“The Keeper of the Bees” was written in the 1920s, the last novel written by Gene Stratton-Porter. (Note, my copy pictured above is obviously very old. Newer, prettier versions are available.)
The hero is a soldier, discharged from the army with a wound. He is seriously ill, and has lost everything, yet he takes his life in hand and doesn’t play the victim. He has quite a few unexpected adventures in which we see his compassion and integrity as he grows and learns and meets some characters that he (and the reader) find very interesting.
In these days when we hear a lot about “toxic masculinity,” James Macfarlane, who becomes the keeper of the bees, is a wonderful role model for all boys and men. It’s good to have novels where the hero is a male as it seems there are so very many with females as the heroine. That said, this book has been enjoyed by boys and girls, men and women alike. Gene Porter-Stratton writes novels with strong, admirable characters and James, the keeper of the bees, is no exception. (See my other reviews on books by this author – “Freckles” (January 29,2022) and “A Girl of the Limberlost” (April 15, 2022).)
Recommended from age 10 to adult.
