Ezra has lived in his home all his life, now Toby wants to buy the cottage to rent to tourists and will probably lie and cheat to get it.

Set in beautful Cornwall, this novel is amazing. it is a story beautifully told and i absolutely loved it.

Secrets taken to the grave and mysteries uncovered make this read intriguing and I loved how the late mistress helps Ezra do what he has to do to save his home

A lovely read .. and one to help you lose yourself for a while.

I loved this . Hard to review but a book you could not put down. Some great twists and a lovely ending. A London family buy a Cornish estate and you follow their journey .They think they own more than do, ace characters and the way the bees are involved in the story is great . I can’t praise this book enough . Read it

A house with a secret, a mysterious past and a love story is always hard to put down. This book is exactly that. Set in Cornwall this is a beautiful read. It is well written with great descriptions and attention to detail. I was drawn in from page one, Brilliant!

Thank you to NetGalley and Appolooo for my copy of The Secrets of the Bees by Jane Johnson
Set in West Cornwall the Trengrose Estate has stood still with nothing changing in 100 years until Eliza Rosevear dies and the estate is sold.
Then everything changes especially for Ezra Curnow who has lived in the estate cottage all his life.
Can he stay with the new owners taking charge or do they have bigger plans.
A lovely read that you won’t want to put down.

I should first say that I lived in Cornwall until a couple of years ago (so while this book was being written), and while not a native I was there for many years, so I understand the characters in this book. Initially I thought that Toby and Minty were a bit of a caricature, while the Cornish were much more convincing. But as time went on the comers in gathered dimensions and character. I suppose as the writer is Cornish it’s a perspective that comes from experience. I enjoyed the development of the story and the characters, especially Ezra, who reminded me of a neighbour of similar age who used to leap out of hedges at me and regale me with lengthy tales of his life. It made me miss Cornwall and everything about it, it will always have a special place in my heart and this book rings true of all I know, and love, and was frustrated about regarding the issues locals had to deal with outsiders coming in and wreaking havoc. But also reminded me of why I needed to leave. There’s more to it than Cornwall though. There are layers and nuance. Though I found the ending rather too neat. But I would recommend it. It’s nothing like the numerous saccharin tales of Cornwall I can’t abide, and offers a deep understanding of the magic of the place and its people.

Having really enjoyed Jane Johnson’s ‘The Sea Gate’ I was looking forward to reading ‘Secrets of the Bees’ and am pleased to say I was not disappointed.
The clash of cultures when a wealthy London family move to Cornwall and find they have an aged and eccentric ‘tenant’ leads to conflict and enlightenment with different members of the family. Echoes from the past in the form of memories recalled and discovered diaries give an extra dimension to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed Secrets of the Bees and would definitely recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the chance to read and review Secrets of the Bees

One of the best stories I have read in a while. Set in Cornwall a place which I a;ways find fascinating to read about with a rich history. The story of Ezra was both heart warming, sad and touching at times. I loved the description of the area of the Trengrose estate and Ezra's little cottage his home since birth. Great characters and a wonderful story which really captured my imagination. A compelling read.

This is a well written and engaging story which I enjoyed. The characters were beautifully drawn out - particularly Ezra - you could really share his pain and anguish as well as his empathy and understanding of the natural world and his bees. . I loved the setting and the development of the story. Would recommend - many thanks.

A gorgeous, compassionate and surprising novel about tangled family secrets, the dark and light in people, and most of all about the deep time of landscape and nature which has the ability to heal and redeem us, if only we can let it. Secrets of the Bees is a remarkable read, both lyrical and wryly funny, cosy and genuinely moving. It evokes the scents and textures, the thorny hedgerows, fields and cottages of Cornwall so stunningly that when I finished I blinked myself awake as if I'd been in a dream. Above all what I loved was this work's nuanced, warm treatment of humans in all their strength and weakness. I raced through it in a single sitting, chuckling and occasionally wiping away tears. One of my favourite passages:

"He thought about the apple blossom and the wildflowers and how the winter light sparkled on the little stream when there were no leaves on the trees. The bats that came and went, sometimes nesting in his loft, the fox, the badgers, the rabbits and hedgehogs; and finally, the bees. In a hive they would remake, better than before, in the orchard that would at last belong to him in word as well as deed. And despite the powerful upheaval that had occurred in his world these past couple of hours, like a seismic shift of tectonic plates, he felt peace settle over him."

Without a doubt my favourite book of the year so far. A book that I will treasure and re-read.

I loved this book and what a twist!
Set in Cornwall it follows Erza an elderly man living in his cottage on the edge of an estate quietly until the city folk rock up and turn his peaceful existence into turmoil.
If you like Lucinda Riley , Judith Lennox you will love this

This book is beautifully written, it took me a little bit to get into it, but by the end I was hooked. It was a story that has many stories intertwined, focusing on the past of Ezra, as well as the present. Set in Cornwall, in a large country home, the story focuses on Ezra and a family from London, who want to change the house and get Ezra out. With some unexpected turns in the book I recommend reading this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was quite a good read and I found the characters to be interesting. There were lots of stories told and lots of secrets. The ending was interesting too. Would recommend.

Secrets of the Bees by Jane Johnson

Set in West Cornwall mainly on the Trengrose Estate nothing much has changed in 100 years until owner Eliza Rosevear dies and the estate is sold.
Ezra Curnow who has lived in the estate cottage all his life finds that everything is changing , and as far as he thinks , not for the better . What secrets have laid hidden .
New owners arrive and people wonder what will happen now .
A lovely read that you won’t want to put down.

Ezra Curnow is almost eighty years old and has spent his whole life living in a little cottage on the Trengrose estate in Cornwall. It was home to his father and grandfather before him and Ezra can’t imagine living anywhere else. His cottage has no modern appliances or conveniences, not even a television, but Ezra doesn’t see the need; he spends most of his time outdoors with his cat and tame jackdaw, growing his own fruit and vegetables and tending to his bees in their hive.

Ezra’s peaceful life is shattered when Eliza Rosevear, mistress of Trengrose House, dies without leaving a will. The estate goes up for sale and is bought by Toby Hardman, a London businessman, who arrives with his wife Minty, an interior designer, and their teenage son, Dom. As soon as they move in, they begin converting part of the estate into a glamping site and looking for other ways to bring in tourists. Ezra is horrified, particularly when they remove the ancient Celtic cross that gives Trengrose its name. Worse still, it seems that the Hardmans also have their eye on Ezra’s cottage and with no official paperwork to prove that it’s his, he could be at risk of losing his home.

Secrets of the Bees is Jane Johnson’s latest novel and one of several, including The White Hare, that are set in her native Cornwall. Her love for the Cornish landscape, history, customs and people comes through strongly in her descriptive writing and in her creation of Ezra Curnow. Ezra represents tradition and a way of life that has almost disappeared; he has very little in terms of material possessions, but is happy and content. The Hardmans are the complete opposite – they represent change and modernity, they have money, cars, technology, yet what they don’t have is happiness. Toby and Minty’s marriage is strained and lacking in trust, while Dom has been expelled from his expensive school for dealing drugs. Although Toby is the villain of the book and seems to be a lost cause, there’s still hope for Minty and Dom and we see them begin to improve and grow as people through their association with Ezra and the Cornish countryside. Dom even became one of my favourite characters, which I certainly hadn’t expected at first.

It’s very common, of course, for residents to object to new developments in their area, particularly ones that could damage the environment or cause noise and disruption, but Ezra takes his protests a step further. He comes up with some very inventive and amusing ways to throw the Hardmans’ plans into disarray, which adds some humour to a serious subject. Proving ownership of his cottage is much more difficult for him – there’s always been an understanding between the Rosevears and the Curnows but apparently nothing has been put in writing. It’s only when we are given some glimpses into the lives of Eliza Rosevear and her family – and into Ezra’s own past, including his National Service in Cyprus in the 1950s – that the truth about the Trengrose estate begins to emerge.

Although the book seemed slow at first and it took a while for things to really start moving, I gradually became completely immersed in the story. I could picture the setting so vividly and I loved everything Jane Johnson had to say about human beings and our relationship with the natural environment. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Johnson so far, whether set in Cornwall or in other parts of the world, historical or contemporary. I must find time to go back and read the remaining books of hers that I haven’t tried yet.

Set in a Cornwall which is real rather than all clotted cream and pretty cottages, Secrets Of The Bees is a novel that details, among other things, the clash of incoming second home money against time honoured tradition and long held land.
The story concerns, on the one hand, Ezra who has lived in his cottage all his life, as has his father and grandfather before him, and Toby and Minty who buy and move into the manor house on whose land his cottage sits.
Toby, in particular is determined that Ezra be evicted and his cottage become part of their money making scheme for the estate. Minty, however, the longer she stays in the house, deveps an empathy for the house and its history.
Running alongside this, the main drama, is a tale of a lesser known part of British army history, the campaign in the 50s on Cyprus. It doesn't necessarily make for edifying reading, but it certainly lends more depth to the novel.
Although the ending of this novel may tie up all too conviently the disparate strands of the stories, I read the book with a great deal of pleasure and was drawn into the plot and characters. Occasionally, I did feel as if I was being lectured to on some subjects, but I think the author, being Cornish herself, could be excused for wanting to get her points about Cornwall ,warts and all, across to her readers.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher, Head of Zeus for an e arc of this title in return for an honest review

Eliza Rosevear dies in her dilapidated manor house without leaving a will. Ezra Curnow lives in an unmodernised cottage in the grounds as generations of his family have done. Enter Toby and Minty, Londoners who buy the estate and are keen to make changes. Ezra's position is unclear and Eliza's secrets are eventually revealed in this completely absorbing and heartwarming tale.

2017, Ezra lives in the cottage on the Trengrose estate. His family have been managing the grounds for decades. But when the big manor is sold, the new owners like to see him go and add the cottage to their property.
Being self sufficient there is no way Ezra will move out.
The story moves between both parties, life according to nature's rhythm versus glamping in the material world. Teasing leads to harrasment and pretty soon tempers are out of control. But all that changes with a surprise discovery.

Secrets of the Bees is highly entertaining general fiction with a bit of mystery.
The fast paced writing, the quirky and fun characters and stunning surroundings make this a captivating read.
Apart from it being a well crafted story, it highlights a deep love for nature and care for the environment.

Thank you Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC

I first discovered the author Jane Johnson when I read her wonderful novel, The White Hare, which has stayed with me ever since.

I immediately fell in love with the reclusive Ezra Curnow who just wanted peace and quiet and time to indulge his love of nature and his beloved Cornwall without any outside noise, pottering around in his little garden tending to his plants and vegetables and the important Trengrose residents the bees!

With only Bucca, the most cantankerous and vindictive of cats as company ( I would cry with laughter at every mention of Bucca and his scheming ) and a jackdaw called Merlin All was pretty idyllic for Ezra until the last mistress of Trengrose Estate, Eliza Rosevear dies, and the arrogant bully Toby arrives from London with his poor wife Minty and their children.

With no will to be found, the future for Ezra in his family’s cottage is in jeopardy, but fear not Ezra, an old soldier will not be tossed out without a battle on the cards. As the family settle into their new rural idyll, they quickly realise that they will not be accepted into the Cornish community easily. Minty, an interior designer, has a passion for writing about old aristocratic families and discovers a hidden document that will change all their lives forever.

I loved every bit of this book from start to finish, there is folklore, drama, humour, and so many secrets unveiled throughout that the Secrets of the Bees is a book that will appeal to everyone. There are twists aplenty which just makes this book a read that is impossible to put down. There are many characters to love and to hate with gusto, but Ezra just captured my heart with his gruff and hard exterior he tries to hide a heart as sweet as the honey from his bees
Another Jane Johnson book that I highly recommend to you all.

This is one of the best books I have read in many months, and I read a lot of books. It will remain with me for a long time, having made such an impression on me.
The story is completely immersive, each characterisation so detailed and strong that I felt as if I knew them all. It’s such an unusual narrative, mixing the new owners of the ancient estate of Trengrose, with the centuries old history of the previous inhabitants, which is convoluted to say the least! It’s also completely fascinating, mixing modern family dynamics with details of the much older family dynamics of the Trengroses.
Ezra Cunlow, descended from a family line of estate managers at Trengrose, is truly a force of nature, and such a complex character. The strands of the story of Ezra’s National Service in Cyprus are harrowing to read, and the unforeseen outcome so very sad.
Woven throughout this remarkable book, is the author’s in-depth knowledge of the natural world, and her ability to describe nature that makes it come alive for the reader. It is so thought provoking, forcing us to think about how we are destroying nature so thoughtlessly.
Finally it has made me decide that I must visit Cornwall, it is so beautifully described, and seems so very different from my native east of Scotland, but also in many ways similar.
I am in awe of what this author has achieved with this book, and I am so sad to leave the Trengrose and Cunlow families, at least until I read this novel again.
My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. Highly recommended.

What an emotional story. Read this is two days. Love the feeling of the book and the history involved. A great twist that I never expected. Mades us understand nature has it's ways of communicating with us.

Another beautifully crafted novel from Jane Johnson, who you quickly learn will not disappoint, with rich settings and high emotion in her work.
This novel follows the fortunes of a rich couple with their teenage children who buy the mansion at Trengrose in Cornwall, in hopes of making it earn its keep with glamping and the like. However, the fly in their ointment is old Ezra Curnow, inhabiting an old cottage in the estate, the legal rights and ramifications of which hadn't been hammered out before the sale was finalised.
The ongoing stalemate between the two households as the Hardmans try to be rid of Ezra make for some amusing reading before things turn darker, but there is a deeper heart to this story, and although at some point you will likely put the pieces together faster than the protagonists, to understand what's coming, I'm pretty sure this wonderful book will still surprise you and profoundly move you, unravelling you as it unravels in its turn. The prose dances and warms like one of the titular bees - Jane Johnson is truly a master of her craft (all the time she spent with Tolkien and Robin Hobb has stood her in good stead!) Highly recommended.

This was an absolute joy of a read. Perfect ingredients of great characters and their existing and developing relationships. A fantastic storyline weaving in the modern challenges of popular holiday spots struggling to stay solvent and maintain their community and character. I particularly loved the weaving in of nature and the symbiotic relationship when man and nature work in respect and harmony versus wantion pillaging of earths resources and focus on acquisition. This book is no chick lit but the very best of romance and family connections. Five resounding stars

First book for me by this author, lovely book well written with great characters and such a lovely story. Will look out for more books by Jane Johnson
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to Publisher Head of Zeus | Apollo for the early read

I found the dual timeline difficult at first as it seemed too disjointed, but as you get further into the book it starts to pull together. The characters are brilliant and I loved the old house as well as the bees. It's wonderful to see the healing power of nature. Emotional and heartbreaking at times.

A very surprising book that I enjoyed in the end .

It did start slowly and was difficult to get into but eventually turned into a story of hope and redemption in a way.

I did find the Ezra part at the end difficult to comprehend and felt it deserved to be further back in the story as it was fundamental to the man that Ezra had become. To say more would be a terrible spoiler.

Toby and his wife buy Trengrose and want to ‘Londonfy’ it and make it into a glamping site. Ezra and his humble cottage put a spanner in the works. Toby was thoroughly unlikeable and I suppose this is testament to the author that she managed to make him so. Parts where he got what he deserved were well written.
Minty - or to give her her full name Araminta - eventually realised that Cornish heritage might be more important than yurts in a field though she was still to have an income. Her husbands business and personal dealings finally made her see that Trengrose was where she wanted to be.
Add in her children Dom and Miranda (Ran) and Ezra’s great nephew Sam - and there was plenty of opportunity to have more relationships within the tale.


There were twists and turns and enough interest to keep me reading to the end. The author lives in. Or wall I understand and obviously realises what a special county it is

Ezra has spent his whole life living in her cottage on the Trengrose estate in Cornwall. it was his fathers home and his grandfathers before that. and he intends it to be his until he passes too. this is his home perfect as it is. its his peace.
but when the estate owner dies she leaves no will. and the whole estate goes up for sale. its bought by Toby who is just a London business man who knows what he wants. he begins changing the estate to bring in business and is always on the lookout for how to bring in more. this is how they come to have their eyes on Ezra's cottage. Ezra's home. and because Ezra doesnt have anything official to say its his his literal whole life is at risk. because if he loses his home he loses everything. it is his everything.
i loved this book so much. it was brilliantly told so much so you feel you are in the estates walls. you are in the cottage. you are in the Cornish scenery. i felt involved in the characters lives. and was fighting all the way for Ezra! especially as along the way it might be Ezra who this new family needs. yes you heard that right Toby you big bully. and seeing how some of my initial thoughts of some of the family changes was pure skill on Jane's part.
this is a wonderful book. from the cover i was already immersed into her tale. but from then on in it just got better and better and better. and that didnt stop right until the last page.

Trent rose has been in the same hands for a long time, but with Eliza Rosevear’s death it is sold to Toby Hardman who also sets his sights on Ezra’s cottage. But Ezra has lived there all his life and his father before him, he couldn’t contemplate anywhere else. There are secrets around Trengrose and they will come to light.
Set in Cornwall the story is one I could hardly put down, with many unexpected twists to it. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Every so often, along comes a book which just takes you by surprise and leaves you wishing that you hadn't read it - just so you could enjoy it all over again. This is one such book!

Ezra Curnow was brought up on the Trengrose estate, in the cottage he still lives in; his parents and grandparents lived there too and it is his home. Then Eliza, estate owner, dies without leaving a will. The estate is put on the market and sold to a London couple with no understanding of Cornish ways - their only interest is to adapt the estate to make money and they have their eyes on Ezra's cottage as a rental property. However, Ezra isn't quite the pushover they expect . . .

Whatever I suspected from this novel, it was so very much more in every respect. I disappeared into another world, another time, whenever I lifted my kindle to read. A very special tale and one I delighted in, all the way through. It made me smile, it made cringe, it made me laugh. It made me want never to get to the end of it. I really cannot recommend this one highly enough and, as such, it has to earn all five shiny stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

Ezra epitomises someone who is ‘in tune’ with nature in a way people once were but are sadly less so these days. He grows his own fruit and vegetables (and some other things as well), tends to the bees in their hive and uses herbal remedies. He doesn’t see humans as superior to animals. Although he has a cat companion, he doesn’t own him; Bucca comes and goes as he pleases. The same with the jackdaw who pecks mealworms from Ezra’s pocket.

Ezra has few material possessions and his cottage doesn’t have the things we might consider essential today, like electricity, a telephone line or an inside bathroom. But that doesn’t matter to him. He’s happy living in the cottage where he was born and the only way he intends to leave is, in his own words, feet first.

The sale of Trengrose House threatens to upend everything because its new owners, the Hardmans, see only its financial potential. They represent everything Ezra is not. They’re not interested in preserving the estate with its orchards and meadows. To them the Celtic cross in the lane is merely an obstacle not a sacred monument that’s stood there for centuries. And they’re definitely not interested that Ezra’s lived in the cottage all his life, they just want him out. Unfortunately they haven’t counted on Ezra’s determination, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. And his capacity for mischief making.

There’s quite a contrast between the more lighthearted moments and what we learn about Ezra’s experiences as a young man.

The landscape, culture and history of Cornwall is an essential element of the book, reflecting the author’s own attachment to the county. The story also incorporates some of the social and economic issues Cornish people face today, such as a lack of affordable housing, but in a way that never feels like a political tract. There is though a strong ecological message that runs throughout the book. ‘Everywhere humans go, they wreck it. Pillage the land for whatever profit they can make out of it, without giving a thought to the consequences for any other living thing.’

It seems to me all the characters learn something in the course of the book, leading them to a sense of fulfilment. With Ezra’s help, Mindy and Toby’s son Dominic learns to identify the local flora and fauna, whilst their daughter Miranda comes to appreciate the wild landscape around Trengrose with the help of Ezra’s great-nephew Sam. Mindy becomes absorbed in discovering the history of Trengrose House and its previous occupants, uncovering some long hidden secrets in the process. Toby? Well, the only thing he learns is that there are some things money can’t buy. (The description of him as an ‘encysted pustule’ is spot on.)

The reader learns quite a bit as well about Ezra, including some things I certainly didn’t see coming.

Secrets of the Bees is a heartwarming story that has woven into it a message about the risk we run if we lose our connection with nature and value things purely in monetary terms. ‘You can’t buy birdsong, or the sight of your bees visiting your own flowers, or the sun through the leaves of the apple trees, or the smell of ripe tomatoes you’ve grown from seed…’ Add a whiff of the supernatural, a touch of mystery and an element of melodrama and you have all the ingredients for an entertaining read.