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78 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you never read another book, read this one!, 8 April 2003
Forget the title - this is a heart-wrenching, beautiful book and I urge you to read it, whatever your usual reading matter. The narrator of this novel, Lily, grows up unloved and believing that she accidentally killed her mother at the age of four. She starts her story "the summer I turned fourteen", and Sue Monk Kidd perfectly captures the awkward restlessness of the teenager, longing for love, yearning to discover the truth and fearful of what will emerge. The casual references to racial attitudes in South Carolina in 1964 are shocking, and the unique beekeeping sisters she finishes up with stay with you and haunt you long after you finish the book. Poignant and humorous by turns, the tale brought tears to my eyes on several occasions, something which has never happened before in my wide reading history. An added bonus are the wonderful facts you will learn about bees... I really can't recommend this book strongly enough!!!
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well told , 1 Nov 2007
This is a simple story, well told. It is about a girl searching for the answers to her past in the American South. While I greatly enjoyed it, I found the civil rights era scenes to be a little unbelievable, other than that I like it. I was immediately drawn to the main character and her inner struggle. The themes or racism and family dysfunction at once reminded me of Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" or the novel "Bark of the Dogwood," though those books are more complicated. If you want a simple story that is paced well, "Secret life of Bees" will work for you. If you're looking for the great American novel, look somewhere else. I would recommend this book to anyone from highschool level upwards.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slow, but in a good way, like watching honey drip down in spirals, 22 Mar 2007
OK, so this is not the best book you will ever read, but it isn't the worst either. It is heart-warming and loving, with moments where the writing and imagery are lifted well above the average.
Set in 1964, in South Carolina, against a backdrop of racial tension, it is the story of a white, teenage girl, Lily, who runs away with her black housekeeper, who would otherwise be lynched.
They are taken in by three black sisters, who keep bees.
Lily learns about motherhood and finds motherly love and acceptance from the women who surround her. She also finds romance.
It is a slightly rose-tinted story, where love conquers all, grudges are not held, and all the bad things come from outside, but it is well-written, comforting, and,as a story, lingers with you for much longer than you might expect. Perhaps it only deserves 3.5 stars, but I have plumped for 4 because of that staying quality.
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by Sue Monk Kidd
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