I won't forget the two main females depicted in Miss Benson's Beetle for a long time. The author, Rachel Joyce, constantly gave us details throughout the novel which fleshed out Miss Benson and the often clothed inappropriately Enid. Their friendship, all the ebbs and flows, carried the story. Joyce is very astute of human nature and I especially love when Margery got her passport photo (as a public librarian I commisterated with the official when he finally gave in to her "close enough" photo - sometimes when working with the public, close enough is the goal!). While the ending in New Caledonia was not to my liking and the ending was a tad too wrapped up, hence the 4 stars, I did recommend this book for purchase and also to some of my customers to be on their colder weather radar.

"But even if Enid was awake and they were sitting on the veranda, Margery realized she wouldn’t ask. The differences between them—all those things she’d once found so infuriating—she now accepted. Being Enid’s friend meant there were always going to be surprises. Her red valise. That was another one. As she’d watched Enid doing her best to wriggle beneath the bed to check on it, she’d wanted to laugh and say, “Enid, what on earth do you keep in that thing?” But respect for Enid had stopped her. However close they were, it didn’t entitle her to Enid’s memories, and neither did it allow her to be part of Enid’s life before they’d met. Being a friend meant accepting those unknowable things."

Rachel Joyce is an amazing author. Her ability to create characters that weave their way into your heart is unparalleled. These ordinary seeming people slowly come out of their shell and show you how extraordinary each ordinary person is and remind you what a magical place the world is.

"Then she thought, No. It’s not because I am dressed as a man. It’s because I am a woman who is ready for adventure. I’m not here because I am someone’s wife or sister. I am here because this is what I want, and now I have a place for my work."

This book is about adventure, being a woman, and most of all, it's about friendship. It's about the extraordinary power of friendship and how it can create magic. The characters in this story are each flawed and imperfect and "seem" to be completely unfit for the adventure they are embarking upon. Not to mention, they do not hit it off.

"It struck her again: a life was such a short thing. All those things people carried, and struggled to carry, yet one day they would disappear, and so would the suffering inside them, and all that would be left was this. The trees, the moon, the dark."

And yet, as we often do, they grow to love each other so deeply, appreciate each other for who they are at the core. When you spend that much time with someone, when you share major life moments, it's really hard not to see the depths of them and appreciate them and fall in love with them.

I loved and adored this book. Rachel Joyce knows how to write memorable stories and I will remember this one for a long time to come.

with gratitude to Random House Publishing Group and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The character in this book and the writing reminded me so much of Where'd You Go Bernadette (which I loved). I was a little on the fence of whether I would enjoy a book about a couple of ladies who travel to a remote island to search for a beetle. Not really my genre, but I really liked this book.

The dialogue and friendship that develops between Miss Benson and Enid is really heartfelt. I liked that there was obviously something going on with Enid's character and the author kept giving little clues, but it takes a while to get the entire story.

I have to say the ending is a bit sad, but it didn't ruin the book for me. Overall, this was a good book and worth the read!

This is a totally unique Thelma& Louise, off beat adventure story! It's fun, has some heartfelt moments and great female characters. If you are looking for something different and not "too heavy" but not "fluff" either, this is what I'd recommend. (In fact, I'd recommend everything this author has written).

Margery and Enid overcome many challenges and heartbreak to end up right where they should have- in New Caledonia looking for a beetle. Don’t let this seemingly simple premise fool you, there are twists and turns aplenty and through it all they have each other.

This book has been so brilliant and unexpected. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it! It’s the story of a woman in post-war Britain who decides to fulfill a life-long goal with an adventure halfway around the world. There’s a healthy dose of whimsy and fantasy to the writing — almost like if Call the Midwife were written by the creators of Pushing Daisies.

You would imagine that a mousy, middle-aged school teacher, a collection of beetles and a floozy may not have much in common or even be that interesting to read about, right? You're pretty much wrong there. Because these two ladies have more gumption and heart than you would ever imagine.

Margery Benson and Enid Pretty are thrown together because they need each other. They are so unlike each other that you can't imagine how they'll manage to survive.

Be prepared for plenty of heart-stopping action and breath holding. These two girls will steal your heart and take you on an unexpected journey.

Margery Benson had a loving relationship with her father. Her four older brothers were off to war and their father often just wanted Margery age 10 to just being with him. One day as she was playing with her brothers wooden animals marching them 2 by 2, her father called to show her a book entitled “Incredible Creatures” Animals believe to exit but people haven’t actually ever documented them. The animals were strange or mysterious like the Loch Ness Monster. Margery found the 'Golden Beetle of New Caledonia' fantasying.
This little beetle was gold it seemed Nature took a bit of jewelry and made it a beetle
Now fast forward to Margery age 40. Margery is not happy with her current situation and decides it is time to find the “Golden Beetle”

When I first saw this title I thought it was going to be a children’s story as I am fine with middle school books; in fact I totally love Sharon Draper’s novels.
Once I read what this story is about, I did like the premise. However, once I got past the first part it got a bit slow for me.
I found the Readers Guide with an interview by the author with Margery Benson and Enid Pretty fun!!! Additionally I enjoyed the article about ‘The Photograph that Inspired a novel”.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Random House for this early release ranted in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 3, 2020

I happened to watch a discussion between Rachel Joyce and Emma Donoghue on Waterstones channel because I love Emma Donoghue and have The Pull of the Stars in my TBR pile. The video made me want to read Rachel Joyce's Miss Benson's Beetle too, I was delighted to see it come up on offer as an ARC through NetGalley. It did not disappoint. This novel is quirky and funny, while at the same time it goes to some pretty dark places and covers important topics. I found it to be a very engaging and compelling read. I got a little bogged down in the middle, but that is a minor complaint. The ending did not disappoint. I would recommend this book to most everyone.

I loved Miss Benson and Enid Pretty but the spark that these two characters created was not enough to make me love this book. It took me so long to read this one, because of the slow pacing and the lack of movement in the plot. The third main character, a deranged former POW, was a non starter who could have been left out of the whole thing and not been missed.
Great premise, but missing something.

Thanks to Netgalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing this book. I have never read anything by Rachel Joyce and am delighted to be introduced to this author. The main character Margery Benson is an unlikely heroine, an overweight, friendless 47-year-old teacher with a boring. Over the story she grows and changes and it's a delight to see.

I empathized with and loved Margery and Enid, her assistant. Parts of the book are funny and other heart-rending..Through all their misadventures, and there are many, the two become devoted friends, save each other many times, and provide a lot of humour along the way. Parts of the book are laugh aloud funny, others make you reach for the tissues.

Interesting story of a young woman who wants to pursue a certain beetle, so she engages the help of another young woman who also has a single desire. Together they make their way to the jungle and up the mountain. They collect many specimen but not that certain beetle. Meanwhile, there's a young man also pursuing them...

Rachel Joyce has done it again! A beautiful and captivating novel that will leave readers happy and sad and wanting more. Enid and Margery are more than characters, they are enigmas and exactly the type of women that I want to be: headstrong, willful, and full of gumption. I expected a lot out of this after Harold and Queenie, but this was out of this world!

It took me a while to get into this book but I really liked it in the end. I liked the characters and their relationship. It really brought alive a world I knew little about.

This book was everything I had wanted it to be when I first heard about it and spied the cover. . There was adventure, mystery, friendship and above all hope. Following ones dreams and believing in yourself are the underlying themes. I finished this book a little sad but very motivated to accomplish something!

Having loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, I knew this book would probably strike a chord with me, and I was right! Margery at first isn't the most sympathetic character, but as the reader gets to know more about her, then we start to understand not only why she acts the way she does, but to see how she feels she is out of options. To take on a trip to the other side of the world, with no experience is pretty daunting, and Margery's inexperience comes into play in more ways than one. But what she learns on the trip to New Caledonia is something she has missed, and never truly had-friendship. And when that friendship is tested in New Caledonia, Margery can either rise to the occassion and save it and her goal, or hunker down and fail. The story is about perseverance, faith in one's dreams, and the ability to survive what you didn't know you could! A charming read, perfect for reading by a fire this Fall season!

Miss. Benson’s Beetle Is a bit too bumbling for me with too many coincidences and ridiculous happenings. We do get to know Margery Benson well on her quest to find a golden beetle. We are taken on this journey with her, but it is a journey I could have passed up.

A sluggishly built story with unlikable characters made for a long, difficult read. I loved Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but this book felt like it was from a completely different author. It is hard to review a book which has gotten so many glowing reviews when my feelings seem so at odds with so many. There were places where the writing shone, but the characterizations were pushed to the point of being unbelievable, even laughable, and that was far from the point of this book. I normally like quirky characters, but these crossed a line from quirky to caricature, which detracted from the points which were being made about friendship and loneliness, trust and courage. Sadly, this one just doesn’t live up to the Rachel Joyce novels that came before it, and doesn’t deserve more than a 2.5 star rating rounded up to 3 simply because I know how good Rachel Joyce can be

I had high hopes for this book, given that I thoroughly enjoyed two of her previous novels, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye and the connected story of The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. Although, I must admit that it took me a while to take the latter off the shelf and settle into, but I was glad I did.

I was intrigued at the beginning about this story set in 1950s Britain, when 40-ish Margery Benson decides on a crazy whim (which is not like her) to take off in search of a golden beetle in New Caledonia. Inspired by a book she'd seen as a child, but long forgotten, it's inspiring how Miss Benson charges forth on her quest.

However, her path forward is rife with bumbling and misunderstandings and all kinds of crazy happenings, including advertising for an 'assistant' and finding some very unsuitable applicants.

The comedic aspects of the quirky Margery Benson and her ensuing journey are amusing and the inner revelations that come about are heart-tweaking, but I agree with other reviewers that there were far too many details in the middle part of the book and it began to feel boring. When I am tempted to skim over long passages, I know something's not working.

However, I was glad I read this book and got to know Margery and her hapless sidekick, Enid Pretty (not her real name but you have to read the book to find out Enid's story.) I do recommend it for, at least, the masterful setting in New Caledonia and the eventual outcome of the journey, which is a greater understanding of one's hurts and happiness when opening up to understanding the self.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the opportunity to read this eARC in advance of publication, which is November 3, 2020.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Margery Benson abandons her dead-end job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist."

I liked the unconventional relationship between Margery and Enid. Some slow areas as the plot was building. Overall, an okay read and I would recommend the book but I'm not sure what all the hype is about.

3☆