The Music of Bees is a heart-warming story told from the point of view of three people struggling with very challenging personal crises.

Jake Stevenson, a high school kid ‘with attitude,’ is coming to terms with his new reality as a person has paraplegia. Struck down as the result of a silly accident, Jake has to learn how to find meaning in a future that seems dark and hopeless. Add to that a father who has no problem expressing his scorn for his son and you have the makings of a very troubled young man.

Alice Holtzman spent her youth dreaming of following in her parents’ footsteps and taking over the family orchard. Sadly, after the sale of her parents’ farm and their subsequent deaths, Alice faced grief again after the unexpected death of her beloved husband Bud. Parked in a dead-end job with the county, the only joy Alice finds is in the beehives she has built on her property.

Harry Stokes is a young man who has always struggled to fit in; he has always been a ‘yes man’ whose only crime was wanting to be liked for himself. Sadly, the need to fit in causes him to make a bad decision which lands him in jail. After his release, Harry leaves New York and heads west to the wilds of Oregon where he hopes to bunk in with his Uncle Harry while he sorts out his life.

Jake, Alice and Harry’s lives come together in an unusual fashion and these seemingly random coincidences culminate in relationships that bring much needed healing and unlikely friendships to each of them. 

The thread that connects throughout this story is Alice’s bee farm and the brilliant lives that thrive within those hives. With snippets from famed apiarist L. L. Langstroth, we learn in amazing detail the intricate aspects of the lives and functions of all of the bees in the colony. 

Honey is regarded as one of nature’s finest medicines, used as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant agent. It’s no surprise that honey was the healing balm for these characters but also the sweet reward for taking chances.

This is a moving and heartwarming story by Eileen Garvin that will have you cheering on this unlikely trio!