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Title: The Bee-Loud Glade

Author: Steve Himmer

Narrator: Mark F. Smith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-11

Publisher: Iambik Audio Inc

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Himmers debut novel, The Bee-Loud Glade, is the charming story of a decorative hermit who lives and works on a billionaires estate, and whose daily experience is shaped by his employers whims. The book combines a darkly comic commentary on modern work and wealth with a postmodern pastoral landscape. It brings a playfulness more commonly found in urban fiction to an outdoor setting.

Critic Reviews:

"An allegorical novel that seems eerily contemporary. Thoreau meets Ballard, meets Huysmans and many more. (Tom McCarthy, author of Remainder and C)

"With The Bee-Loud Glade, Steve Himmer has written a hypnotic and heartfelt debut novel, interweaving naturalistic beauty and postmodern complexity within this compulsively readable parable. Whether the storys hermit-for-hire is a man approaching some form of enlightenment or merely the whim of an eccentric billionaire remains up for debate, but the novel itself is unambiguously ingenious and very clearly announces a shining new talent. (Frederick Reiken, author of Day For Night, The Lost Legends of New Jersey, and The Odd Sea)

"Featuring a faceless drone from the world of corporate America and an eccentric millionaire whose whims change by the week, Steve Himmers The Bee-Loud Glade is a wonderful novel thats hard to describe, but thats a good thing. Just go where this stunning book takes you and enjoy the story, the characters, and the language. (Michael Kindness, host of Books on the Nightstand)

Members Reviews:

Original, fresh--a perfect fireside novel

I read this a while ago, but seeing this book pop up on a few year-end "best of" lists reminded me that I had yet to post a review here. This novel is a provocative and thoroughly enjoyable, the sort of read you to which you'll dedicate want to dedicate a snowy weekend. A wonderful example of the contemporary, pastoral (small f) fantasy.

Good writing, but too short

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the writing and the premise of the book, but parts of the story sort of annoyed me because they felt disjointed, and also because it seemed like things were left out that should have been included. I get that the author wanted the readers to use their imaginations and fill in some of the blanks, but the bottom line for me is that this book could have been so much better if it had been expanded a bit more in some places. I really wanted to give it four stars when I was reading it, but by the end, I felt let down.

Stunning

Himmer's fresh and intelligent novel is brave and funny. Truly original. I read it twice through in a single weekend! A gem.

Pastorialisms

read the Bee-Loud Glade in about three or four days. I'm a very slow reader. The book is a kind of high-concept book that falls right at the edge of naturalism and somethingess, much like Robert J. Lennon's novel The Castle. Both books are avery similar in that the bizarre concept in both books is plausible enough that I suspect some people might be confused about the intent of the book. Is this supposed to be real? In this book, an unemployed named named Finch, who works as kind of social media marketing blogger that becomes possessed by the simulation of other people's lives, is hired by a rich man (Mr. Crane) in the vein of the Randolph and Mortimer Duke in the movie Trading Places. Finch's job is to be a hermit in Crane's garden, and then to follow Crane's various whims.