This is a book about loss and how we see the world when we're broken. It follows the story of Nuri and his wife Afra as they flee war-torn Syria to join Nuri's cousin in the UK. It is a heartbreaking book filled with tragedy and challenges facing many refugees. But it is the way Lefteri describes the world and breaks up the story that captures the reader. The author lets us share Nuri's worry about Afra's blindness and his own attempts to keep everyone safe, despite his struggle to survive all that has happened to his family and those around him. This is a book of loss and hope and seeing the world for what it is and what it can be. It captures the refugee experience in a personal way and made me feel.

This book is an emotional one. Such deep feelings of love , loss, ravage the heart while reading. The setting is among a war torn era and a beekeeper trying to do the best for his family. Life was so traumatic at times for them that I was so emotionally invested I couldn’t tear myself away from the story. It’s beautifully written in such a powerful way that you can’t help but be touched by it. It is a book that won’t be forgotten.

Christy Lefteri's refugee story grows out of her experience working UNICEF camps in Greece. Nuri, a Syrian beekeeper and his wife Afra, blinded in an explosion that kills their young son Sami, flee Aleppo to join family (Nuri's cousin and beekeeping business partner Mustafa and his wife and daughter) in the U.K. Lefteri examines their journey from both ends: the first section of each chapter considers Nuri and Afra in Britain as they undergo the process of applying for asylum. In the middle of each chapter, Nuri's story hits on a key word, shown in larger and bolder type, that switches the perspective from his asylum story to the terrible journey he and his wife have endured on their way from Syria to Britain and the impact of the Syrian civil war and this journey on their lives -- so the book looks both forward and backwards. I found the story comparable in many ways to that portrayed in American Dirt -- particularly with regard to the stress and emotional toll of the violence both preceding and during the journey. Here we know that Nuri and Afra arrived at their destination, but Lefteri's exploration of the emotional and physical toll of the journey is intense and gripping, creating grat dramatic tension. The ending is an upper, but the ride getting there less so. On the whole , a satisfying and enlightening reading experience.

This was a wonderful, sensitive, and informational novel. The characters came to life through their struggles attempting to leave their home country of Syria as they traveled to England as refugees. The love of Nuri and his blind wife, Afra, as well as Nuri's love for his dead son, drove his need to reconnect with Mustafa and the haven of the bee colonies. I would have liked to see a stronger ending. Perhaps seeing Nuri and Mustafa reestablishing their beekeeping endeavors.

I loved reading this book. The subject matter was not pleasant, but the author grabbed my attention from the first words that she wrote. Her style of writing made for an intriguing telling of the story. The events of the war in Syria are beautifully described. The emotional toll of war is portrayed so well.

The author of this book took their time choosing the beautiful words written. Although the novel was heartbreaking and page turning at the end of each chapter never was it sloppily or lazily written. There was great patience taken to put this story together. This would be a great story for a book club or class read as there were many parts to analyze, things I perhaps didn't allow enough time to analyze. The Beekeeper of Aleppo is an emotional book but was certainly worth the read!

I loved this book! It was very well written. It was a great story about a refugee couple from Syria making their way to England. The chapters go between their arrival
in England trying to obtain asylum and their journey from war torn Syria. I loved the character development and relatable characters and their journey. It was heart wrenching in many parts. The author did a great job in allowing the reader to follow the couple’s journey. The beekeeper aspect was interesting as well.

Nuri and his cousin Mostafa are beekeepers in the beautiful city of Aleppo until war tears their city and their lives apart. Mostafa escapes early to England and encourages his cousin to follow him. Nuri and his wife Afra set out on their journey to join their cousin. Lefteri was an
aide worker in the refuge camps and had first-hand knowledge of the plights of refugees and she uses this first-hand knowledge to tell the story. Nuri and Afra are both extremely damaged from the terrorism they experienced in their country. Afra, who was once an established artist, was blinded from an explosion and Nuri is suffering from severe trauma, which leads to hallucinations and instability. In spite of this, the two journey on through the most difficult circumstances. The only thing holding Nuri together is his knowledge and love of bees and his hope of re-uniting with Mostafa. The story of their journey is hard to read at times because it is brutal but also interspersed with kindness.
This novel is well-written and is recommended to anyone who wants to know more about the war in Syria and the devastation inflicted on the population. It is also a triumph of human spirit as Nuri and Afra overcome the terrors of their journey to freedom and safety.

I originally received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Since I wasn’t able to download and read it in a timely fashion, I borrowed it from my local library because I was still intrigued by the publisher’s description. In fact, one of my girlfriends was similarly intrigued by the publisher’s blurb that we convinced our book club to adopt this novel as our May 2020 Book of the Month.

Honestly, this a heartbreakingly beautiful novel, told with a rhythm of waves crashing on the shore. The tale is told as a braided narrative: one strand starts shortly after the main characters arrive in England and tells of the quest for asylum; the other strand begins with their last days in Aleppo and tells of the quest to reach England. The first strand reaches a crescendo, and then pivots on just one word to deescalate into another place and time in the second strand. Just when you feel that you’re going to break under the second strand, the chapter ends. And the cycle begins over again - and again until there are no more words to pivot on. It took me a few chapters to learn how to read this book, but once I synchronized with the rhythm, it was impossible to let go.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a beautifully written piece of literature. The content can be really raw without being overly graphic, so a reader has to be open to experiencing that rawness. Therefore, I don’t recommend it to anyone who is already anxious or suffering personal hardship. It very well could be too much.

A quiet, beautiful book about a refugee couple’s travels from Syria to England. I wish more people would read stories like this one and maybe we can have a bit more kindness in the world.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for a complimentary copy of this book! This review reflects my personal opinion!

Let me start by saying that I went into this book with the expectation that I might not like it. I did like the synopsis, but I also know my reading preferences and this kind of book is usually something I only read for my reading challenges.
With that being said, I can honestly say that I LOVED this book! The characters were interesting, the story was heartwarming and also sad, the writing was great, and I have gained a better understanding of the refugee situation. I can absolutely recommend this book!

This is a heartbreaking book, but a worthwhile journey. I was invested in the voyage the characters took. The book was heavy, but I suppose any book faithful to the devastation to the Syrian civil war would have to be.

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC so that I could read this remarkable book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy, this book is so beautiful and incredibly moving! It’s also unlike anything i usually read and I truly enjoyed it.

I read this book a while ago, but really liked it. I found the story compelling. I learned some of the history of Spain too. I found the writing style very readable.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This book will challenge you in the paragraph to paragraph, chapter to chapter reading of it (style) as well as in content. It's hard because it causes you to face the reality of your cushy life, while also showing you the universality of human nature.

Read it to get a peak into the side of the world you know so little about while learning you're actually not far from it.

I received a free e-copy of The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri from NetGalley for my honest review.

This book is a work of art. A book to be cherished, loved and read again. An absolute must read!

This book will grab readers and tear a little piece of their heart. It’s a story about a humble beekeeper who is fascinated by the wonders of bees. He lives in war-torn Syria and watches as bombs fall on his neighborhood, people are murdered, children are recruited as soldiers and everyone’s life is in danger. After losing family and his livelihood, he decides to follow his cousin to England. The trek for refugees fleeing to a Western country is dangerous and arduous. Not only is it far, but there are many ready to take advantage of those desperately running from the terrors at home. As a result, many give up or die in their efforts to escape.

Nuri is the beekeeper and he is traveling with his wife Afra, who is now blind. Mustafa is the cousin who first left for England and who encourages Nuri to follow. Nuri has flashbacks to his earlier life with his family, his bees and his cousin who’s also his business partner. He tries to assuage the fears of his wife and the children he encounters on the trek. He is tender and loving, a good man. But the road to safety in England is filled with obstacles and roadblocks.

Lefteri wrote this book after working with refugees in England. She was moved by their stories of the human toll from the atrocities that forced them to flee. Nuri is affected by all the tragedy around him. Death and pain and the abuse of women and children permeate the landscape everywhere he travels. His journey takes him through Turkey and Greece. In addition to the long waits and uncertainties of relying on strangers to help move the couple forward, there’s the added stress of applying for the status of asylum. Nothing that faces Nuri and Afra is easy or free of danger.

The novel is about the psychological ramifications of violence. It is powerful, thoughtful and will open reader’s hearts to those seeking to escape a world of terror. The writing is beautiful at times – especially when Nuri talks about the gentle bees and his affinity for them. This is a realistic portrayal of surviving the horrible tribulations of seeking safety and dealing with a world of violence and cruelty.

This was a beautifully written book that has stayed with me for days after reading. It took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and captivated me through the whole story.

This was a well written book but terribly sad. It is a story of a relatively wealthy beekeeper and his blind wife as they flee the war in Syria. They have lost their son’s life and Nuri’s wife’s eyesight to the bombing and belatedly decide to flee. Their destination is Britain where they hope to meet Nuri’s cousin and begin a new bee colony. This is a terribly sad book that successfully conveys what a country like Syria has become after years of fighting.

Smugglers help get them out of Syria but every step is fraught with danger. Buildings have been bombed out, food is scarce or non existent, friends have been killed or have fled but leaving one’s home is an agonizing decision to be forced to make. Every step of this escape is well described and believable. The difference between this story and those of many others is that the very best smugglers can be hired and their odds of survival are higher than most poverty stricken migrants who have drowned in the Mediterranean on flimsy boats or have been victimized along their perilous journey.

I can’t say that I would recommend this book. It is brutally honest, well researched, well written but just terribly sad. I received an advance copy for an honest review and it was a very difficult book.