Reviews on Miss Benson's Beetle (2)

This book will bug you!

Miss Benson's Beetle

Rachel Joyce’s books are marmite, loved by some, hated by others. This book is firmly in the “loved by me” category. An improbable tale of an improbable failed teacher and a mysterious wanted criminal on the trail of an unknown beetle. The adventurers travel from London to Australia and then to New Caledonia where, in the search for the golden beetle, they discover themselves. Sometimes the narrative feels a bit disjointed but it a good read: funny, ridiculous, sad, confusing and ultimately enjoyable and not to be missed.

Happy and uplifting

Miss Benson's Beetle

Rachel Joyce just keeps getting better with each book. This is the story of two very ordinary women who go on an adventure to the South Pacific to look for a possibly extinct species of beetle. Miss Benson is a stuffy, middle-aged,spinster school-teacher who decides on a whim to make the trip and engages flighty, promiscuous, pink clad Enid Pretty to accompany her. Both characters come to life in the novel. They are real and honest and funny and the story of their evolving friendship is entertaining and beautifully put together.