Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (23 July 2020)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0857521985
• ISBN-13: 978-0857521989

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

It is 1950. In a devastating moment of clarity, Margery Benson abandons her dead-end job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist.
Enid Pretty, in her unlikely pink travel suit, is not the companion Margery had in mind. And yet together they will be drawn into an adventure that will exceed every expectation. They will risk everything, break all the rules, and at the top of a red mountain, discover their best selves.

This is a story that is less about what can be found than the belief it might be found; it is an intoxicating adventure story but it is also about what it means to be a woman and a tender exploration of a friendship that defies all boundaries.

Review

Miss Benson’s Beetle is the fabulous new book from Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. Set in 1950, Margery Benson has a moment of clarity, or madness depending on your outlook, and leaves her job as a teacher to go in search of a beetle. Not just any beetle but a Golden Beetle on the other side of the world in New Caledonia, that may not even exist. Along with her new assistant Enid Pretty, they embark on the adventure of a lifetime, both in the physical sense of the journey but also on a personal level. This is a story of nevergiving up, following you dreams and being open to new experiences.

If you have read any of Rachel Joyce’s previous books you will know that she is known for her wonderful, quirky and endearing characters, and she doesn’t disappoint in this book. Margery Benson and Enid Pretty are a different as day and night, and an extremely unlikely pairing for a journey to the other side of the world. Margery lost her three brothers, father and mother by the time she was seventeen and was brought up by her two aunts. As a child her father incubated her love of the natural world and in particular the Golden Beetle. Beetles have been the constant in her life, almost like a comfort blanket in times of grief and loneliness. Her height and big build have always left her open to ridicule leaving her with low self esteem, and friendless, that is until Enid Pretty comes into her life. Enid is as small as Margery is tall, slim with candy floss like blonde hair and has plenty of male attention. Whereas Margery is all about sensible clothing, Enid is about fluffy mules, a pink suit and hat, not at all appropriate for their expedition. There may be friction at the beginning, Margery not use to another female’s company, but the most endearing part of reading this book is the blossoming friendship between the two women. They both have strenghts that compliments the others weaknesses and find out that they have a lot more in common than they origionally thought.

As well as creating memorable and quirky characters Rachel Joyce writing is flowing and lyrical with plenty of humour and wit. The plot line, with its unlikely partnership and relatively unprepared journey leaves the door open to many moments of hilarity that wouldn’t be amiss in a Carry On film, from photo booth mishaps to the stealing of a jeep. Rachel Joyce also envelopes the reader in the exotic landscape of both Australia and New Caledonia, capturing the sights and sounds, the bright colours and the smell of the foliage that is all around them. The journey to these wonderful locations also takes the characters on a more personal and inner journey opening themselves to new experiences, and emotions that make them reasses their lives.

Miss Benson’s Beetle takes the reader on an old fashioned adventure with two wonderfully different women. This is a book about following your dream, never giving up, love, loss, self discovery but most importantly friendship. In Margery Benson, Rachel Joyce has created another endearing and memorable character that I really took to my heart, her story is a real inspiration. Packed with humour, wit, drama and plenty of charm this is a fabulous read and one I highly recommend.

I would like to thand Doubleday Books and Anne Cater for the invite to be part of the blog tour in return for my honest review.