Blurb:

In the midst of war, he found love

In the midst of darkness, he found courage

In the midst of tragedy, he found hope

What will you find from his story?

Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape.

As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all – and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face – they must journey to find each other again.

Moving, powerful, compassionate and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. Told with deceptive simplicity, it is the kind of book that reminds us of the power of storytelling.

Review:

Christy Lefteri has a wonderful way with words and I really appreciated the striking images she managed to bring to my mind whilst keeping her language relatively simple and easy to understand. She connects the past and present in each chapter using a single word, which I found to be a really effective way of moving between time frames and showing how flashbacks affected Nuri and his family.

The Beekeeper Of Aleppo is the story of Nuri and his family, and these characters are brilliantly developed. I immediately felt sympathy for them and hoped that their journey would end as positively as possible. There are also a number of supporting characters who Nuri meets on his travels and these were also incredibly well drawn. Some were obviously easier to like than others but they all enhanced the novel and helped to make it the rich story that it is.

I must admit to being relatively ignorant when it comes to the plight of refugees, so although it is fictional, I was genuinely horrified by some of the things Nuri and his family went through. This aspect of the novel is researched incredibly well and I am pleased that I was able to learn more. This novel touched me so much emotionally and it will stay with me for a long time to come.

The Beekeeper Of Aleppo is available from Amazon.