The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
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Web ID: 11773061A lot of Missed Opportunities
I want to start by saying Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees has been on my ‘To-Read’ list for a while now, so I was excited when my sister let me borrow the book. Set in South Carolina in the year 1964, Kidd’s coming of age novel takes us on a journey following Lily Owens, a fourteen-year-old white girl, and her housekeeper, Rosaleen Daise as the two search for answers surrounding Lily’s mother. I thought the first 240 pages of the novel kept my attention and set what should have been a great epiphany/revelation of the secret Lily kept bottled up for most the novel – however I thought the last 70 or so pages dragged, leaving the reader with a predictable ending. Come on, we all saw it coming. I guess what I really wanted from Kidd (as I progressed in the novel) was more detail of the struggles Rosaleen was going through, along with the sisters, and Lily’s crush Zach. Having a novel set in the 60s in the deep south, it’s kind of hard not to touch on those points, or better yet dive deeper. Kidd seemed to just really graze on the Civil Rights Movement, here and there, throughout the novel. The Secret Life of Bees to me, felt more like a feel-good novel, and I thought Kidd missed a lot of opportunities to dig deeper. I didn’t love the book; I didn’t hate it. I am going to try and see the film If that means anything. If you’ve wanted to read this book for a long time, like myself, I think it’s worth it, but don’t expect to get your hair blown back.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An exciting adventure into the 1906s!
Are you looking for an adventurous and emotion-engaging book? In the secret life of bees, a girl learns about motherly love and the power of the female spirit. It takes place in South Carolina in 1964. Since her mother died when she was four, Lily has been raised by her sadistic father, T. Ray Owens. He tells her that her mom abandoned her and Lily runs away. She goes to a place called Tiburon and meets August Boatwright, a beekeeper. August takes her in and loves her. Lily is able to then find refuge in their mesmerizing world of bees. Lily Owens is a strong, independent, and understanding girl. For example, she forgives her mother for abandoning her which is a hard thing to do as a child. Also, she understands that her mom left her because she needed a break and was really depressed in her life. Throughout the story gains strength through her independence. Lily was a really inspirational character to me. This book definitely has many important themes. For example, August teaches Lily important lessons about patience, love, and forgiveness. Living with a Black family, Lily also learns the irrationality of racism. She struggles with and later overcomes her own racism. A boy named Zach, a friend of August Boatwright once told Lily “‘We can’t think of changing our skin’, ‘Change the world—that’s how we gotta think.”, (page 216). It’s a quote that I think illustrates the main theme of this book super well. Zach says this to Lily because she always thinks about what life would be like if she were Black. Sometimes she feels like she isn’t accepted in the Boatwright family because she is White and they are Black. The message is that skin is just skin and that it doesn’t matter. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to change the color of your skin but you can change what the world thinks of it. The secret life of bees is a book for you if you like bildungsroman, and historical/domestic fiction novels. I would definitely rate it 5 stars. It was powerful, inspiring, and heart-wrenching all at the same time. If you’re like me, this book will make you cry a lot. I recommend this book to people around the ages of 12-16. It is the perfect book for teens. I feel like teens, especially young women, will really be able to relate to Lily as she discovers more about herself and the world. I hope this helped you find a book that you might want to read. It’s important to find books that you love. I really liked Sue Monk Kidd’s writing style and I think you will too. I liked her writing style because I thought she used description and similes to set the mood of settings really well. Here’s a quote from the book: “A breeze moved through the room from the open window. I walked to it and stared out at the dark fringe of trees by the edge of the woods, a half moon wedged like a gold coin into a slot, about to drop through the sky with a clink. Voices filtered through the screen. Women's voices. They rose in chirps and melted away” (page 243)
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heartwarming story that sticks with you for years
Set in the earlier days of the Civil Rights movement, the story follows a young white girl in the American South, who is the daughter of a peach farmer. After running away from her abusive father, the young girl finds her safety in a household of a young, dynamic black family of women beekeepers, who are famous for their brand of local honey. The girl soon learns on her journey to escape from her abusive father what happened with her mother and her relation to the incredible women providing her safety, and is exposed to the bitter dark truth of her white privilege and the state of racism in America. This book will make you smile, it will make you laugh, it will make you angry for the injustices the characters face and experience...but perhaps most overwhelmingly, it will make you cry - in both a sad sense, and a good one. This is a book with a story that will stick with you for years.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun read
Young woman find solice from teh trauma of her life discovering the different faces and sources of love.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great, easy read
I read this for school and found it easy to read right away, with likable characters and beautifully descriptive scenery. The setting makes you feel comfortable, and I never wanted to put the book down. It also includes something of nature and spirit as the main character navigates her way through the book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So Good! Heart warming!
I've read a few "coming of age" novels in my day, but this one takes the cake. It's so good, it's hard to even describe. Although my growing up was totally different from the MC, i still felt like I could relate to her. I wish I had someone like August in my life. This book can be hard to read (its not a hard read, but there are topics and emotions that may be hard to get through). I wish I could review this book 1 million times so it could be rated 5 stars. It deserves it. Plz read this book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Women Supporting Women
This is my favorite book. I loved how the women supported each other throughout. Planning to go back and read it again as it has been years. Such a wonderful story that gave me so many feelings.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com