What a delightful book! This might be a specific niche of mine, but I love stories of older women with passion projects. So Miss Benson's post WW2 story is one of seizing the moment to live out her dream of searching the mountains of a small, remote, Pacific Island for a possibly fictional golden beetle.

The adventure story has a string of pathos running under the surface as we are introduced to a couple of people who interview for the assistant role. One man she meets is taken by the opportunity but is clearly in the throes of PTSD from his time as a prisoner of war and is in no shape, emotionally or physically, to take on a trip from London to New Caledonia, let alone hike mountain ranges. The woman she wants has other plans and she, in an act of desperation, calls on the last person who answered her ad, and is probably the last person who should be on the expedition.

I loved the whimsey and the charm of the book, which ran the fine balance of smart humor and deep human pain. The characters were wonderfully drawn and the pace was punchy. I felt as if I had a great adventure of the best kind after finishing this book. Highly recommended.

It took me a little while to get into the book, but then I couldn't put it down. The unlikely friendship between the two women who share nothing at the beginning and something most precious at the end of the novel. 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.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you to the Author, the publisher and to Netgalley. This is the second book that I have read by Rachel Joyce...I thoroughly enjoyed "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry"...I felt like this book fell short. I felt like she tried to copy " The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", the awkward unlikeable character leaving their messed up life to go on an adventure to find something.
The characters seemed a little flat, and the story wasn't convincing.
I gave this 3*** but probably closer to 2 1/2 stars for me

Author Rachel Joyce writes unusual and big-hearted novels (including The Music Shop and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) that stay with you long after reading them; Miss Benson's Beetle is no exception. This story of the very unlikely friendship of two women who are each determined to follow their dreams is original and touching, sometimes suspenseful, other times comedic. The eccentric, middle-aged Margery Benson embarks on a long and dangerous journey to search for a mythical beetle, while young and flamboyant Enid Pretty serves as her--at first--unwelcome guide. The discussion section at the end of the book offers questions as well as a funny and unconventional interview between the author and the two main characters. For readers looking for something a little different--with eye-catching and beautifully designed cover art.

Miss Benson's Beetle was a truly whimsical and ridiculous book that both had me grinning and rolling my eyes. The vibe of this misadventure was very cartoonish. I felt as though I was reading a Pixar movie in the crazy antics that Miss Benson and Enid Pretty got up to. At the same time though (also in the vein of Pixar movies I guess), the story was extremely sad and uplifting. Miss Benson was at her wits end with her teaching job, culminating her long career with an offensive drawing and the stealing of a colleague's boots. She decides to drain her savings and go on a quest to New Caledonia in an attempt to discover the legendary Golden Beetle, a dream since she was a child. With her less than ideal assistant, a flamboyantly dressed and coifed Enid Pretty who has a dark secret, the two galavant across the world to the coast of Australia often butting heads but eventually forming a beautiful friendship.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the journey Joyce's new work brings you on. It was light and airy with a umbrella of sadness and hopelessness that all pins up nicely and cathartically. I was having a hard time focusing on reading this month with the 2020 election, an impending move, and general life/pandemic worries. Joyce's whimsical writing was a perfect tonic to end my day and calm my racing thoughts. My biggest peeve about the book was the ridiculousness. If this was presented in the form of a Disney movie, the crazy decision making and stupidity would have been synonymous with a children's theme. For a novel intended for adults though, it toed the line between absolute incredulity and fun very finely. I often found myself side eyeing the decision making of these adults, Miss Benson and Enid Pretty. Also, the inclusion of the Mr. Mundic, the "villain" of the novel, felt a little pointless to me. I almost thought the wildness of the New Caledonian land, the scrutiny of the public, and the bad decision making were enough of hinderance for the odd duo. With the addition of a mysterious, mentally ill man following their every move and culminating in a wild fight for their lives, I felt it added another entirely cartoonish layer that I didn't need to enjoy this book. It was as if Joyce was trying to amp up the stakes but really just gave us a sad character that had a terrible fate.

I truly enjoyed the banter between Miss Benson and Enid Pretty. I felt their blossoming relationship to be one of the sweetest things in the book. Their personal journeys were heartwarming and were what made me want to keep reading. Still unsure about the ending (especially since I was not super keen on Mundic anyways) but overall, it was a enjoyable read and it did make me excited to pick up Joyce's other works which have been on my TBR for far too long.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review!

Miss Benson's Beetle is a quirky, touching story - part murder mystery, part epic journey, part comedy. Mostly it's a wonderful story about the risks involved in living a full life. I was very satisfied when I reached the end.

"She had traveled to the other side of the world, but the distance she’d covered inside herself was immeasurable."

I was provided an arc from #NetGalley

I read The Music House and loved it so I had really high expectations for Rachel Joyce’s newest book. On reflection I realized that while it was not my intention I came upon this book the same way I did The Music House. It wasn’t what I expected, the characters were not who I thought they should be. This onion had a lot of skins that needed to be peeled. I really thought I was going to read a quirky little book about who knew what. Wrong, wrong and wrong.

The emotions are tender, the abilities of the women, Margery and Enid, are raw and uncharted. This is a very interesting, sometimes slightly unbelievable story of a woman who realizes that there is always darkness and with that darkness comes suffering but there other things equally real, some smaller, some help to balance it all out. These women discover they need not be the things that happened to them. They can look inward and out and become what they like.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a copy

Margery Benson is 47-year-old teacher, never married, and she has never stepped outside her comfort zone. Then, one day, she does. After enduring a job she not only dislikes but feels ill-qualified for, she walks out of that life and into a new adventure. Remembering the stories her father told her about a golden beetle that only lived in New Caledonia, she decides to find it for herself. The only problem is that it might not even exist. But, nevertheless, Margery advertises for an assistant and the adventure of a lifetime begins.

I had no idea what to expect when I started this book but I quickly discovered that it was like opening a little jewel box. The surprises inside were unexpected, heartwarming, and very gratifying. Margery and her assistant, Enid, couldn’t be more different. And yet, they form a friendship as well as a bond that is strong and unbreakable. The path to this relationship isn’t always smooth, but the two women learn to trust each other as well as appreciate their differences. This is a story about friendship, learning to like yourself, letting go of the past, appreciating the present, and always, always following your dreams.

This book was a delight to read. The characters are so well conceived and the story is just quirky enough to be entertaining and enjoyable without devolving into something campy and ridiculous. The moments of insight are so natural and fit into the story perfectly. The book is descriptive and this adds so much color and depth to the plot. I even found the information about the various types of beetles interesting and never boring.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Miss Benson’s Beetle. I tip my hat to the author, Rachel Joyce, and happily give this book 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Another most lovely story by Rachel Joyce....a slow burn. I felt quite emotional as I neared the end. Well done. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This book I cry a lot with the story of Margery Benson.

This is a story that will show you the strength of friendship no matter the time, the age, or the circumstances when you find someone who really is kind and is there when life is not giving you what you hope. Enid was that person, a character that brought so much joy into this story and it was very similar to Margery's ways

Margery Benson was on a mission to find the golden beetle that supposedly was found so far away in New Caledonia, I really didn't know new Caledonia was real until I found it on the map so far away near to Australia. the story of Margery Benson started when she was tired of her regular job and life circumstances push her to abandon this job and embark on a quest to find this enigmatic creature but before the adventure starts, Margery will need to find someone to help her with this trip.

That's when we meet Enid Pretty and a few other characters who wanted to embark on this adventure, not knowing what the job was all about Enid accepted without hesitating but during this trip, Margery and Enid will live so many crazy situations that at the end will help them to build a real friendship that will last forever.

This was a good read, I enjoy the funny moments Enid kept bringing to us and also the sad one, thee are a few moments that I really felt for Margery, she was a kind lady but very miss understood and somehow I felt like Enid and the other characters brought that warm feeling of love and friendship when Margery needed the most.

I really didn't know what to expect of this book and story but I really like the message and the warm feeling these wonderful ladies brought during the craziest moments of the story, Enid and Margery two older women trying to make their dreams come true, in the best way they can, searching for a deeper meaning in life and their friendship bringing them closer together making the gray view clearer for both of them.

Many great characters and situations made Miss Benson's Bettle a wonderful read, it was slow but very worth it.

By the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, is the story of two unlikely who go in search of a rare insect. Fun and adventurous. Well worth reading.

Miss Benson’s Beetle started with a shock of ten-year-old Margery Benson seeing her father get notice that all four of his sons were killed in WW I. Reverend Benson steps outside and shoots himself. Margery and her mother move in with two aunts and Margery finds her mother dead in a chair. After reading the beginning, I immediately thought this book would be about Margery overcoming obstacles and building new relationships. I read Joyce’s The Music Shop and loved the characters and how obstacles were overcome and a community held together, For me, Miss Benson’s Beetle did not hold true. The author jumps ahead to 1950 with Margery, a forty-something spinster teacher, walking out of school after stealing someone’s boots. My thoughts were she is going to make some good relationships and find meaning to live.

Margery decides to in search of a golden beetle in the middle of the Pacific in New Caledonia. She interviews people to be her assistant. She rejects Murdoch who was a soldier who was very weird. We find out later that he has PTSD from being a prisoner of war and shows up in New Caledonia. I really think his character should have been left out and the story just be about her relationship with quirky Enid Pretty who fakes speaking French and is hired at the last minute when the person she hired does not go.

There were times that I really liked their relationship and other times there were chapters where I rolled my eyes thinking that this could not happen. So for me the book was a mixture of satisfaction and times of frustration. My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions in this review are my own.

Two vastly different women embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find a golden beetle. An intriguing story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Rachel Joyce. Joyce is the queen of quirky, intriguing characters all tied up with beautiful, atmospheric writing - 4 stars for a lovely book about friendship and living your dreams.

Margery is a single woman, raised by elderly aunts after her parents' deaths. Never fitting in, she put away her dream of finding a golden beetle described in one of her father's books, to be a teacher. She reached her last straw when the students made fun of her in a drawing and she left her employment in quite the fashion. She then decided to live her dream of going to New Caledonia to find the beetle. But she needed an assistant and ended up with Enid Pretty, Margery's polar opposite in every way. Enid was escaping something as well and was anxious to leave Britain. The rest of the story is an adventure in every way as the two encounter roadblock after roadblock in their quest but end up finding something even more important - friendship.

These two characters will grow on you and stay with you, leaving good lessons on not judging other people by first impressions. And that most important lesson - everyone you meet has a story. We should all be more mindful of that in our interactions with people. But Margery and Enid - and even all the peripheral characters - are colorful people that you will be rooting for. Add in Joyce's mastery at writing these unique characters and new world and you have a great escape read!

...equal parts entertainment and tragedy…

Thank you #NetGalley @RandomHouse for a complimentary e ARC of #MissBensonsBeetle at my request. All opinions are my own.

Rashly, Margery Benson decides to make a major change in her life. She walks out on her teaching job and decides to set out on an expedition to find a rare golden beetle that she remembers from her favorite childhood book. Miss Benson doesn’t have much money and she needs to find a traveling companion/assistant. As a result of the interview process, she finally hires Enid Pretty, a fun loving and vivacious person who wears a lot of pink, attention-getting clothing and impractical sandals. Even though Margery and Enid are complete opposites (foils), they compliment each other in unique ways. Their trip from England to New Caledonia is filled with adventure, obstacles, heartbreak, and peril. Will they find the golden beetle?

Zany! Some reviews are more difficult to write than others! Miss Benson’s Beetle is quite a zany story filled with unique and quirky characters….I’m almost left at a loss for words.

First, I need to mention that Rachel Joyce is one of my favorite authors. In this story she weaves entertainment with tragedy. Her creative writing is exquisitely detailed and her characterizations are brilliant! (Harold from The Music Shop, Harold Fry and Queenie, for example!). She’s also a great story teller! If you read Miss Benson’s Beetle simply to appreciate fine writing, you will not be disappointed.

Although the male character in the story adds suspense and tension, I feel like he was almost unnecessary and that focusing on friendship and the quest would have been enough. It added a darkness to the story which I wasn’t expecting.

Be prepared for hilarious and crazy adventures with unsuspected plot twists and a generous serving of peril and suspense (almost slapstick). Parts of the story require a suspension of disbelief and the twists and turns are zany. It’s not all fun as there are some tragic parts, too. I enjoy the perfect balance of character-driven and plot-driven, and Miss Benson’s Beetle is likely the most creative, unique, and unforgettable story I’ve read this year (despite not loving the ending).

If you’ve ever been tempted to “throw in the towel” and remake your life, this might be the story for you! Margery starts out sad and unhappy and is troubled over a traumatic childhood event where she loses her father. As an adult, she’s socially awkward and lacks self confidence. What she lacks in these areas, she makes up for in determination, spunk, and bravery. As she takes charge of her life and faces many challenges throughout the story, she becomes a different version of herself, finds true friendship, and experiences “found family.”

Equally parts entertaining and tragic, thoughtful themes abound in this story and include childhood trauma, friendship, trust, loyalty, second chances, risk and adventure, resilience, grief, and found family.

***Trigger Warnings may contain spoilers.***
Content Consideration: the early part of the story does involve a suicide by gunshot; there is also a stalker and one violent scene at the end of the story; PTSD.

If you love quirky and unique stories with beautiful writing and zany adventures, you might want to put this on your TBR (it does have some sad and tragic parts, too). If you are a fan of Rachel Joyce, Miss Benson’s Beetle is not to be missed! This story also lends itself to a great book club discussion!

Author Rachel Joyce has written more than one book in which an exceedingly modest individual sets out on a personal vision quest without fully realizing the scope of their endeavor. She excels at bringing readers inside the lives of quiet, diligent people suddenly driven to break out of their schedules and see what awaits them somewhere else. In MISS BENSON’S BEETLE, our heroine’s quixotic agenda is by turns ambitious and ridiculous, but we nonetheless hope she makes it somewhere beyond the boundaries of her well-ordered life. While earlier tales relied more upon the kindness of strangers, this book has moments of farce and foolishness. Underneath it all, a boundless enthusiasm for life sparks continuously. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

What a wonderful book. Some reviewers seem to feel it had too much going on, and its certainly true that it was packed tight. It’s a historical novel, obviously but with mystery, adventure, comedy, tragedy and more. And every aspect was well done. All I can say is that I loved every page of it!

Thanks so much to NetGalley from providing me an ARC copy to review.

Margery Benson, well into middle age, abruptly decides to pursue her long-forgotten dream of finding the golden beetle of New Caledonia, but she doesn’t want to do it alone, so she hires an assistant. Enid Pretty is her last choice, so mismatched are they, but Margery is stuck with her and her mysterious red valise.

This is both a light-hearted story about friendship and following our dreams, and very dark and melancholy. As I listed above, there are a lot of trigger warnings, which is something that I was not expecting from this book at all (but which became clear after only the first chapter). As a result, this is a much deeper and more complex story than I initially thought, which was a nice surprise.

This book really feels like an adventure. From beginning to end, Margery and Enid cover a remarkable amount of ground both physically and emotionally, starting in England, traveling on a cruise liner for five weeks, making a quick stop in Australia, and then traveling by flying boat to New Caledonia. Despite being only 352 pages long, it feels much longer, like when you travel by plane across the world and can’t believe that you were in another country less than 24 hours before.

I went into the book a little apprehensively, since my last brush with historical fiction went so poorly, but I was really happy with how the book turned out. Both Margery and Enid go through personal character arcs, alongside their friendship’s arc. It feels like Joyce spent all of her character development on them, though, and our primary secondary character, Mr. Mundic, although interesting, feels flat and 2-dimensional in comparison. I would characterize this as mostly character-driven, but with enough plot to interest plot-driven readers like myself. It always feels like we are moving towards a goal, even if we take our time along the way to learn more about the characters.

If you are looking for a story about friendship between women, with no romance, and particularly if you are looking for more literature about middle-aged women, this would be a great read to pick up. I really enjoyed this rollercoaster of emotions and falling in love with these two remarkable women.

Note: Review will be posted at link provided at 7am EST on November 3, 2020 (release day). A shortened version will also be posted to Instagram (linked) and Goodreads, as well as consumer sites.

A journey of two women who form an unlikely bond and where the writing had me both chuckling and tearing up (sometimes even with the same sentence).

After a crisis at work, spinster Margery Benson up and decides to drop everything and travel to New Caledonia to find the golden beetle she and her deceased father once dreamed of finding. On such short notice, she can only acquire the help of the eccentric and quite unconventional Enid. Although they couldn’t be any different, the journey will force the two to lean on each other and soon they find the other may just be the person they need most.

When I was approved to read this through Netgalley, I wanted to read Joyce’s previous novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and I found quite a few paralleled themes between both novels-a journey; characters haunted by their past; overcoming outer struggles which lead to overcoming inner struggles. However, I will whole-heartedly say that Miss Benson was my favorite of the two. Joyce has such a clever way of writing where on the surface, the prose is witty and charming but the overarching story and true message of the plot is heart-wrenching and will gut you if you’re not careful. The characters in this novel were so real to me and I felt like I truly knew them (everyone should have an Enid in their life). The ending is holding me back from giving it 5 stars but it was still a poetic conclusion.

Anyone looking for a beautiful friendship story; those going through inner struggles who find catharsis is reading about others doing the same; anyone who daydreams about dropping everything and fulfilling their silly childhood dreams.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Dial Press for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Historical | Adult
<cover image>
Margery Benson was ten years old in 1914 when three very important things happened, all on the same day:
1. Her father shows her a fascinating book of incredible creatures, including the famed but elusive golden beetle of New Caledonia. When she looks at its little image through a magnifying glass, her heart leaps. She is in love.
2. A telegram arrives, bearing the news that all four of her brothers had been killed in the war. “All? What? All?” she hears her father say at the door, while still enraptured by the beetle in the book.
3. Her father shoots himself.
Thirty-six years later, Miss Benson finds herself in a job she hates, teaching domestic science to unwilling and ungrateful girls. After the (second) war, though, she has few resources and even her shoes are in tatters. Infuriated once again by her students’ impertinence, she storms out of the school with a pair of stolen boots.
Before long, she’s on a ship to the south seas, with a most inappropriate female “assistant” – yellow-haired Enid Pretty has ignored all the packing instructions, can’t stop talking, knows nothing of science or insects, and it’s clear (to the reader, if not to Miss Benson) she lied about her fluency in French. “Bon-shoor!” she yells. Uh huh. But when Margery falls ill at sea, Enid knows exactly what to do, and Margery comes to realize Enid is exactly the person she needs. Once in New Caledonia, the unlikely duo set off, via a stolen Jeep, to find the beetle. Of course, Margery doesn’t know what secrets Enid is hiding, and neither woman realizes someone is following them. This is my fourth book by Rachel Joyce, and while this one took a little while to get into, she succeeds again in creating a beautifully written story filled with humour, pathos, tension, and joy. Enid and Margery are delightful, and their growing friendship is a pleasure to witness. Joyce includes an afterword outlining the research she did for the book, and it is a testament to her writing that I could absolutely visualize the setting like it was a movie. More importantly, though, despite my misgivings at the start, I grew to love both Margery and Enid, and cheered them on their journey, as impossible as it seems in the face of typhoons, police, nosy neighbours, mosquitoes and eels – oh the adventures! My thanks to Random House/Dial Press for the advance reading copy provided in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52674676