Title– Miss Benson’s Beetle
Author– Rachel Joyce
Publisher– Black Swan
Pages– 389
As another year ends and a new year dawns upon us, it brings us hope. It gives us a chance to learn from our past mistakes, redeem them and start afresh. It is about new beginnings, new resolutions and new goals. It is about giving ourselves another opportunity to pursue our dreams; chasing them till we reach there. It is also about reading new books, trying foods never tasted before and dancing to the tune of trending songs. This new year I would like to recommend ‘Miss Benson’s Beetle’ by Rachel Joyce where two women leave behind their past and set off to a new place to make their dreams come true. It is about the power of friendship and the shattering of dogmas.
Margery Benson was only ten-years-old when her father had shown her a picture of “The Golden Beetle of New Caledonia” which may or may not exist. She fell in love with beetles. Since that day she went out looking for the beetles, drew their pictures, kept them in jars and collected information about them. Somehow she lost track and took up a job as a cookery teacher in a school.
It was early September 1950, when an incident made her rethink the purpose of her life. She abandoned her job and decided to go on an expedition to New Caledonia in search of the Golden Beetle. Margery advertised for an assistant and hired the fun-loving Enid Pretty who was not the type the former had in mind. Both were poles apart.
Margery was a spinster raised by her aunts. A schoolteacher, she was serious, awkward and had no sense of style. This led her to be ridiculed very often. Enid, on the other hand, was jolly and carefree. She believed in living life king-size. She wore bright dresses and heavy make-up and attracted attention wherever she went. However, they had one thing in common. They had never received any love or compassion. But in each other, they found the promise of friendship which had the power to defy every norm and make the unfeasible feasible.
The duo set off on a journey to the other part of the world, overcoming every barrier with their cumulative strength.
The bond that develops, in course of the adventure, also serves to transform them.
It is a captivating story about the power of friendship. It teaches us that no matter how impossible our ambitions may be, we should be determined enough to give them a try. It also persuades women to pursue their vocation instead of spending their lives fulfilling other people’s dreams.
The author’s sense of humour made me laugh my lungs out.
The aftermath of the two World Wars has also been perfectly depicted.
It is a book which I have thoroughly enjoyed. A must-read for every woman who is still in doubt to step out of her comfort zone to give herself a second chance. It is also perfect for those seeking adventure.
Sritama A. Bhattacharjee
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