Joyce’s novel is divided into 54 chapters. The majority of the novel is told through Margery’s point of view, with the exception of the chapters focusing on Mrs Pope or Mr Mundic. The first third of the novel focuses on Margery and Enid’s journey to New Caledonia. The second third centers around their expedition on the mountain. The final third focuses on Enid’s pregnancy and the two women hiding from the police. The narrator is third person limited, focusing mostly on Margery’s thoughts and feelings. In 1950, Margery Benson abandons her dead-end teaching job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to an island on the other side of the world to search for an elusive beetle that may or may not exist.

And if you find a friend along the way, even in the most unlikeliest of places, it’s a precious thing to be held close to your heart. Rachel Joyce: Yes! I do struggle with confidence - or rather, I question and doubt a lot of my writing. But I feel this is part of the creative process. You have to keep challenging yourself as a writer to go deeper. You have to open doors you might prefer to leave closed. And doubt is a part of the energy that drives you there. While the journey of self-discovery may be predictable, Miss Benson’s Beetle is a joy of a novel, with real insight into the lives of women, the value of friendship and the lasting effects of war. “There was always darkness,” realises Margery, “and in this darkness was unspeakable suffering, and yet there were also the daily things – there was even the search for a gold beetle – and while they could not cancel the appalling horror, they were as real.” I am confused. Did I read the same story as the majority of readers? I hate to be an unkind person, but I never really understood Miss Benson's Beetle. In 1914, when Margery Benson was 10 years old, her father showed her a book of magical creatures, none more fantastic than the golden beetle of New Caledonia. Thirty-six years later, jobless and alone, she’s determined to have the adventure of her life and find that beetle.

Margery acquires an unlikely assistant, Enid Pretty – all yellow hair and inappropriate footwear – and together they survive comic adventures on boats and through customs and at the British consul’s garden party, finding new reserves of “gumption” as they do. Each has a sad past, and neither discusses it, but in a series of tender moments they realise that each makes the other braver and better than she thought she could be. We’re taken on a long voyage across the sea and across the world to New Caledonia. The adventures and situations that Margery and Enid encounter are at times hilarious and other times you may feel tears. I will leave you with a quote from the book that I loved “Enid had been right. She had been right all along. Margery’s adventure was not about making her mark on the world: it was about letting the world make it’s mark on her.” Enid Pretty, with her unlikely pink travel suit and yellow hair, is the last person Margery would have wanted as an assistant. But together these two British women find themselves drawn into an adventure that delivers something neither expected to find: the transformative power of friendship and the courage to be themselves. Through all their misadventures, and there are many, the two become devoted friends, save each other many times, and provide a lot of humour along the way. Parts of the book are laugh aloud funny, others make you reach for the tissues.

I’ve read several books by Rachel Joyce and this has to be her quirkiest yet. It is a book of extremes. Extremely eccentric characters – on an extremely improbable quest – to an extremely variant and inhospitable environment. Yet it works!Themes: Equally parts entertaining and tragic, thoughtful themes abound in this story and include childhood trauma, friendship, trust, loyalty, second chances, risk and adventure, resilience, grief, and found family. Q: Both Miss Benson’s Beetle and Harold Fry gave me a sort of comfort and courage that it’s all right to start anew at any stage of life, to set out to find yourself, to go outside your comfort zone, and to make mistakes. Is that a theme you intentionally want your readers to take away from your books? Rachel Joyce: I didn't know that Mr.Mundic was going to be in this book. I set out with the intention of writing a purely female book. And all Mr.Mundic had to do was turn up briefly in his interview for the job as Margery's assistant, and then leave. But I couldn't leave him alone. I kept writing his scene, over and over, and it got longer and longer. Much too long for a 'bit' part. How vital it is to learn what we have in the world before it is too late." - Be it a beetle or a friendship or something else - go and get it before it's gone. Maybe it's me, because the rest of the world appears to love this book. Reading is a very personal subjective experience, and not every book is for every reader. So, if you enjoyed the extract, and the plot summary interests you, please do read Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce. I hope that you are one of the many who love this book.

Rachel Joyce has a tremendous talent for writing characters we can empathise with and love even when they have serious issues! Margery is such a character and so is Enid, the woman she acquires as her assistant in her new self appointed career as a research etymologist. Both of them suffer some awful experiences but together they discover inner resources they never knew they had. Enid is a diminutive blonde bombshell with the lungs of an opera singer and the charm of a Victorian rake. From the moment they meet --- with Miss Benson donning her version of a safari suit and Enid wearing a tight pink dress --- the latter does not stop talking. Miss Benson is as put off by her new assistant as she is intrigued: Who is this woman, and why would she ever want to travel the world for a beetle? Miss Benson is too afraid to ask, but it is clear that both women have their own reasons for wanting to leave the country. Margery Benson endured a traumatic youth after her 4 brothers are killed in WWI, and the resulting anguish upon her parents. At age 10, it was her distant father who gave her the enthusiasm to study beetles. As an adult, Margery experiences a bleak life living through WWII and suffering through the life of rations, ending up being a Home Economics teacher in a girls’ school. After a humiliating event, Margery storms off from her Home Ec class and through a funny scene, and steals a fellow teacher’s shoes. Margery decides she needs to redirect her life now that she’s in her mid-forties and find that golden beetle. She has the money to fund the expedition, thereby starting her own pilgrimage. Recommended: If you love quirky and unique stories with beautiful writing and zany adventures, you might want to put this on your TBR (it does have some sad and tragic parts, too). If you are a fan of Rachel Joyce, Miss Benson’s Beetle is not to be missed! This story also lends itself to a great book club discussion! Q: What can you tell us about your writing schedule and what does your writing space look like? Did your writing space begin to look like an entomologist’s study (rather than a writer's nook) while you were writing Miss Benson’s Beetle?

If you read the animal abuse spoiler above, then you know there’s a bit of salt mixed in with this sweet story. Author Rachel Joyce doesn’t shy away from the hard moments, so readers should anticipate a few lumps in their throats. Q: How long did it take you to write Miss Benson’s Beetle? Has the time it takes you to finish a novel gotten shorter or longer over successive novels you’ve written and published? Q: Have you already started working on your next book? Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers? I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”

Q: This isn’t really a question but I just wanted to say that Enid made me love and appreciate life and be more grateful for everything. Thanks for writing such a lively and brilliant character! ❤ Rachel Joyce: My writing schedule is full-on. I work very early in the morning. It's my favourite time of day. But then I keep going, getting slower and slower. I work in a kind of caravan, overlooking a field. It's very beautiful. And I was surrounded by beetle pictures and books as I wrote Miss Bensons' Beetle. I needed to be.The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Rachel was awarded the Specsavers National Book Awards ‘New Writer of the Year’ in December 2010 and shortlisted for the ‘UK Author of the Year’ 2014. WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; DAILY MAIL BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; BOOKMARK BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020; GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020