Staggering in size, scope and accomplishment. It is worth every minute spent on it.

This reminded me of Jonathan Franzen's excellent 'Crossroads'. It shares that theme of a family at a crisis point and a story told over the course of decades with each section from the perspective of one of the members of the family. It is a rich and varied story with several themes meaning that the different sections reveal new information that the other characters aren't aware of. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It is long at over 600 pages but moves along at a pace and never drags. I'd be interested to know why the author chose to tell Imelda's story in the middle of the book with no punctuation at all. It took a bit of getting used to but didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.

The most technically brilliant book I have ever read. If you are a writer you must read this. A masterclass of character, empathy building and resonance. I sat in silence for an hour after I read the last page just thinking about the immense web this book wove. Deeply affecting, I have not met a person who hasn’t absolutely loved it. It is also a book that makes you work for the pay off; those first two hundred pages are so different and yet so necessary. Keep with it; this book is extraordinary.

Stayed up late to finish reading this one. I don't have the words to describe what an amazing book it is. The end has truly floored me. I need to talk about it. Someone please read it so we can talk about it! It is a phenomenally well-written slice of life account of an Irish family on the brink of personal and collective destruction. The sense of doom that hangs over the whole thing is spilt up with some wonderful humour and so much heart. There is so much to process here but all I can say is that if you're a fan of really, really good literature, please read this book. 5 stars. I'll wager it's the best book I'll read this year.

Oh my goodness, what a journey this book is — an incredible, all-encompassing, engrossing journey, full of mistakes, regrets, bad choices, and a family spiralling out of control. The character’s lives surely shouldn’t be quite so believable. Utterly entertaining, a family saga that is not quite like any other. Bold, determined, and so very absorbing. The Bee Sting deserves to be talked about for years and years. Forever.