The Nature of Bees

 

In 'The Nature Of Bees', Priya Sharma describes a mysterious country estate that seems lost in the Middle Ages, full of strange rituals and quaint attitudes. When a single woman moves into one of the estate cottages, she soon becomes captivated by the residents in a bucolic yet bewitching tale.  Gareth D Jones for SF Crowsnest

 

 Vivien moves into the old beekeeper's house next to the estate where bees have always been raised. The honey is said to be an aphrodisiac. Although Vivien has led a life of celibacy for years, she blossoms there. But there is more to the place thanhoney. The denizens of the estate are more bee than human, and their queen is dying, worn out by constant procreation. The society of the human hive, with its sterile sisters and indolent brothers, is nicely done. But the sensuous descriptions of Vivien's transformation are erotically compelling. Recommended.   Lois Tilton for Locus Online 
 
Sharma's "The Nature of Bees" tells of a divorced woman renting a cottage in the country. There she encounters the mysterious family of caretakers, and she has a little fling with one of the young men, only to realize that this family's view of the roles of women and men is a bit unusual. Indeed, as we guess from the start, the upshot is a sort of literalization of a human family organized like bees -- which works as a story mostly due to Sharma's lush prose.  Rich Horton for The SF Site 
 

Priya Sharma's 'The Nature of Bees' tells of a woman coming into her summer late. She blossomed at the age of thirty-eight, a time when most women are past ripeness, their fruit sampled and discarded. It's a beautifully written fantasy of one woman's visit to a mysterious country estate. Highly Recommended.  Colin Harvey for suite101.com