Day of the Bees

by Thomas Sanchez

Book Overview

In this story of an astonishing love, Thomas Sanchez portrays the violence, hope, and grandeur of lives transformed by war and exile. At the heart of the novel are Zermano, a world-famous Spanish... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375401628
• ISBN13: 9780375401626
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 305 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

One of the Best Novels of the Century

Day of the Bees is an incredibly beautiful novel where every word is delicious and every twist and turn breathtaking and heartbreaking. I haven't ever come across such a magical and interesting heroine like Louise. She haunts me still days after having read the book. And the ending: WOW!!! You will be blown away by the ending and will have a unique journey all the way there. I am a lucky reader for having read Day of the Bees and I can't imagine anyone who has ever really been in love or has been vulnerable to desire not liking this incredible treat of a novel. There is nothing not to like about it, plain and simple. I highly recommend Day of the Bees.

Glorious tale of passionate love

A sweeping tale of passionate love set during the turbulent events of WW2 and spanning 50 years.Zermano world renowned Spanish painter and his beautiful French lover Louise Collard were separated during the Nazi occupation of France. The world thought Zermano had tired of Louise, she who had once fired his inspiration for his paintings and his lust. In the end it was Louise who left the legacy and Louise who led the way. After her death intimate letters written by her to Zermano, but never posted were accidentally found. They recount the period during the war when she and Zermano were separated, when unspeakable horrors and cruelties abounded in war torn Europe. Passionate, beautifully written letters describe the love between Zermano and Louise and recount Louise's life during their enforced separation.This is not a soppy love story, but a powerfully, deeply moving and well written historical tale of two tragic lovers, touched with passion, politics and art. A wonderful book I didn't want it to end and which I highly recommend.

Simply a magnificant escape

I've become disenchanted with American's views on literature after reading the other reviews. This book is a comedy -- a masterful comedy, with tons of wit. If you can read with a light heart and an open mind, you will experience one of the richest novels you have ever cracked open. The author is brilliant and rare among contemporary writers in writing something that is not a screenplay, but an enjoyable read. This book is an experience in itself. Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy an American writer who will be remembered as one of our best.

Rich, Poetic Darkness

As this novel opens, Louise Collard, reputedly the famous model and lover of the great Spanish painter Francisco Zermano, has died in a small Provencal town. Lured by the promise of an auction of Louise's own private collection of Zermanos, and even more by curiosity about the reclusive Louise herself, the art world descends en masse on Provence.Day of the Bess is narrated by an American art history professor who has devoted much of his professional life to the study of Zermano. Arriving in France, the narrator hopes to find a clue that will help him unravel the mystery of Louise and Zermano since it appears as though this once-beautiful woman was cruelly abandoned by the man who had loved her so passionately in the countryside of occupied France during World War II.The Professor (as he is always identified) arrives at Louise's remote country home long after the auction is concluded (yes, he does possess the stereotypical absent-mind) only to be told that nothing remains but a few worthless knitting baskets. The professor, apparently believing that something is better than nothing, gladly accepts them.The baskets, however, contain something more interesting than any painting could ever be and something that is, perhaps, even more valuable. Concealed in a secret opening are bundles of letters written by Zermano to Louise, as well as letters from Louise to Zermano that had never been sent. The beautiful and enigmatic Louise apparently had not been quite as abandoned by her lover as the public seems to have thought and, as the professor reads the lovers' pained and passionate words he begins to piece together the mystery of their relationship.Day of the Bees is a story told through the letters of these doomed lovers, set against the backdrop of war-torn France. This is, above all, an emotional story and a mystery of the heart. The war, too, becomes a major character as it impacts the lives and future of both Louise and Zermano.Although some have compared Day of the Bees to The Bridges of Madison County, I think it deserves far more than that. The Bridges of Madison County was sentimental drivel, and poorly-written sentimental drivel at that, while Day of the Bees is beautifully and poetically written. It reminds me more of The English Patient than anything else, although it is highly original and of course, unique. The character of Zermano seems to be modeled after Pablo Picasso, although, of course, Zermano is not based on Picasso. This story is fiction, not fact.It gives nothing of the plot away to say that Zermano left Louise for reasons he considered valid even though she begged him not to go. Still madly in love with his mistress, however, Zermano never gives up writing to Louise. Her apparent silence pains him immensely.Louise, as we learn, has lost none of her passion for Zermano. It is through her beautiful and poetic letters that we learn of the genesis of their doomed, but undying, love and the violence and danger that forced

In Praise of Passion

I am a university English professor so I have spent a great part of my life reading works of literature. Day of the Bees is one of the most astonishingly complex and beautiful works I've read. The declaration of this book is: all praise to sovereign passion--no novel since Wuthering Heights has done it better. Thomas Sanchez has dared to change his style and cross literary genres. He creates a mythic tale of an artist and his muse, involved in a devouring eroticism. This book transcends all expectations and demolishes the notion that romance can't thrive in the modern literary novel. I read that it took the author ten years to write this book and I give him all of my praise for a difficult job well done. This book is both literary and entertaining and I recommend it highly.