The Beekeeper's Pupil - Softcover

George, Sara

3.63

188 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747266638 ISBN 13: 9780747266631

Publisher: Headline Book Pub Ltd, 2004

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Despite beginning to go blind at age fifteen, Fran�ois Huber finds himself increasingly fascinated with science, forcing him to enlist a young servant as his assistant in his obsessive exploration of the world of the bee. Reprint.

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About the Author:

Sara George, the daughter of the writer of DR STRANGELOVE, is the award-winning author of the acclaimed THE JOURNAL OF MRS PEPYS, which serialised on BBC Radio 4's WOMAN'S HOUR. She lives in London.

From Booklist:

With the French Revolution as its backdrop, George's latest historical novel quickly engages the reader, both as a treatise on the scientific method and as a perceptive exploration of the life of a blind man. In 1785, Francois Huber, a blind gentleman living outside Geneva, hires a young man, Francois Burnens, as his manservant. That position quickly expands as Huber's interest in the lives of bees becomes more scientific in nature. He relies heavily on Burnens' vision as they carry out precise observations on such questions as the fecundation of the queen, who leads a swarm, and whether female worker bees can lay eggs. Their work leads to the publication of New Observations on Bees, which becomes the foremost monograph on the subject. George delicately intersperses scientific experiments with personal anecdotes, elucidating how Huber deals with his blindness, and how Burnens comes to realize that he needs to leave his position and find his own niche in life. A fascinating blend of science and personal struggles, this thoughtful novel appeals on many levels. Deborah Donovan
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