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The Beekeeper's Question: Love and Honey, War and Reckoning, A Novel of WWII
Available in both paperback and eBook on Amazon
Molly Guptill Manning, When Books Went to War, NYT Best
A beautifully crafted story that gripped me from the first page. The Beekeeper's Question is a moving tale of one family's journey through World War II, both at home and overseas. So richly written that the characters feel like friends, and it's bittersweet when the story ends.
I held my breath as this beekeeper family faced everything life and war hurled their way. Christina Baldwin stirs this story with the breath of our ancestors, reminding us of the best we come from.
—Sarri Gilman, author of Cocoon
World War II, the western Homefront, battle-torn lovers, generations in crisis—this important story echoes between the 1940s and now, illuminating the journey of ordinary families in the crucible of war. A great book club conversation for America today.
—Michael Lerner, MacArthur Fellow, founder of Commonweal
In the tradition of Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kittredge) and in the Montana territory of Ivan Doig, here comes The Beekeeper’s Question.
Young lovers, old friends, a mountain valley and a North African Two Montana families face loss, prejudice, violence and redemption in the uncertainty of 1940s America.
This is a dramatic family saga of generations daring to ask the questions that shape their destinies, a story of enduring love in an era of American life that still echoes in society today. It’s 1942 and War War II looms over the lives of the Cooper family—a son in the fight whose pregnant war bride arrives to their isolated Montana valley and a son married to a Blackfeet woman whose return tears open racial tension just when people must work together for the war effort.
Leo Cooper, Franklin’s and Jesse’s father, is a philosophizing beekeeper and local preacher, modeling a vision for what the community might become. His colleague, Jereldene “Doc” Jesperson, holds the valley together curing bodies and tending souls. And Josie Shines the Light, a Blackfeet grandmother, must rely on Leo and his son to safeguard her granddaughter in this troubled settler valley, Pigeon River.
Published by SeaScriptCompany.com
Molly Guptill Manning, When Books Went to War, NYT Best
A beautifully crafted story that gripped me from the first page. The Beekeeper's Question is a moving tale of one family's journey through World War II, both at home and overseas. So richly written that the characters feel like friends, and it's bittersweet when the story ends.
I held my breath as this beekeeper family faced everything life and war hurled their way. Christina Baldwin stirs this story with the breath of our ancestors, reminding us of the best we come from.
—Sarri Gilman, author of Cocoon
World War II, the western Homefront, battle-torn lovers, generations in crisis—this important story echoes between the 1940s and now, illuminating the journey of ordinary families in the crucible of war. A great book club conversation for America today.
—Michael Lerner, MacArthur Fellow, founder of Commonweal
In the tradition of Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kittredge) and in the Montana territory of Ivan Doig, here comes The Beekeeper’s Question.
Young lovers, old friends, a mountain valley and a North African Two Montana families face loss, prejudice, violence and redemption in the uncertainty of 1940s America.
This is a dramatic family saga of generations daring to ask the questions that shape their destinies, a story of enduring love in an era of American life that still echoes in society today. It’s 1942 and War War II looms over the lives of the Cooper family—a son in the fight whose pregnant war bride arrives to their isolated Montana valley and a son married to a Blackfeet woman whose return tears open racial tension just when people must work together for the war effort.
Leo Cooper, Franklin’s and Jesse’s father, is a philosophizing beekeeper and local preacher, modeling a vision for what the community might become. His colleague, Jereldene “Doc” Jesperson, holds the valley together curing bodies and tending souls. And Josie Shines the Light, a Blackfeet grandmother, must rely on Leo and his son to safeguard her granddaughter in this troubled settler valley, Pigeon River.
Published by SeaScriptCompany.com
408 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2024
19 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 25, 2024
"The Beekeeper’s Question" is much more than a WWII story—it’s a compelling exploration of purpose, anchored in the question: "What is the question you are born to?" The line that truly struck me was: "To know yourself, Maire, it is to know what question resides deepest in your heart." (page 65). While I won’t reveal the beekeeper’s own question, this simple idea opened up powerful self-reflection for me: if my life had a core question, what would it be?
"The Beekeeper's Question" offers so much more than a WWII story —though that part alone is compelling. I was attracted to the book’s deeper invitation to reflect on the questions(s) that drive our lives. While I won’t reveal the beekeeper’s own- very powerful and relevant - question, this idea opened up genuine self-reflection for me: if my life had a core question, what would it be?
It pushed me to reflect on my own purpose and the unique contributions I’m here to make. The way the author weaves this inquiry through different characters’ lives makes it feel both intimate and universal. This is particularly important in this time of upheaval not just in the US, abut all over the world.
The dialogues are beautifully crafted, engaging on multiple levels. From deeply personal exchanges to moments of physical and emotional tension, all the way to spiritual reflection, the story operates on many layers. It pulls you in, making you question your own life’s path, while keeping you grounded in the unfolding drama.
And then there’s the incredible amount of wisdom we can draw from nature, threaded throughout the story. The bees are, of course, central, but the author expands beyond that—using the rhythms of nature to offer insight into human existence. This isn’t just about honeybees; it’s about all the lessons we, as humans, can learn if we observe the world around us more carefully.
And oh, the honey! There’s a subtle sweetness throughout the book—both literally and in the way life’s fragility and resilience come through. By the end, I felt like I’d tasted something both nourishing and profound.
"The Beekeeper's Question" offers so much more than a WWII story —though that part alone is compelling. I was attracted to the book’s deeper invitation to reflect on the questions(s) that drive our lives. While I won’t reveal the beekeeper’s own- very powerful and relevant - question, this idea opened up genuine self-reflection for me: if my life had a core question, what would it be?
It pushed me to reflect on my own purpose and the unique contributions I’m here to make. The way the author weaves this inquiry through different characters’ lives makes it feel both intimate and universal. This is particularly important in this time of upheaval not just in the US, abut all over the world.
The dialogues are beautifully crafted, engaging on multiple levels. From deeply personal exchanges to moments of physical and emotional tension, all the way to spiritual reflection, the story operates on many layers. It pulls you in, making you question your own life’s path, while keeping you grounded in the unfolding drama.
And then there’s the incredible amount of wisdom we can draw from nature, threaded throughout the story. The bees are, of course, central, but the author expands beyond that—using the rhythms of nature to offer insight into human existence. This isn’t just about honeybees; it’s about all the lessons we, as humans, can learn if we observe the world around us more carefully.
And oh, the honey! There’s a subtle sweetness throughout the book—both literally and in the way life’s fragility and resilience come through. By the end, I felt like I’d tasted something both nourishing and profound.
September 25, 2024
Christina Baldwin has written a stunning novel of the home front during WWII that weaves together the lives of one Montana family and a small community trying to maintain a way of life—or hopefully make it better—while confronting all that is changing. As Leo Cooper, the beekeeper preacher patriarch of the family, navigates his grief as a widower, along with the loss of his sons, one facing the horrors of war and the other running from one home in search of another following the shocking discovery of his Blackfeet lineage, the bombshell appearance of his war-side son’s pregnant Irish wife—running from her own terror—he shepherds his church flock into a new age. Neither flock nor family behaves as well as his bees, those tiny creatures that hold together the web of life. There is a dearth of novels about life in America during WWII, and this one is both welcome and unputdownable, with truths for life in the 2020s.
October 23, 2024
The Beekeeper’s Question offers a view of WWII I hadn’t encountered before in a novel – how a family and community in a rural expanse of our country (in this case, Montana) dealt with the many pressures and issues brought on by world conflict. The author obviously did a lot of research to put together a multi-layered story that brought together so many diverse elements into a cohesive and at times thrilling story. From the intricacies of harvesting honey to a wartime love story to the chaos wrought by battle fatigue and the contributions from native peoples living on a nearby reservation, the book covers a lot of ground but does so in a way the pulls you along. At more than 350 pages the book has some heft to it, but it reads very quickly (because it’s hard to put down).
November 18, 2024
Well, first of all, I have to give this book 5 stars because I know and love the author and she is mentor and friend. Having said that, I usually reserve 5 stars for books that change my life. This book may have done that if I hadn’t already been changed by the philosophy of loving one’s one neighbor, creating community, unity, the wisdom of bees and animals, the evil of taking what you want and not what you need, how cultures can co-exist. Christina and her partner Ann have taught me a lot about these things. So, I would suggest you read the book. Besides the themes notes above, the plot moves along, the characters are likable (or not, for some), the story has a good arc. The war can be kept out of your back yard with work and grace and quite possibly, that’s where it all starts anyway.
November 25, 2024
Let yourself be drawn into an exciting and multifaceted story with compelling characters and cinematic descriptions. Most of the story takes place in a small American farming town during WWII. How does the war change things? Buy the book and find out--it is well worth it!
“The Beekeeper’s Question” goes from edge-of-your-seat action scenes to fascinating looks at its characters’ spiritual worlds. It is rich with variety.
Author Christina Baldwin weaves together a vibrant tapestry that not only entertains, but makes reading the book an experience not soon forgotten. Highly recommended.
“The Beekeeper’s Question” goes from edge-of-your-seat action scenes to fascinating looks at its characters’ spiritual worlds. It is rich with variety.
Author Christina Baldwin weaves together a vibrant tapestry that not only entertains, but makes reading the book an experience not soon forgotten. Highly recommended.
July 16, 2025
deeply researched and beautifully written story of love, loss, and challenges faced by men and women during WWII. the men fighting abroad or struggling at home and the women keeping everyone going. life in Montana and especially as Beekeepers is powerful and spiritual. loved this story and it's messages still resonate today.
November 16, 2024
The best since discovering Maisie Dobbs!
This book surprised me with depth of story and character. Multiple cultures clashing, WWII, Montana and bee keeping. And Christina weaves a tale that brings self reflection, hope, healing and purpose into form. Brilliant!
This book surprised me with depth of story and character. Multiple cultures clashing, WWII, Montana and bee keeping. And Christina weaves a tale that brings self reflection, hope, healing and purpose into form. Brilliant!
February 18, 2025
Our Future is Explained in The Telling of This Story
Do not miss this extraordinary book, this story of life. Read every word carefully. Pay attention. Through order with connection we will bee made whole and overcome.
Do not miss this extraordinary book, this story of life. Read every word carefully. Pay attention. Through order with connection we will bee made whole and overcome.
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September 30, 2024GG
June 4, 2025
We need this book right now. It’s the kind of historical narrative that lands in the present like a gift from the heavens. It asks all of the right questions without being preachy about the answers.
June 15, 2025
A fairly good but nearly endless story.
July 6, 2025
Powerful yet tender and left me with so much more to ponder about life itself. I highly recommend!!
October 8, 2024
A beautiful story of weaving together multiple cultures during a time of turmoil. Beautifully crafted.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews