Book Review - The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees

Meredith May's memoir of growing up in Big Sur is the story of heart-break and resilience. She and her younger brother are relocated to California from the east coast at a very young age. The home they lived in, to her five-year-old mind, was happy and full of love until suddenly it wasn't and she no longer can spend time with her beloved father.

Meredith's mother falls into a deep depression and cannot care for herself, let alone her children, so relies on her mother and step-father to provide for their needs. Granny is distant; more worried about her own daughter than the loving care of two small children, but she provides their material needs. Grampa has a fascinating hobby - he is a beekeeper. As Meredith grows up she learns about bees and hives, and how they thrive in a supportive family environment where everyone works together.

This story is captivating and is based on Meredith May's own story of growing up with an unstable, non-nurturing mother, a distant grandmother, and a loving, caring bee-keeping grandfather. The in-depth knowledge of bees and their colonies worked so well alongside the story of a tough childhood soothed by bees, honey and the California coastal region of Big Sur.

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