each play a part in helping her to accept her own past and to move forward into a bright and honeyed future.
This is a gently romantic and magical novel about helping the lost, treating others with respect and love, and moving past hurts to embrace all of the wonderful possibilities out there. Sugar is a lovely character and her ability to find the goodness in everyone who comes into her life is truly a gift. She has her own demons and has to find the courage to face them but with a little assist from friends who care and bees who can feel her destiny in every quiver of their bodies, she'll find the happiness with which she has blessed so many others. The secondary characters are enjoyable in their own rights and their growing care for Sugar is splendid to read. Sweet, enchanting, and fanciful, for readers who want to read a novel with a smile on their faces, this ray of sunshine, drizzle of honey, confection of a novel will fit the bill perfectly.
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LibraryThing member Gwnfkt12
I cannot say enough good things about this book. The main character Sugar Wallace was inspirational. She made me want to be a better person. She made me want to raise bees. And, even better than one inspirational character, Lynch created a dozen wonderfully imperfect characters, all of whom I
Besides perfectly-created characters, Lynch has written such a wonderfully heart-breaking, life-affirming story. It has such a powerful message of making your own happiness no matter where you are. And of course the other over-arching theme of the novel is to open your heart to love when it comes to you, especially when misunderstandings have piled up between you. Because when the bees are telling you to love someone, perhaps it’d be wise to listen.
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wanted to be friends with by the end of the book.Besides perfectly-created characters, Lynch has written such a wonderfully heart-breaking, life-affirming story. It has such a powerful message of making your own happiness no matter where you are. And of course the other over-arching theme of the novel is to open your heart to love when it comes to you, especially when misunderstandings have piled up between you. Because when the bees are telling you to love someone, perhaps it’d be wise to listen.
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LibraryThing member cinnamonowl
I was previously unfamiliar with Lynch's work; now that I have read this one, I know that I want to read more. This book was delightful, fun, and enjoyable. I enjoyed the bee trivia that would pop up, as well as the cast of characters. They were all very vivid, with quirky issues that made them
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utterly likable. The main character Sugar, is a positive, upbeat beekeeper, who charms not only her bees but everyone she meets. She is keeping a secret though, that is slowly revealed bit by bit. It is not as dark as you might imagine though, and at the end of the book, everything is happy happy hunky-dory. Which was exactly how I wanted this book to end. Happy endings all around. Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksCooksLooks
This was a fun, light read; a delightful change of pace from the historical fiction I usually read. Sugar and her bees travel about sharing the sweetness of honey and the joys of life but this year the bees are not going to let Sugar run from past hurts any longer. They are going to show her that
I breezed through this book and fell in love with the characters and the bees. I honestly didn't want it to end. There is magic in honey and sweetness in stings.
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life can be just as sweet for her as it is for all of the people she has helped over the years. But as we all know with honey it comes with some stings. I breezed through this book and fell in love with the characters and the bees. I honestly didn't want it to end. There is magic in honey and sweetness in stings.
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LibraryThing member jkgrage
This book had very silly and sometimes ridiculous plot points. It also had, in my opinion, things thrown in for no particular reason. That all being said, it is a wonderful story of Sugar and all the misfits she seems to gather wherever she goes. Very enjoyable.
LibraryThing member DoingDewey
As Leah at Books Speak Volumes once described a book, starting The Wedding Bees was like sinking into a warm bath. The writing is just so beautiful! It’s lovely, warm, vivid, charming – perfect for the story of a Southern girl like Sugar. When I first read a post by Kayla at The Thousand Lives,
While the other characters the author created weren’t as sweet as Sugar, they were easy to fall in love with too. They’re very real and they all have their flaws, but the author puts you right into their heads and into their lives. By sharing the bits of their past that got them where they are, she makes you understand each and every character she introduces. Even though all of the characters have their flaws, this is not a book that makes you wonder if everything is going to work out. The saddest of back stories still seems optimistic in this book, because you just know that everything is going to work out. For the most part, everything does. I would like to mention though that one of the characters is anorexic, and while things get going in the right direction for her, they don’t just magically work out. While this isn’t a topic I know much about, I thought this was a far better way to end her story than with an unrealistic instantaneous cure.
I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by my blog this week so this sweet, beautiful, happy little confection of a book was just what I needed. If you love Southern lit or NYC or sweet romances or are just looking for a book that will put a smile on your face, I highly recommend you pick this one up.
This review first published on Doing Dewey.
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I didn’t get what she meant about wanting authors to write with more color. Since then, I’ve read several books, including this one, where the author describes things using more color. And I love it! The addition of more colors to the descriptions gave the places she described a vibrancy that brought them to life. I also loved the dialogue, which was cute and funny, but not unbelievable. Sugar is almost unbelievably sweet and positive, but I couldn’t help falling in love with her right away.While the other characters the author created weren’t as sweet as Sugar, they were easy to fall in love with too. They’re very real and they all have their flaws, but the author puts you right into their heads and into their lives. By sharing the bits of their past that got them where they are, she makes you understand each and every character she introduces. Even though all of the characters have their flaws, this is not a book that makes you wonder if everything is going to work out. The saddest of back stories still seems optimistic in this book, because you just know that everything is going to work out. For the most part, everything does. I would like to mention though that one of the characters is anorexic, and while things get going in the right direction for her, they don’t just magically work out. While this isn’t a topic I know much about, I thought this was a far better way to end her story than with an unrealistic instantaneous cure.
I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by my blog this week so this sweet, beautiful, happy little confection of a book was just what I needed. If you love Southern lit or NYC or sweet romances or are just looking for a book that will put a smile on your face, I highly recommend you pick this one up.
This review first published on Doing Dewey.
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Original language
English
Physical description
8 inches
ISBN
0062252607 / 9780062252609