--- product_id: 223573691 title: "The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel" price: "€ 20.22" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/223573691-the-beekeeper-of-aleppo-a-novel store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # Global bestseller Paperback format Themes of resilience The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel **Price:** € 20.22 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📚 Dive into a story that transcends borders and time! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** € 20.22 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/223573691-the-beekeeper-of-aleppo-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Social Impact:** Join a community of readers advocating for awareness and change. - • **Award-Winning Author:** Written by a celebrated author, adding prestige to your bookshelf. - • **Engaging Storytelling:** Captivating prose that keeps you turning pages late into the night. - • **Culturally Rich Narrative:** Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of Syrian culture. - • **A Journey Through Adversity:** Experience the poignant tale of survival and hope. ## Overview The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a powerful novel that follows the journey of a Syrian beekeeper and his wife as they flee their war-torn homeland, exploring themes of love, loss, and resilience in the face of adversity. ## Description This unforgettable novel puts human faces on the Syrian war with the immigrant story of a beekeeper, his wife, and the triumph of spirit when the world becomes unrecognizable. “A beautifully crafted novel of international significance that has the capacity to have us open our eyes and see.”—Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz WINNER OF THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain. Nuri is sustained only by the knowledge that waiting for them is his cousin Mustafa, who has started an apiary in Yorkshire and is teaching fellow refugees beekeeping. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm even the bravest souls. Above all, they must make the difficult journey back to each other, a path once so familiar yet rendered foreign by the heartache of displacement. Moving, intimate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a book for our times: a novel that at once reminds us that the most peaceful and ordinary lives can be utterly upended in unimaginable ways and brings a journey in faraway lands close to home, never to be forgotten. Praise for The Beekeeper of Aleppo “This book dips below the deafening headlines, and tells a true story with subtlety and power.” —Esther Freud, author of Mr. Mac and Me “This compelling tale had me gripped with its compassion, its sensual style, and its onward and lively urge for resolution.” —Daljit Nagra, author of British Museum “This novel speaks to so much that is happening in the world today. It’s intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant, but very importantly it is accessible. I’m recommending this book to everyone I care about.” —Benjamin Zephaniah, author of Refugee Boy Review: A must read - The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a heart-wrenching, emotional read that brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet it is also thought-provoking and relevant to so much of what is going on in the world today. The story is beautifully written as well as the realistically rendered characters (all of whom I adored). Nuri and Afra are characters that I know will stay with me for a long time to come, as the penetrating sadness around their story is one that is difficult to forget. Both characters experience PTSD and feels disconnected when it comes to personal relationships. Many of their fears are due to traumatic experiences and even though Afra is the one without sight, there are times where they both lose their vision. With that said though, there were also moments of hope amidst the desperation, such as when Nuri and Afra finally make it to their destination (not a spoiler, since we are already told this from the very first page) and are met with much kindness from the people they end up staying with at the refugee center as they wait for their asylum applications to be processed. These interactions at the refugee center in present time brought a certain element of hope to the story, which helped to balance out the overwhelming sadness of the past narrative recounting Nuri and Afra’s harrowing journey – at the same time, it made their story all the more poignant and powerful. The Syrians in The Beekeeper of Aleppo experienced tragedy, and lost so much when they escaped their beloved homeland, which became a war zone. Their search for freedom and safety was emotionally and physically tragic and deeply painful, yet I fully and completely loved this book. Lefteri’s research and experiences have allowed her to get to the heart of the human emotions. With vivid prose and insight, she takes us to the lowest point of desperation while simultaneously revealing the hope that exists, even when we have lost everything. I highly recommend this book! Review: Haunting and powerful! - 4.5 stars Let me start off by saying that this is a book everyone needs to read, especially given the current environment we live in with the immigration issue at the forefront of topics recently here in the Western part of the world. Though I have read plenty of books over the years about the immigrant experience from different viewpoints, including from the refugee and asylum perspectives, few of those books have been as haunting and affecting as this one. The story of Nuri and Afra and their harrowing journey to escape the conflict in Syria, the tremendous losses they endure one right after the other -- the loss of their home, their livelihoods, their family, their precious child, even their own souls – ordinary citizens caught up in horrible circumstances not of their making, already having to suffer through so much loss and devastation, yet somehow still finding the will to live, to push ahead through the grief and the desperation and finally arrive at their destination, only to face an uncertain future. This is one of those stories that reminded me once again just how much we often take for granted as we go about our daily lives and how we should be so much more grateful than we usually are for everything we do have. This was a heart-wrenching, emotional read that brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet it was also thought-provoking and relevant to so much of what is going on in the world today. I will admit that it did take me a little while to get used to the book’s unique format (with the last word of each chapter acting as the bridge that starts the flashback to the past in the next chapter), but the beautifully written story as well as the realistically rendered characters (all of whom I adored) more than made up for my brief struggle with the format. Nuri and Afra are characters that I know will stay with me for a long time to come, as the penetrating sadness around their story is one that is difficult to forget. With that said though, there were also moments of hope amidst the desperation, such as when Nuri and Afra finally make it to their destination (not a spoiler, since we are already told this from the very first page) and are met with much kindness from the people they end up staying with at the refugee center as they wait for their asylum applications to be processed. These interactions at the refugee center in present time brought a certain element of hope to the story, which helped to balance out the overwhelming sadness of the past narrative recounting Nuri and Afra’s harrowing journey – at the same time, it made their story all the more poignant and powerful. Part of what made this story feel so realistic was the fact that the author Christy Lefteri based a lot of it on her previous experience working with refugees as a UNICEF-sponsored volunteer in Athens, Greece. In addition to that though, there was also Lefteri’s personal connection as a daughter of refugees (both her parents fled war-torn Cyprus back in the 1970s), which combined with her volunteer experience to produce such a powerful and inspiring story. I know my review probably doesn’t say a whole lot, but in a way, the vagueness is a bit deliberate, as I feel the story already speaks for itself and nothing I say will be able to do it justice. All I’m going to say is that this book definitely deserves to be read – and sooner rather than later! Received ARC from Ballantine Books (Random House) via NetGalley. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #5,151 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #23 in Cultural Heritage Fiction #153 in Mothers & Children Fiction #502 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 46,444 Reviews | ## Images ![The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/915EwXMWlUL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read *by A***A on December 26, 2020* The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a heart-wrenching, emotional read that brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet it is also thought-provoking and relevant to so much of what is going on in the world today. The story is beautifully written as well as the realistically rendered characters (all of whom I adored). Nuri and Afra are characters that I know will stay with me for a long time to come, as the penetrating sadness around their story is one that is difficult to forget. Both characters experience PTSD and feels disconnected when it comes to personal relationships. Many of their fears are due to traumatic experiences and even though Afra is the one without sight, there are times where they both lose their vision. With that said though, there were also moments of hope amidst the desperation, such as when Nuri and Afra finally make it to their destination (not a spoiler, since we are already told this from the very first page) and are met with much kindness from the people they end up staying with at the refugee center as they wait for their asylum applications to be processed. These interactions at the refugee center in present time brought a certain element of hope to the story, which helped to balance out the overwhelming sadness of the past narrative recounting Nuri and Afra’s harrowing journey – at the same time, it made their story all the more poignant and powerful. The Syrians in The Beekeeper of Aleppo experienced tragedy, and lost so much when they escaped their beloved homeland, which became a war zone. Their search for freedom and safety was emotionally and physically tragic and deeply painful, yet I fully and completely loved this book. Lefteri’s research and experiences have allowed her to get to the heart of the human emotions. With vivid prose and insight, she takes us to the lowest point of desperation while simultaneously revealing the hope that exists, even when we have lost everything. I highly recommend this book! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Haunting and powerful! *by L***E on September 2, 2019* 4.5 stars Let me start off by saying that this is a book everyone needs to read, especially given the current environment we live in with the immigration issue at the forefront of topics recently here in the Western part of the world. Though I have read plenty of books over the years about the immigrant experience from different viewpoints, including from the refugee and asylum perspectives, few of those books have been as haunting and affecting as this one. The story of Nuri and Afra and their harrowing journey to escape the conflict in Syria, the tremendous losses they endure one right after the other -- the loss of their home, their livelihoods, their family, their precious child, even their own souls – ordinary citizens caught up in horrible circumstances not of their making, already having to suffer through so much loss and devastation, yet somehow still finding the will to live, to push ahead through the grief and the desperation and finally arrive at their destination, only to face an uncertain future. This is one of those stories that reminded me once again just how much we often take for granted as we go about our daily lives and how we should be so much more grateful than we usually are for everything we do have. This was a heart-wrenching, emotional read that brought tears to my eyes more than once, yet it was also thought-provoking and relevant to so much of what is going on in the world today. I will admit that it did take me a little while to get used to the book’s unique format (with the last word of each chapter acting as the bridge that starts the flashback to the past in the next chapter), but the beautifully written story as well as the realistically rendered characters (all of whom I adored) more than made up for my brief struggle with the format. Nuri and Afra are characters that I know will stay with me for a long time to come, as the penetrating sadness around their story is one that is difficult to forget. With that said though, there were also moments of hope amidst the desperation, such as when Nuri and Afra finally make it to their destination (not a spoiler, since we are already told this from the very first page) and are met with much kindness from the people they end up staying with at the refugee center as they wait for their asylum applications to be processed. These interactions at the refugee center in present time brought a certain element of hope to the story, which helped to balance out the overwhelming sadness of the past narrative recounting Nuri and Afra’s harrowing journey – at the same time, it made their story all the more poignant and powerful. Part of what made this story feel so realistic was the fact that the author Christy Lefteri based a lot of it on her previous experience working with refugees as a UNICEF-sponsored volunteer in Athens, Greece. In addition to that though, there was also Lefteri’s personal connection as a daughter of refugees (both her parents fled war-torn Cyprus back in the 1970s), which combined with her volunteer experience to produce such a powerful and inspiring story. I know my review probably doesn’t say a whole lot, but in a way, the vagueness is a bit deliberate, as I feel the story already speaks for itself and nothing I say will be able to do it justice. All I’m going to say is that this book definitely deserves to be read – and sooner rather than later! Received ARC from Ballantine Books (Random House) via NetGalley. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Book *by M***A on April 5, 2026* Great book, loved finding out the author's connection to the story. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel - The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel - The Book of Lost Friends: A Novel --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/223573691-the-beekeeper-of-aleppo-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/223573691-the-beekeeper-of-aleppo-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*