Product Description

Includes 15 page Penguin Reader's Guide with questions and discussion with author.(in rear of book)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8359 in Books
• Published on: 2001
• Binding: Paperback
• 302 pages

Customer Reviews

One of the best
Along with Morrison and Walker, this is one of the best modern day depictions of the relationships that we long for, we lose and we misunderstand. It's the women in this novel--they are outstanding characters. One of my favorite quotes is from the narrator: Lily, the 14 year old girl who feels she is "unlovable" until she meets the 3 women in the pink house and rediscovers a bond that she knew was always there but never understood with her deceased mother--Lily, as the narrator, says: "Knowing can be a curse on a person's life. I'd traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth, and I didn't know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around?...once you know the truth, you can't ever go back and pick up your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is your now." And to that question that Lily asks as to whether it is better to know or not know the truth August replies: "There is nothing perfect...There is only life." The movie is a fantastic depiction of a book with beautiful images and heart-breaking relationships and a search for something that is unnamed in all of us.

Good One...
Overall I did like this book. It was hard to get past the first chapter; it was very slow and hard to read. I thought it was going to set the mood for the whole book, but the author stepped it up and really made you interested in the book.

Lily is a sad girl who doesn't fit in because her Dad makes her feel awful about herself. Her dad is basically a jerk who doesn't care about her at all; it's quite sad. Eventually she runs away and learns that she has a better life living with black people than with her white father. *This book was set back in the times when black people almost had no rights whatsoever!* I believe Lily is right in running away and living with August and her sisters. She has a better life and finds out how to love herself and others. She also learns that she can be loved, which is huge in this story because Lily doesn't believe she can be loved by anyone.

I do recommend this book to others. It was a pretty fast read once you got past the first chapter.

KPMS Loves The Secret Life of Bees!
Review by Caroline Tomsik

"There is nothing perfect," August said from the doorway. "There is only life (Sue Monk Kidd, 256)." This quote teaches an important lesson in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It is one of the most powerful books today; it tells a story of mothers, daughters, and the undeniable power of love. Set in 1964 in South Carolina, Lily Owens is still haunted by the day her mother was killed. Dealing with this loss and with a harsh and abusive father, Lily's life is growing hard to bear. Then Rosaleen, Lily's outspoken nanny, is thrown into jail after standing up to three of the most extreme racists in town. Lily sees her chance to escape her father and to help her "stand-in mother." The two run away to Tiburon, South Carolina, where Lily will discover her mother's secret past.

Lily and Rosaleen are soon taken in by May, June, and August, three African-American, beekeeping sisters. Lily will soon be welcomed into the world of bees and honey, where she is introduced to the Black Madonna. Not only will Lily discover the meaning of true family, she will find herself along the way.

The Secret Life of Bees is suited for mature readers looking for a classic story of love and family. This book is well-deserving of a nine out of ten rating. 302 pages of captivating historical fiction, this book will have you relishing every page.