The Queen Bee

by Edna L. Lee

Genres: Fiction, Gothic

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

aka Edna L. Mooney Lee

Reviews

[SheriC · Rating 4 out of 5]

The endlessly quotable writing saves this book from being a fairly standard Southern Gothic Romance. The plot and characters are full of tropes. But, oh, so much fun in the way it’s written and the way the characters are drawn! It’s told from the POV of the Ingénue, who at the time of telling the story is older, wiser, wearier, and who looks back at her naïve former self with a lot of sympathy and a little impatience. For me, though, she is still far more sympathetic than I am, as Reader, and indeed much more sympathetic toward the male characters than I have patience with – I think they all deserve a good kick in the pants. And, although this is the point of the book, I simply can’t view the Queen Bee as all-powerful, though she is deliciously wicked. In order to fall in with the narrator’s POV, the reader must be willing to adopt that tired old attitude that men are helpless victims of their libido when women weaponize sex.

Still, though, this is a really fun read:
It was then that my aimless, drifting eyes came to Eva. Listening, she stood near a lamp, its glow enfolding and caressing the soft hair, the sweet lifting breasts, the singing line of body. Her hand rested on the back of a nearby chair. And seeing the body not yielding now but tensely held and wary, the tilted head, the raised chin, the lambent eyes which seemed to look at something far off, I was suddenly afraid. In her tense stillness there was the deadly, wary waiting of the reptile, its poisonous fang sheathed but ready to strike, swiftly and with cunning accuracy.

Vintage 1949 hardcover, inherited from my grandmother. And here’s a fun bit of trivia for Texas history buffs: it still has the original price sticker, from E.M. Scarbrough & Sons (colloquially referred to as “Scarboroughs” in the way that native Austinites pronounce their places as they damn well please), stamped “Literary Guild $2.00”. I remember shopping at the Scarbroughs in downtown Austin when I was a kid. All that’s left, alas, is the historic building.

Disclaimer: I’ve never seen the 1955 movie. Didn’t even know there *was* a movie adaptation until I looked for a synopsis to get a sense of what the book was about, since my copy is missing the dust jacket. But, oh, I’m definitely going to spend the money to rent it. I can’t wait to see Joan Crawford bring that predatory female to life as only she can.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a yard sale and had to read it since I LOVE the Joan Crawford movie. However, it's obvious from the start that Ms. Crawford was terribly miscast in the role of Eva. Vivien Leigh would have been a better choice. But getting back to the book - it's a melodramatic, campy read - thoroughly dated and thoroughly enjoyable. It would make for a fun theatrical read-aloud by a comedy troupe.

[Elizabeth]

c1949 hardcover no dustjacket ave condition first edition

collectible- my copy is in better condition than what is for sale on Amazon

made into a movie available in VHS and DVD

[Donna Krebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much that I could hardly put it down! It shocked me in a few places. It was a fun read with a simply nasty villain to despise!!!

[Joyce Benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I could not turn out the light until I finished a book!

[Houda · Rating 5 out of 5]

i've read this book in frensh version " sans adieux mon amour " & it's amazing

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, I get why bees kowtow to the queen, but I'm at a loss as to why the characters in this book let their particular queen dominate them. She had no leverage that I could see beyond beauty and a truly impressive lack of scruples. She didn't even have a money hold over them. The husband held the purse strings so why not cut her off? Why not refuse to pay the salary of the sadistic nurse rather than let her terrorize your children? Whatever. The book started off interesting, but I became increasingly irritated by the spinelessness of the drones characters.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much - another of Frank’s great reads. I won’t spoil it for future readers, but don’t miss out on this one.

There is a mistake that her editor should have caught. She makes reference to the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz as to not having a brain; it, of course, was the Scarecrow who didn’t have a brain.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out being a real page-turner. But, as I read further, it became somewhat predictable. The setting is Atlanta, 1940s. Overall, I enjoyed it because I'm an Atlanta native. It held my interest because of the descriptions of lifestyles & places of that era.

[Hecka · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book lamely tries to sensationalize suicide and incest.. not enough info on bees 🐝

[Rene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was made into a fabulous Joan Crawford movie—and the book is as delectable as Ms. Crawford’s Queen Bee performance.

[Super Piss Baby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book, made me cry like a bitch during my college math class. Drama, romance and a ragging bitch.

[Samantha Glasser]

Although I saw the movie years ago and have vague memories of it, I've cast a 30s era Joan Crawford as Jennifer and Richard Cromwell as the man she meets on the train. I imagine Aunt Eva as someone like Margaret Sullivan or Miriam Hopkins.

I thought maybe reading this book would give me depth behind what I remembered to be a shallow, mediocre film. I found it to be somewhat tedious to read. Nothing much seemed to happen. The author tried to build a sinister air to suggest that not all was as it seemed with the Queen Bee, but that was obvious from the start.

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