Title: MISS BENSON’S BEETLE
Author: Rachel Joyce
Read: February 2021
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Book Description:
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.
What attracted me to this book:
At the beginning of the year, I
asked some of my bookstagram friends to recommend an all-time favourite book of
theirs to read in 2021. MISS BENSON’S BEETLE was Helen’s (@bestbookforward)
choice, and I am happy to report that it was perfect! I loved losing myself in
Margery and Enid’s travels, and the story really tugged on my heartstrings. I
am so glad that I read it!
My musings:
I think I have probably told you a hundred times or
more how much I love armchair travel, and in these times it is even more
precious. Initially, Margery doesn’t seem the travelling type at all: a middle
aged, unmarried schoolteacher who has held down the same job all her life and
has never moved out of her comfort zone, her future is destined to be as drab
and loveless as her brown, sensible clothes.
Until one day, Margery finally snaps. Taunted once too often by her
cruel students, she impulsively and dramatically leaves her job behind and
decides to pursue a long time dream – to travel to New Caledonia in search of
the a golden beetle her father had told her about as a child. Not being a natural
traveller, Margery knows that she will need help, and she places an
advertisement for an assistant to accompany her on her journey. From here on,
little of Margery’s plans work out the way she had planned, but the end result
is as touching as it is often hilarious, and I loved every minute of it!
Both Margery and Enid are
intriguing, enigmatic and full-of-life characters I fell in love with. The
author has a way of describing these two very different women that brought them
to life in my mind, and I could vividly picture them both. They swept me along
on their journey and I felt fully emotionally invested in all their adventures.
As the two women form an unlikely friendship, we not only learn more about
their pasts but also see them grow into their fierce, brave, independent
selves. Who has never dreamed of leaving everything behind and starting anew,
totally reinventing themselves? If you think this is difficult now, imagine what
it would have been like for women in the 1950’s. Joyce manages not only to
evoke the landscape but also the era to perfection, which made this book a real
treat to read.
As Margery and Enid stumble from one misadventure to another, there is of course the wonderful backdrop of an untamed New Caledonia, which sees our two hapless characters battle a wilderness they are totally ill prepared for. But as they face the obstacles nature puts in their way – such as the heat, the insects, tropical storms, floods and disease – they will also discover their inner strengths and the healing power of the natural environment.
Summary:
All in all, MISS BENSON’S BEETLE was the perfect
book to lose myself in. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me feel
warm and fuzzy inside. Tackling topics such as self-discovery, female friendship
and the courage to step out of your comfort zone, this was both a fun as well
as a reflective read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every step of the journey.
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