Miss Benson's Beetle

Fascinated by and obsessed with beetles as a child and wholly intent on growing up to become a researcher, Margery is thrown off course after a series of losses and abandons her ambitions. After decades as a school teacher a wake-up call arrives, and Margery drops everything to prepare for an expedition to the island of New Caledonia in search for the elusive — and quite possibly mythical — golden beetle. Margery and her unlikely companion Enid, who has no experience with science or nature but was one of the disappointingly few respondents to Margery's newspaper advertisement (and who definitely has some baggage of her own), take off for the South Pacific.

I award this book higher marks for pleasantly surprisingly deviating from what show more I was expecting when I picked it up, especially based on its cheery cover. It is humorous, engaging and well-written, and a treat for readers who relish travel/adventure stories. While I was not expecting or particularly keen on the introduction of a stalker fairly early into the storyline, I was impressed by the author's ability to simultaneously elicit both revulsion and sympathy toward this character. If only the quest for the golden beetle had been inspired by a true story! show less

I really enjoyed this light but thoughtful story about a British woman in her mid-40s who decides to leave her unsatisfying post-WWII life and search out the rumored golden beetle that lives on a remote South Pacific island called New Caledonia. She advertises for a partner to go with her and ends up with a woman who is the polar opposite of her, Enid Pretty. The women don't really get on at first, but they grow to appreciate each others strengths and become the best of friends. They are also both keeping significant secrets that will be slowly revealed.

This book is about finding yourself later in life, friendship, hardship, and adventure. I thought it might be a bit "twee", as the Brits say, but instead I found it just right.

I have been a Rachel Joyce fan since “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry,” and now with “Miss Benson's Beetle” (2020) she has equalled, if not surpassed, that novel.

The plot doesn't sound like much. A plump, introverted middle-aged woman travels to New Caledonia in 1950 to search for a golden beetle, accompanied by a much younger woman different from her in every way imaginable. It's a buddy novel — an Odd Couple novel — featuring women, yet Joyce turns it into something much more than that.

Margery Benson was a little girl when her father told her about a gold beetle found only in New Caledonia, except that no one has officially found it yet. Then he committed suicide, but she has never given up the dream of going half show more way around the world to try to find her mythical beetle. When she loses her teaching job because of her response to being humiliated in her classroom, she realizes that if she is ever going to pursue her dream, now is the time.

When she advertises for someone to accompany her on her expedition, the applicants leave much to be desired. One is a former prisoner of war who isn't always clear whether he's still in a Japanese prison or not. The winning candidate turns out to be Enid Pretty, a peroxide blonde who is a magnet to men and who never stops talking. Enid has none of the qualifications necessary for this overseas adventure, including a passport, but at least she isn't a crazed former POW.

Enid's own goal in life is to have a baby, but her reason for wanting to go beetle hunting is to stay a few steps ahead of the law. Meanwhile the former POW follows their trail to New Caledonia.

Much that follows may be predictable, but it all happens in such an original, often hilarious and sometimes poignant manner that it hardly matters. This is a novel that brings joy to the heart, a smile to the face and a tear to the eye. We love Margery and Enid as much as they eventually come to love each other. You won't easily find more wonderful characters than these. show less

Miss Benson's Beetle is an adventure story featuring an unlikely friendship between two women who embark on an expedition to find a golden beetle in New Caledonia in 1950. Protagonist Margery Benson is a straightlaced British woman in her forties who abandons her dreary life as a teacher to pursue her childhood dream of discovering a golden beetle species. She advertises for a companion and ends up with Enid Pretty, a twenty-six-year-old vivacious woman, who is Margery's polar-opposite. Their relationship begins with wariness but evolves into friendship as they journey across the world.

The characters are wonderfully developed — Margery with her practical brown clothing and serious demeanor, and Enid with her flamboyant style and show more surprising resourcefulness. Both women are escaping their own demons, and as the story unfolds, we learn about their pasts and what drives them.

The first seventy-five percent contains comedy, humor, and charm, but it takes an odd turn toward the end. I enjoyed the celebration of female friendship and their courage in traveling to an unfamiliar distant location, but the inclusion of the war veteran with PTSD rather spoiled the broth. I honestly did not see what he added. It almost seemed like two books mashed together into one. I think it would have worked better if there had been a deliberate decision to go one way (a fun adventure) or the other (a dark mystery) rather than a strange combination of both. show less

, I always mention Rachel Joyce. Her newest book, Miss Benson's Beetle has just released.
Why is Joyce a favorite author? Her characters and the journeys they undertake. Her characters are the ones that aren't noticed, the walking wounded, those that are 'different'. But they also have something within, some drive, determination and more to find - what they need, what they want, what they can give. And the journeys? While they often involve physical travails, for the most part it is a journey of the spirit. And for this reader, Joyce's writing makes me cry, makes me hopeful, makes me think and makes me want to be a better person.

Miss Benson had a dream when she was young, but life didn't turn out the way she expected. Forty years on, she show more is determined to finally follow that dream. A pair of stolen boots seals the deal. The dream? To find a golden beetle that no one has ever captured. She is going to cross the world to reach the jungles of New Caledonia. She'll need an assistant of course - and so Enid Pretty is hired. She's not quite what Margery is looking for, but needs must.

And so the journey begins. A physical journey to be sure, but also an emotional one...."She was traveling of the other side of the world. It wasn't just the ship that had been unmoored. It was her entire sense of herself."

Rachel Joyce excels at characterization. Margery and Enid are so wonderfully drawn. I could easily capture their physical appearance in my imagination. But it's what's inside that makes this such an amazing read. Enid is a bit of a mystery with clues dropped along the way. Still, the reader will be able to piece together her story from inferences and actions. I liked her more and more with every chapter. Miss Benson's sense of self, her memories, her losses are juxtaposed with her want to be more, do more, experience more. "She got the feeling she was always looking at life through a glass wall, but one that had bobbles in it and cracks, so that she could never fully see what was on the other side and even when she did, it was too late." There's a third player, one I will leave you to discover. Their story is heartbreaking, and very real.

Joyce has such a way with words. Many sentences had me stopping to enjoy them more than once. "Besides, she had been raised in a house of women whose skill at not saying a difficult thing verged on professional."

I laughed and yes, cried. (Oh, Rachel Joyce - that ending....) I gripped my book too tightly at times, and kept reading long after my eyes said stop. But I laughed out loud many, many times as well.

And the beetle? Is it found? Ahh, you'll have to pick up the book for the answer to that - and many other things. Absolutely a brilliant read - one of the best of 2020 for this reader. show less

Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce is a quirky and joyful novel about an unlikely friendship between two women on a journey to find a beetle that may—or may not—exist. Set in the 1950s, the story follows Margery Benson and Enid Pretty as they leave behind ordinary lives to chase something extraordinary.

The novel is heartwarming and uplifting, with a strong message that giving up is not an option and that following your dreams, no matter how unrealistic they may seem, is truly important. Joyce’s characters are deeply human, flawed, and lovable, making their adventure both funny and emotional.

My tears were perfectly balanced with smiles throughout the story, making this a memorable and moving read. Overall, Miss Benson’s show more Beetle is a charming celebration of courage, friendship, and believing in yourself. show less

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce is a very highly recommended novel featuring two very different women going on the adventure of a lifetime.

As a ten-year-old in 1914, Margery Benson was shown a book of fantastical creatures by her father and she was immediately taken with the golden beetle of New Caledonia, an island in the South Pacific. Thirty-six years later, in 1950, Margery is a teacher of domestic science and has reached a breaking point. Forfeiting her job, she grabs a new pair of boots belonging to a colleague and runs out of the building. Margery has decided she must go on the expedition that she has dreamed about for years. She is going to travel from Britain to New Caledonia to find the golden beetle. She sells almost show more everything she owns and places an ad in the newspaper for an assistant who speaks French to accompany her, but ends up with the one woman she wasn't even going to interview: Enid Pretty. The two women, who are complete opposites, board the RMS Orion headed to Australia and then on to New Caledonia. Unknown to them, however, they are being followed by a delusional man who thinks he must head Miss Benson's expedition.

The golden beetle may not even exist, but the two women take on an extraordinary adventure, face one crisis and trial after another, and, ultimately, become friends. This is a wonderful, captivating, quirky novel, with all the warm fuzzies, that has incidents of sadness, danger, uncertainty, endurance, and comedy, but fundamentally it showcases the important life-changing power of friendship. The characters absolutely shine in this novel and are fully realized with an acumen and depth that makes them feel real. Ultimately, they are portrayed as complex women, with both strengths and weaknesses, as they experience trials and growth in their characters. It is the characters that make this novel, although the expedition is interesting and you will keep reading for both the plot and the characters.

The writing is admirable and splendidly captures both the characters and the narrative. I enjoyed the physical journey the characters undertake as much as the personal growth they exhibit. The plot does have a few incidents that stretch believability but, as with most adventure novels, you can easily set them aside and just enjoy the action in the narrative. This is simply a beautifully written, uplifting story. Even with the dark moments and the trials the two go through, Miss Benson's Beetle is an accomplished novel to read for escapism, especially during a trying time. It must be said that the final scene in the novel was absolutely perfect.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House.
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