Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda is a lyrical story revolving around music, a piano competition and friendship. This book is so mesmerising and managed to make me hooked from beginning to end.

I was never a fan of musical instruments nor classical music but this book was so worth the read. It was just so awe inspiring to read this story. The best thing and my absolute aspect of this book is the writing style. It was so vivid and metaphorical. I am such a big fan of it.

This book is just piano vibes and that’s it. It was about falling back in love with piano and makes one never second guess why they are a pianist. Honestly, I did not expect at all the end result of the competition but it makes a lot of sense.

All in all, this is such a great read and I highly recommend you to pick this up.

This one took a minute but not because of book. It’s a gorgeous and at times haunting piece on the power of music. Eugh. To read this one again.

I loved classical music and the piano before i picked up this novel, but now, well now i adore them!
Shared love and passions really do bring people together!

This Japanese translated novel of music felt eerie at times, and haunted by its own descriptions of music. It was certainly bloated in its middle section and I am not sure I am convinced on the extended passages that attempt to evoke the beauty of each piece of classical music being performed. However, I was often drawn back into the story of these characters, thier individual back stories and the way they interact with one another.

This, is a *very* generous 3-stars - given because the start and end were enough but absolutely no higher because at least 200 pages of this could have been shredded and then set fire to.

This would make a fantastic j-dorama. I can imagine the little bite-sized 30 minute episodes, the added tension and drama and music. It would also make a fantastic novella. The middle of this book and the repetition and the play-by-play of every. single. piano. performance. in a 4 round contest, with many, many contestants was just dull.

I would be really interested to know if it reads this dry in Japanese as I have a love/hate relationship with this particular translator (sorry dude), and am wondering if it is more interesting in it's original form.

Perhaps if you love classical music, this will seem like a masterpiece but it was just too slow and detailed for me. I liked Jin very much but the characters didn't seem distinct.

It wasn't a bad book. But imho, it wasn't a good book either.

A love of classical music absolutely shines through in this novel, it made me want to listen to more of it myself! We follow 4 hopefuls at an international music competition in Japan; first there is Jin Kazama, a mysterious young boy who has come from nowhere yet carries a letter of recommendation from a Maestro the music world loved; next is Aya Eiden, a prodigy whose musical journey was interrupted by the death of her mother and who has only been convinced to enter the competition by her new professor; Masaru Carlos Levi Anatole, an American student who only discovered piano thanks to a childhood friendship with Aya, who he had since lost contact with; and finally, Akashi Takeshima, no longer a student but working in a music shop with a family, he must find every hour to practice to reach the level of the rest. All 4 students are on a journey not just into music but into their own philosophy of life, what they are working for and towards and what music means to them and to the world. Considering that this is a book based on sound, the writing does an amazing job of bringing the music to life descriptively, so that we can follow it like a story and understand its beauty. The characters forge surprising friendships which alter their understanding of the music as well as their playing, fundamentally, and as such this book is as much about human inspiration and friendship as it is about music.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Doubleday for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

'The boy himself was music.
He himself, every move he made, was music.
Music was running.
In this astonishing world, music itself raced through the morning stillness and, in a flash, was gone.'

An international piano competition in Yoshigae brings together an eclectic bunch of characters, competitors and judges and mentors. Over the course of the novel the competition is played out and we explore the main characters, their lives and motivations, and above all their passion for music. Yes, it's a long slow focus on one piano competition, and there are several long passages describing the act of playing or how it feels to play. But read this is as a metaphor for the creative process, indeed for the process of living: how we can and should lose ourselves in the moment, in the sublime now. It's about how we are all different, yet somehow connected to this astonishing world.

For me this is a work of wonder, showing how literature can transcend the human experience and make it joyous.. Revel in the performance, it's a gripping and profoundly moving experience, and Riku Onda's prose is wonderfully translated by the ever-reliable Philip Gabriel. One of my books of the year, for sure. 5 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

The thing I immediately noted is that it read so easily - the way it was written was beautiful, and the language and storytelling flowed perfectly. The characters are individually compelling, not without flaws necessarily (arguably, it would not be human nor believable otherwise), and incredibly interesting in relation to each other.

Personally, I like reading about the mundane, about the lives of people, and this book provided that - and more. This book was such a beautiful comfort. I will admit that at times, the switching between characters can be confusing and somewhat hard to keep track of, but overall I enjoyed it a lot :)

Thank you for the ARC!

(Longer review on Goodreads to come)

I usually love translated Japanese lit, but I couldn't click with this one for some reason. There's so much detail around classical music, different ways of playing, and the way the music makes people feel, which is beautifully written a lot of the time, but I found it so hard to stay interested. I think if you're a classical music fan, it's probably a stunning read, but sadly I'm just not part of that circle.

The writing was compelling at times, and I liked how people and places were described, but it felt like things were all over the place - I kept getting confused between the French and Japanese locations at the start, and I couldn't bring myself to like most of the characters to start with.

Part of me feels like maybe I'll still revisit this at a later date. I was tempted by the strange, almost supernatural elements, and I do want to know the answers to some of the questions you're led to ask immediately. However, as things were dragging after about 20%, I checked out a couple of other reviews to see if people had felt the same, and noticed someone mention that the whole book focuses on the single competition! Like, that's a lot of time spent in one event, and I don't know if I can invest that amount of time in the story.

I would still be interested in reading other work by this author or even revisiting this book when perhaps it doesn't feel so time-heavy, but at the moment, I'm going to have to say this one isn't for me.

charming and compelling, but it lacks verisimilitude and heft. i don't know, i felt like something was missing throughout the narrative. it is a decent novel though, and i'd recommend it to some people i know who will enjoy this more than i did. the writing style is quite straightforward but i understand it is stylistic. the characters are charming, really, and the story was kinda fun! so overall, a good novel.

1.5. Honeybees and Distant Thunder is a million-copy bestseller in Japan and is finally being translated into English now by Philip Gabriel (esteemed Murakami translator), and is published early next month in May. I've had the advance copy for a while, I'll admit, and never felt hugely drawn to read it despite my initial interest. I imagined that the book would be a music competition in the opening, and then tracking those involved for the next few years, maybe their whole lives. In actuality, all 432 pages of this novel are about the same competition. The parts are split into 'Round One', 'Round Two', etc., and then other chapters such as 'Interlude'. In the beginning there are quite a few characters and I found it a little disorientating: Onda throws us into the heads of contestants and judges alike. I just can't understand how Onda managed to spread out one competition for 400 pages. The book, by the three hundred mark, just felt flogged to death and repetitive. There's a lot of boring descriptions of how the music made different characters feel, like they were flying, or that they were brought to tears. The contestants think about their nerves and what they are going to play. It's just boring. I can't fathom why this is a million copy bestseller in Japan, why it's taken-off over there. Maybe it'll take off here next month, I suppose it's yet to be seen. I just found boring, overlong, uninspired. Talk about show don't tell, this is tell-tell-tell. Thanks to Random House UK for ARC anyway, glad I tried it being so popular in Japan.

Beautifully written, compelling and thought provoking, I was drawn by the cover and blurb, not one I would normally read but I’m glad I did, im recommending this to my book club as I’d love to chat about this to others, thanks to net galley for the advanced copy.

Riku Onda's novel centered on a world famous piano competition that takes place in Japan annually is narrated by the music as much as it is narrated by the musical geniuses themselves. What starts off as a sometimes hard-to-follow story in the first round of 48 competitors gradually cements its focus on only a handful of competitors and the different paths that had led them to one of the biggest stages in the world of classical music. Onda takes her reader through the ways in which each composition can fill and empty the cup of both the listener and the one who makes you listen until you too are trying to hear that which makes the magic in the world around us.

Because they - the musicians, and the judges and the masters and the teachers in this novel and in this corner of artistic expression - hear it. They heard it before they knew how to listen to it, and if they didn't, they are hearing it now, hearing each cadenza before their fingers even touch the keys, hearing the way their rivals are in tune with the same wind and the same soft, soft space between two chairs in the audience, and once they hear it, you as a reader cannot help but hear it too. It is the way these moments of clarity are created by Onda and translater Philip Gabriel that makes Honeybees and Distant Thunder such a worthy addition to the subgenre of literary art tributes, even when it sometimes falls short in narrative structure.

Honeybees and Distant Thunder is an award-winning Japanese novel that has achieved bestseller status in the country, and recently been adapted to film. Set during a piano competition in a small Japanese industrial town, the novel follows four of the contestants as they experience the trials and tribulations of participating in the event, in the process revealing their unique relationships to the music they perform. The novel's main strengths are undoubtedly the exquisite exercises in ekphrasis that describe how each piece of music is visualized and experienced by the performers as well as the listeners. Each sonata, concerto, or étude is carefully chosen and beautifully described, and these passages are a pleasure to read. The novel is structured around the competition, divided along the qualifiers, quarter, semi, and final performance rounds and I found it to be a well-paced read. Some of the framing elements and character descriptions felt a little trite, but I still came away from the book with an appreciation for the fine attention to detail, and a renewed desire to listen more carefully to these familiar pieces of music.

This is the first book I’ve read which is based around an international piano competition. For anyone who loves classical music, or even who plays piano, this will definitely appeal. ⁣
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Riku Onda is a best selling Japanese author and I read this novel as part of the #23booksbyasianwomen challenge. The novel centres around 4 competitors taking part in a prestigious international piano competition in Japan. It clearly portrays how unexpectedly harsh the world of classical music and piano competitions actually are. A bad performance can ruin a performers career whereas a good placing can propel a player to international stardom. It’s a cut throat business! ⁣
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Akashi is an older competitor at 28 and this may be his last shot at fame. Masaru Carlos Levi Anatole, known as the Prince of Juilliard, is one of the star attractions. Aya Eiden is returning to the stage after an absence of some years. Then there’s the unknown Jin Kazama, the 16 yrs old prodigy who blows the competition wide open with his unconventional performances. ⁣
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I enjoyed this novel. The author is either a classical music aficionado or else has completed impeccable research in this area. Her lyrical descriptions of the performances brought the music to life. She also accurately portrays the amount of work and effort professional musicians must invest to succeed, thousands of hours of practice in order to perfect and excel. A very different type of novel and very enjoyable. 3.5⭐️⁣
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With thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouseuk for this arc in return for my honest review.

It’s a well written book that connects you emotionally to each individual character, more than the competition itself it’s about the relationships between them and how
someone can be better because of them

this book likely reminds me of sport movies that i watched previously. from zero to hero style and the best part was the competition part and that's where your fav main characters ✨shine✨ on the stage.

fans of classical music will truly devour this book. it was easy to understand & the plot is straight as a ruler because it's all about competitions, the hardship of every pianist contestant needed to go through & rivals to friends trope. moreover, i love how playing piano or any musical instruments also were recognized as privileges because of need to have a piano and competitors might be needing to travel internationally. i respect that acknowledgement 🫡 because there are so many costs to bear. i also noticed that author did tackled on the discrimination towards dual-nationality descendants (one parent is native, another belongs to different nationality) in Japan. the racism has caused the differentiation & thus the child will be feeling lack of sense of belonging.

plus, the typical notions of music & arts won't bring you far is definitely talked in this book but i can only seen a little part only.prolly i think readers will be inspired more on technicality & informations about playing piano as it is so strong in here. i was introduced with tons of classical music that MCs played on their piano and i heard almost all of them while reading this book. i definitely able to appreciate music & the story better. thus, the music they played required them to have sharp mind & nimble fingers 🫡. besides, they even able to describe every classical music into a vivid description of nature which i was dazed. me as non player, i really can't relate but that's what professionals do i think.

characters are kinda adorable. they are able to overcome their insecurities & one's prejudice. they just wanna be done with the competition & live life as a musician. even their positive sportsmanship is admiring ones. in the end, it concluded a nice one because it is not predictable but everyone is happy.

This is my first book by this author and as I loved the summary I knew I had to read the words on the page.

I have to be honest, it took me a fair while to get into it, the writing is, as I expected, beautiful. It’s lyrical, almost musical - appropriate given the central theme of the story. However, the characters felt secondary to the story itself, and as someone who loves to get to know the people in a book this made it a harder read and a book that I struggled more with than I would like to admit.

Though I have finished it, it did take me more than a month - not my usual experience, but I think it will be a book that I find more appealing on second reading. So I will revisit it again - I have found many books that weren’t quite it for me on the first go around are more enjoyable when I know what to expect.

As I have said, beautifully written, almost like reading a piece of music you can hear as you see the notes. But the fact that the focus was more on events than characters drew me out of the story a little.

This book is a 3.5 but as that's not an option I'll round up.

Honeybees and Distant Thunder follows three students experience at a prestigious piano competition in Japan. Aya, a piano genius who had disappeared from the scene, Makun, a Juilliard prince and Jin, a piano player without a piano, who carries the sound of his fathers bees with him. Over the course of two weeks, they experience many trials and tribulations. They face love, courage and rivalry. Breaking rules and finding themselves through their relationships to each other.

This was an enjoyable novel, however, I feel as though I would have enjoyed it more if I was more interested in classical music. The novel mainly focused on the music rather than the characters friendships (which I was really enjoying!) and the novel was often more tell than show. The ending was also quite abrupt.

Really entertaining, a collection of good characters. Interesting story and well written. Not my usual type of book though