Rachel Joyce takes us to London in 1950 and way beyond as we join Miss Benson and her assistant on an audacious expedition to the tropics of New Caledonia.
Following Miss Benson's lifelong dream of finding a beetle so rare it is considered mythical, we learn of both women’s strife and resilience as they forge a bond in the face of adversity, learning about each other and themselves in the process. Offering insights into entomology, long distance sea voyages and British expat life, Miss Benson’s Beetle is by turns comic and tragic.
This is an uplifting read and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

I like Rachel Joyce's books, they are unique and quirky. This book is fairly slow to begin with, but it is well written, and I soon became engrossed. This is not my favourite book by Rachel, but it is amusing and heartwarming.

It's a magical, comical and touching tale.
A story of adventure and discovery, friendship and kindness, with plenty of attractive, quirky characters.
Familiar Rachel Joyce, with some surprises too.

A warm-hearted and surprising adventure story, Miss Benson’s Beetle has the classic pairing of two contrasting characters who find friendship despite their differences.

Set in the 1950s, the story follows Margery Benson, a frumpy middle-aged schoolteacher. She’s lonely and unfulfilled. One day she suddenly decides to quit, in favour of a quest to find the legendary golden beetle of New Caledonia. However, she needs an assistant and companion to help her out. Enter the voluptuous, baby-obsessed Enid Pretty. They’re not suited at all but it looks like they have an interesting journey ahead…

The dynamic between the two characters is the most enjoyable element of this book. I also liked the descriptions of their journey and of New Caledonia (don’t worry, I didn’t know where it was, either), in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Themes included the social and mental health effects of the two World Wars and the importance of women’s friendships. I found that my interest in the book lessened after the halfway point. It felt too lengthy and slow paced. I found it hard to connect to the characters and would have liked a first person narrative for at least one of them.

In summary, this is a good read and you’ll enjoy it if you like contrasting characters. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re beetle-phobic.

Thank you to Transworld for the advance copy via NetGalley. The book will be published on 23rd July.

NB. This review will be published on my blog on 19th July.

Miss Benson’s beetle by Rachel Joyce is another charming quirky unique story. I haveof thsbeen a big fan they of hers since the Unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Which is one of my all-time favourite books.
As a little girl Margery Benson did not like insects until her late father show her a book of insects and told her about the golden beetle of New Caledonia, which hasn’. Forty years later bored with her job and stealing a pair of boots. Margery decides to make her dream come true by travelling to New Caledonia and find the Golden beetle. She first sends out an advert for an assistant to join her on her quest. But when she is sees the applicants, she decides that they are not the type of companion she was looking for until she received a letter from Edith Petty who speaks French, so she gives her the job her buy when they meet in person she is completely opposite of what she was looking for. But it was too late to change her mind now, so they set on their quest.
At first this story took time to get into but, as they set out on the shores on New Caledonia this story turned into Rachel Joyce writing that I have grown to love. I loved the story of the two women two complete opposites becoming friends even after what they have both done in the past. I loved the authors style of writing and the unique characters of this story. 4 stars from m

I've teetered over the rating for this book, but I did really enjoy it. So, I've pushed it to 4 stars, rather than 3.

Positives:
It's a beautiful portrayal of a very unlikely friendship. That, really, was what I enjoyed, the relationship between Margery & Enid, the way they grow to know and understand each other, building each other up.
I also liked that initially Margery isn't particularly likeable, but by the end you find that you love her quite fiercely.
I liked the idea of the quest, and I liked the beetles, though you do have to just go with the plot without overthinking it as some of the things that happen are fantastic in the extreme.

Negatives:

For me, it felt about 100 pages too long. The start felt a little slow, and there's a lag in the middle where I almost stopped reading it, but the ending romps along at quite a pace. Maybe there was just too much story in there? I could see why it was there, afterwards, but the whole ship part is slow, and the P.O.W. character pulls you away from Margery and Enid in a way that felt disruptive to the story. I think maybe just a bit of tightening would have helped.

Maybe it was just too much story for one book? There's so much in there, that it felt like it needed to be like a TV serialisation. So with the introduction of new characters when they get to Noumea, it's like a whole new branch of story starting.

The P.O.W. character was also disruptive, I felt, as I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if I was supposed to feel sorry for him or not. Every time I did begin to, something would make me despise him again. I also stopped believing in him a little, because he goes on being so very ill for so very long that I couldn't quite believe he remained able to stand upright & act as he did.

The wonderful thing about Rachel Joyce's books is that they are so different from anything else. Quirky, fun, beautifully worded and ultimately uplifting. Her lead characters are always the most unlikely of heroes but that makes them all the more appealing and intriguing and you can't help but be rooting for them the whole way through their many escapades. This unusual story about two women on an adventure to find a rare beetle is all of those things. The two leading characters are extremely likable albeit that they are polar opposites of one another. Marjorie Benson is a middle aged spinster whose lack of social skills and frumpy appearance make her somewhat of a loner whilst Enid, her travelling companion, is young, frivolous, daring and unpredictable. However, both women have deep secrets from their pasts that are revealed as as the story progresses. The challenges they face in their search for the elusive golden beetle in New Caledonia takes them up mountains, through forests and into some dangerous territory and situations but their shared and often precarious experiences change them both dramatically. As they work together and come to rely on each other in various ways a wonderful friendship develops between them and they discover some very deep but wonderful truths about themselves and what they are capable of. Some of the scenes are incredibly moving and beautifully depicted. I thought it ended well although there were some very sad moments leading up to the conclusion but overall I really enjoyed this book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a Rachel Joyce fan I was really looking forward to this book. It's not your standard plot or location which makes it really appealing. I did struggle with the first part of the book though & kept putting it down but it grew on me and I was eventually hooked. there were a couple of twists I didn't expect and particularly liked the ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this novel. It might be the strangest story I’ve ever read! But, I really did enjoy it. Set post WW2, two women come together to find a rare beetle, they travel across the world, endure various adventures, initially deemed as very different individuals with nothing at all in common, they become friends. The story has a bit of everything in it, love, deceit, adventure, murder, illness, birth, you name it! This is the second book I’ve read by Rachel Joyce, I do enjoy her style of writing.

Another gem of a story from Rachel Joyce, great characterisation and wittily told, though the story and situations were just a little bit to far fetched for me, but I am sure that lovers of her other novels will enjoy this one.

A joyous tale of finding out who you really are, what you could be and what really matters. I have out loud many times at the story of Margery Benson who sets out to find the Golden Beetle with the most unlikely assistance of Enid Pretty. Just about anything that could go wrong, does, and just about anything that may have been certain, isn't. Margery and Enid are both damaged in different ways and both need to get away for totally different reasons but the effect is explosive, almost literally. I loved it, my only criticism is that I didn't really get to grips with the strange man who had been in the Japanese prison camp which seemed like a rather random third string to the story. But that is minor, it is a book of surprises and quiet wisdom.

I read this book in the middle of Covid lockdown and it was exactly the escape I needed. I was a fan of Joyce's The Music Shop, and this new work reminded me why. Her writing is rich and clear and lovely. This book left me sad (a good sad) as it reminded what a hard job being a woman can be - historically and currently. It's the second work of fiction I've read recently that addresses the issue of the post-war single women and the strange sort of no man's land they found themselves in. I really liked that the central gem of this book is female friendship and think the importance of that should never be underestimated. Lastly, the world of insects and collecting is a fascinating one that I was glad to know more about. It made me want to get out of my house, when we're finally allowed to leave, and explore the world!

This novel is one of the hardest I have ever reviewed.

I really wanted to like it. A middle aged Thelma and Louise. Two women who should not be friends travelling to the ends of the earth in search of a beetle. One woman is sassy, funny and not what she seems; the other older woman is a middle-aged spinster with a rather sheltered view on life.

The issue for me was what type of novel was it? For a comedy its not terribly funny, though it tries very hard to be humorous.

Maybe this is what the issue is - the novel just tried to hard with the plot. There were bits of it I didn't understand what they added to the plot, and it all went on a bit to long in bits that it didn't need to, and was rushed at the end when it shouldn't have been.

All said I didn't not like the book. I just didn't love it as much as I thought I should. I think I see it more visually and I would watch this if it came out as a mini series.

I'm a fan of Rachel Joyce as her books are never the same. This one is both historical novel and entertaining farce. Miss Benson is a determined character, worthy of your attention. Read it.

Sad, lumpy Margery Benson suddenly and dramatically leaves her dull, empty life and sets off across the world on the most extraordinary adventure, to find a golden beetle only rumoured to exist. The plot may sound unpromising but I’m bereft, as I’ve just finished the most wonderful book I have read in a very long time. This book has it all - wonderfully engaging characters, a bizarre but gripping storyline, real laugh-out-loud humour, emotion in abundance and all written with breathtaking skill and imagination - I am in awe of Rachel Joyce’s ability to produce such wonderful writing. I have enjoyed all Joyce’s other books but this one is truly exceptional and has to be one of the best books of 2020 - it deserves to win the big prizes!

I absolutely loved this book and have been raving about it to anyone who will listen. I wasn't entirely sure about the concept, but the characters of Margery and Enid were brilliantly portrayed and made me really care about them and their quest to find a rare gold beetle on a Pacific island. The way that post-war London was described was believable, and the language used was evocative of the era. My book club really rated Harold Fry and I think they will love this one too. Definitely a book for the book club market. And on the telly it would be amazing.
Thank you to Rachel Joyce, her publishers and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #MissBenson'sBeetle. I have no hesitation in giving it five stars and highly recommend it.

Rachel Joyce 's books always bring out all your emotions. Miss Benson's Beetle is no exception. Almost right away I found myself laughing but then underneath there is this heartbreaking sadness. A lovely story with memorable characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

I have such mixed feelings about this read. I love Rachel Joyce's writing style and voice, but the story itself was just not very gripping. The story centres around the title character trying to find a beetle which has been a huge part of her life since childhood and during the search for an assistant finds people who shape her future.
The main issue I had was that the last section seemed quite rushed, although I saw it coming a long while before. Pacing of reveals and plot-points felt a little off and I didn't wholly understand motives and wishes from all the main leads. The main two female characters were quite likeable though and I enjoyed the build-up of their relationship through the adventure they share.

Rachel Joyce does it again! An unmissable read. A story of friendship, self discovery - and beetles. I fell completely in love and wanted this tale to go on forever. A simply beautiful journey that you will smile reading, and wander through the lives of two women who are so very different, but so much in need of one another. The motto of this book is, if you don't like where your life is at, change it!

Loved this!
A Thelma and Louise of the beetle world. Two very different women, each disappointed with their lives, go on a trip to the other side of the world to look for a beetle - which may or may not exist. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between the two women and how they each brought out new characteristics and strengths in each other.
There is a hint of peril with a lurking presence, past misdemeanors and a meddlesome diplomatic wife. A fabulous read!