The Enlightenment of Bees

May 20, 2019
A heartbroken young woman searches for significance on a six-week humanitarian adventure in this fine tale of personal transformation from Linden (An Ascension of Larks). After Mia West’s longtime boyfriend breaks up with her, Mia wangles her way under false pretenses into an international humanitarian project funded by a reclusive billionaire. Thinking she would spend the trip getting her heart settled and enjoying world travel, Mia joins her roommate and four others, including a magnetic Hawaiian urban farmer named Kai, to serve in the Mumbai slums. As the eclectic team members feed impoverished children and become better acquainted, Mia fights the attraction between Kai and herself. Unexpectedly, the team is diverted to Hungary, where they help refugees flowing in from war-torn Middle Eastern countries. Thrown into a situation beyond her expectations, experience, and emotional bandwidth, Mia learns firsthand the depths of suffering that happen daily outside her little world. Facing the dire situation requires Mia to rely on her faith in ways she never has before, and she turns to God as a source of hope. Linden, an international aid worker herself, writes authoritatively on the dynamics of supplying aid. Inspirational readers will delight in Linden’s global scope and spirited group of humane characters.

Narrator Madison Lawrence exuberantly introduces 26-year-old Mia West, who is anticipating a proposal from her boyfriend. When the big moment doesn't materialize, Mia spontaneously joins Humanitas, an international organization that helps the needy. Billionaire Lars Lindquist, a well-rendered eccentric, entertains the volunteers on his private island before they depart. Lawrence's portrayal of Mia is endearing, but the story disappoints when she falls in love with another volunteer, showing her immaturity. Most of the team members are appropriately portrayed as privileged and clueless, while a Rwandan volunteer and the local staff are more realistic. Lawrence provides a moving depiction of the sweet relationship between Mia and her dying nana, Alice, who cheers her "girl" every step of the way. S.G.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine