By: Jamie Steinberg
Rennie Hendricks has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her marriage is failing, and her uncle Dixon is slowly fading. The only good that remains in her life is the opportunity to cook and bake at a local diner where her food is celebrated and the time she gets to spend with her beloved uncle. But wait, there are also the bees that Uncle Dixon keeps talking about having a special presence in their lives and the magic they hold. Bees in June is a beautiful read that deeply envelopes the reader in Rennie’s survival and the otherworldly protectors that watch over her.
It is 1969 and Rennie Hendricks lives in the small town of Spark, Tennessee. She married Tiny after high school since he was headed out baseball training for the major leagues. He was making enough money to even invest in a sports bar! Everything was wonderful until Tiny was dropped by the team, and they had to move back to Spark where they began living and working on a tobacco farm. Upon their return Rennie gets pregnant but sadly loses the baby. With bills piling up, Rennie temporarily takes a job working at the Blue Plate Diner as she has a knack for cooking and baking. She also begins helping her elderly uncle Dixon as her new job allows her to bring him food and check in on him daily. Uncle Dixon and Aunt Eugenia practically raised Rennie since her mother was quite cold with her. Many thought that Aunt Eugenia was a witch, but Rennie saw her as a healer. They showed her love and taught her to appreciate the hives of bees they owned. In fact, Rennie was always told that there was something special to those bees, but with Uncle Dixon’s health declining she wonders if he has become senile as he keeps talking about communicating with them. What she doesn’t know is that these bees watch over her and keep her safe and that someone special is about to enter her life – Ambrose Beckett. With Tiny’s temper growing ever more volatile, Rennie must decide if she wants to remain by his side and mend their marriage or find the bravery needed to start all over again.
Elizabeth Bass Parman has written a beautiful story that completely captivates from start to finish. She seamlessly blends hope and magical realism to deeply invest readers in Rennie’s life story and dream about all her delicious dishes and baked goods. Page after page will wholeheartedly begin to convince you that Rennie has a guardian angel in those bees. In fact, I may have whispered, “I love you bees,” on one or two occasions (okay, fine, every night past Chapter 2) when I was putting the book down each night before bed. You desperately want Rennie to find her voice and save herself from a life of hurt and heartache.
Protect Rennie Hendricks at all costs! My new best friend (fine, it’s just in my own mind) and her bees are too precious and the book Bees in June will deeply endear you to Rennie and her magical insect pals. Uncle Dixon always told Rennie that she should talk to the bees and tell them all the good and the bad and with her life at its lowest these creatures give her a new lease on life. Now, excuse me while I read my copy again and dream about Honey Moon Cake.