DNF at 30%. At first, I found the plot and characters intriguing and unique, and for a historical fiction book, it's always refreshing. I also enjoy following older (40+) characters. The writing is evocative.

Then the plot meandered too much and the protagonist's actions became annoying. Margery's treatment of Enid was cruel and I stopped enjoying my time in her perspective.

The book is not horrible but I didn't want to devote more time to it if I wasn't truly enjoying it. I would probably still recommend this to people who have a higher tolerance for super quirky characters because the premise is quite different from other historical fictions. This would probably make a good book club pick.

Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.

This book has me laughing out loud, cheering them on and crying. It gave me all the feels. The author had me actually carrying about catching beetles but I especially loved how she detailed the intricacies and ups and downs of female friendships. Bravo.

I really liked it. I always enjoy historical fiction especially those where women succeed. This book held my interest and I would recommend it.

It may have gotten a lot better by the end but it took far too long to get there. Reminded me of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Olive Kitteridge, and Britt-Marie Was Here. Not an enjoyable MC at all.

Readers will have a number of questions regarding Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce. Does Miss Benson find the elusive golden beetle? Does she receive recognition from the British Natural History Museum for her find? What happened to Enid Pretty, aka Nancy Collett, before she joins Margery Benson and on the expedition? Who is Mr. Mundic and why is he part of the story?

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Joyce, I looked forward to Miss Benson’s Beetle. I was not disappointed.

Poor Margery Benson, now in her forties, is teaching a group of totally disinterested students. One of the students passes a note which catches Margery’s attention along with the laughter associated with those seeing the note. Upon opening the note, Margery sees not words, but an image: “It was a carefully executed cartoon sketch of a lumpy old woman, and this lumpy old woman was clearly Margery.”

After looking at the note, Margery picked up her handbag and walked out the door. In the teacher’s lounge, she found a pair of men’s boots. For some reason she could not explain then or later, Margery picks up the boots and takes them with her. Thus, Margery begins her great adventure.

Margery’s father had introduced Margery to a book called Incredible Creatures shortly before he took his own life. One of the pictures he pointed out was the golden beetle of New Caledonia. He says, “Imagine how it would be to find this one and bring it home.”

Having recently finished the previously published “Miss Benson’s Beetle” by Rachel Joyce, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group!

This story was one of an unexpected friendship. I couldn’t help but think of Felix and Oscar from The Odd Couple. Margery and Enid definitely fit this definition too. Odd situations in a tropical location filled the pages, and even though the story seemed somewhat unbelievable at times, the friendship that eventually developed came through full of compassion, concern and caring. The addition by the author at the end of the book about the photo that led to the idea for this story was a wonderful discovery, and felt a bit like a treasure... minus the thorax, antennae and wings.

This book is compulsively readable. Two very different women set out on an adventure, each with different aims but the same end goal: to fulfill their life purposes. The journey will test how far they are willing to go to achieve their dreams, and how much they are ready to reveal of themselves to the world. Their ultimate quest is to locate a mysterious golden beetle that, if found, may prove that there is still magic in the power of friendship and opportunities in the unknown.

Hang on to your hats, this one will leave you in suspence to the very end.

Miss Benson’s Beetle begins in the whimsical manner you might expect from any new piece of “feel-good-fiction.” Summer drapes itself across the British countryside. Margery Benson, a starry-eyed twelve-year-old, pores over a journal of cryptids with the father she adores. Hearts warmed, we drink in sunrays and turn the page.

Moments later, however, adored father Mr. Benson shoots himself through the head. It’s a jarring twist and one that sets the tone for the rest of Rachel Joyce’s curious novel.

This offbeat period piece unfolds beneath the smoggy haze of a London “reeling from WWII.” Starry-eyed Margery Benson is now a spinster with a life as grey and unremarkable as the smokestacks of her surroundings. In the aftermath of a nervous breakdown, she vacates her job as a domestic science teacher to pursue her childhood dreams of capturing the elusive Golden Beetle of New Caledonia. With her bubbly assistant Enid Pretty (who is, I’m sure, a dead ringer for Kristin Chenoweth), Benson abandons her native London to embark on a three-month journey of self-discovery, companionship, and eclectic wonder along the shores of the South Pacific.

At the heart of this adventure novel lies an ode to a genre often excluded from the world of literary greats: the female friendship story. Benson and Pretty cling to one another with a tenderness that highlights everything solidarity could be if we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable with each other. Author Ann Napolitano writes, “This novel made me realize how hungry I am for stories about women loving each other into being their best selves.” There’s something both remarkable and quietly mundane in the way these overlooked women dare to define themselves as extraordinary in a world desperate to deny them such a title.

This friendship story is further complicated through Joyce’s ambitious perspective jumping. Benson battles for narrative control with antagonist Mr. Mundic, whose eerie moments of interiority occasionally overtake her own. Both characters are equipped with salient voices, and Joyce switches between their worldviews with ease. Benson’s sharp wit and quiet determination serve as the novel’s grounding force, stabilizing readers as she engages in a tumultuous battle against her own self-loathing. Mr. Mundic, on the other hand, radiates a tortured version of Benson’s aloofness, offering readers a glimpse at the dangerous person Benson may very well become if she allows herself to give in to her own bitterness.

Joyce is sleek in her emotional maneuvering, balancing gloomy introspection with a wealth of uplifting moments. But despite the story’s upbeat nature, she’s careful to never veer too far into sentimental territory. As shown through Harry Benson’s suicide, there’s an undercurrent of darkness running beneath the novel’s warmer tones. No character is left untouched by the atrocities of decades prior. Joyce grapples with themes of isolation, disillusionment, and cultural confusion in the post-war era, adding a sinister tinge to a story that seeks to establish itself as something more than just “touching.”

Perhaps Miss Benson’s Beetle is predictable in the way that any “Up Lit” story is predictable. Quests are embarked on, new selves discovered, horizons broadened in spectacular bursts of technicolor. But Joyce’s clever storytelling breathes new life into a genre plagued by accusations of shallowness. While Margery quietly rebels against 50s patriarchy, Joyce wages a battle of her own. “Feel-good fiction,” she argues, can be radical. Margery’s fate is uncertain. But Joyce has clearly won.

Slow start in my opinion. It seemed to pick up steam about a quarter of the way in. It's fun to read about these two women and the mischief they get into and their friendship as it develops as they search for the special Gold Beetle.

I didn't read this book. It was awful. I didn't read this book. It was awful. I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful.I didn't read this book. It was awful. I didn't read this book. It was awful. I didn't read this book. It was awful. I didn't read this book. It was awful.

This book is very different from Ms. Joyce's earlier books. I enjoyed the unusual historical setting and the quest for the golden beetle. Enjoyable read.

A slow start but then I was able to fall into the rhythm of the story. Marge reminds me of an endearing Olive Kitteridge or Eleanor Oliphant, and I loved her journey from timid outcast to brave explorer. Enid is a hoot—a little too out there for me at first, but I warmed up to her, too.

I think the book should have been edited down by at least a third, though I did enjoy the journey of it all. I absolutely loathed certain parts of the ending, but I’ll get past it. Overall, this was a pleasantly gentle and entertaining read.

If you feel like the beginning is slow, keep going!

Admittedly, I almost didn't finish this book. I picked it up a couple of times, and the beginning just didn't hook me. The characters seemed a little too contrived, and it was a bit slow-to-get going. Or perhaps it was just me. Whatever the reason, after reading some other reviews I decided to keep going, and I'm SO GLAD I did!

There's adventure, quirky characters, and the story really picks up in the second half. I found myself really rooting for them by the end!

So here's some encouragement to stick with it--you'll be glad you did!

I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m such a big fan of Rachel Joyce and this book did not disappoint. Her novels always leave me pondering a specific circumstance of life but with a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

This novel focused on 2 women, Margery and Enid, both who had to go through and overcome a series of trials and tribulations to come to terms with who they are and who they want to be. Most importantly though, they do it together. In a time where men are still largely credited with being the explorers and getting all the glory, these 2 women entered the scene and literally turned things upside down. At least in the beetle world.

They take off on a crazy adventure across the world to try to discover a beetle that no one even remotely thinks exists. They learn to be strong, resilient, be courageous and they learn how to be friends with one another.

I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to read what Rachel Joyce writes next.

A delightful read. I wouldn't classify it as a feel good read but it is definitely entertaining. I enjoyed the quirkiness of Margery and Enid.

In this sometimes riotous, sometimes sorrowful novel, Marjorie Benson and Enid Pretty (an alias) parlay their Laurel and Hardy/Thelma and Louise relationship into a working partnership as they pursue an elusive insect through a raw and dangerous island landscape. They've escaped another island, bleak 1950s Britain, where rationing was, if anything, harsher than it had been during the war. Unknown to the pair, they are being pursued by a man driven mad as a prisoner of the Japanese. The novel works as a mythic quest (and what could be more mythic than a golden beetle?) as well as a buddy story and a feminist tale.

The book is hugely attractive, with a glorious cover; I just couldn’t wait to get started!
That is what made the disappointment all the greater - the book was a huge let down. After a very gripping opening scene, the book developed into a series of nonsensical scrapes and bizarre happenings which at times seemed absolutely ridiculous (Don’t hold your breath when wondering what’s in the red valise!)

This was a sweet book. I read it in a day. It was just what I needed after a lot of thrillers.

It's a story about finding yourself and never giving up. I truly enjoyed it and even bought an extra copy for my Little Free Library because I think it is a book for everyone.

Thank you NetGalley, Doublday and Rachel Joyce for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would classify this book to be in the same interest genre with "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" and "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" with some of the quirkiness of "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine". The beginning of the book finds the main character Margery Benson in a very unhappy place in her life deciding it's now or never. Prompted with losing her job, she decides to fulfill her life-long dream to travel to the other side of the world to find the undiscovered golden beetle. Highly prepared for the scientific portion but completely unprepared for the practical, she takes off with travel companion and assistant Enid Pretty. These two couldn't be more different. While Margery is rule-following and focused, Enid is boisterous and colorful. The combination is explosive to say the least providing for laughs and shock.

What we learn is how our opposite can create the balance needed. Their yin yang relationship fluxes throughout to give a funny and sometimes shocking storyline. Joyce's adventure sets up for a beautiful friendship based on mutual trust and respect. At one point, I was ready to throw in the towel along with Margery, but I'm glad I stuck with these two for their journey. What I could do without was Mr. Mundic. He doesn't positively add anything to the plot, characters or theme. I don't know if I've ever wished a character off page, but this would be it.

I would recommend both the book and the audiobook as both are well done. Give it a go if you are looking to add adventure to your reading along with quirky characters you may not have met anywhere else. 3.5/5

First, a belated thank you to Net Galley for giving me a review copy that I lost on my Kindle–sorry.
My Interest

I enjoyed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and loved The Music Shop, both by Rachel Joyce, so anything she publishes is of interest to me. (Note, I did not like, and did not finish, Joyce’s The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy). I thought the idea of going to search for a “bug” was the perfect antidote to what ails a woman of a certain age (my age–but the book features a younger woman–younger by about a decade).

The Story

Fed up with teaching bratty girls the home economics they don’t want to learn, Margery Benson snaps. Fed up, too, with her life in bankrupt, still rationed, post-war-1950-Britain, Margery lets her rage overcome her and steals a pair of brand new lacrosse boots belonging to a co-worker. She has been passed over in every way in life. It is time to do something. It is time to flee to French New Caledonia and look for that elusive Golden Beetle her father’s book told her existed. To go off on such an expedition, Margery needs an assistant. So she places an ad for such person and gets two odd replies–one from a man, one from a woman.

The man is unsuitable. The poor soul has been broken in a Prisoner of War camp in Burma. But the woman–Mrs. Enid Pretty, while not what Margery had hoped for, will have to “do.” So the adventure begins.
My Thoughts

It is hard to review this book without spoilers. I fell in love with both Margery and Enid–especially the fact that Enid calls her boss “Marge” much to Margery’s initial annoyance. Their life stories are so different, yet the same–unwanted, passed over, not recognized for the brains, ability, and spirit both have. Enid’s utterly practical approach to problems made me adore her. I loved how Margery “grew” from the experience, too.

But…yes, but…. NO, not nit-picky things. The story was not, ultimately, a “feel good” one. It was and it wasn’t. It was the wasn’t that ruined it for me. I don’t want spoilers and, my opinion need not be everyone’s, but … but, I hated the ending. Hated it. There, I’ve said it. I love Rachel Joyce’s stories, but this ending was just not for me.
My Verdict
3.0