The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

[Janet]

The ‘Blurb’

Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was just four years old. Now, at fourteen, she yearns for forgiveness and a mother’s love. Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh and unyielding father, she has only one friend, Rosaleen, a black servant.

When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily is compelled to act. Fugitives from justice, the pair follow a trail left by the woman who died ten years before. Finding sanctuary in the home of three beekeeping sisters, Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world as about the mystery surrounding her mother.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/Bagpuss/Bagpuss_Books%202007/002-2007-15-January-TheSecretLifeof.jpg

I loved this book. In fact, it only took me 3 days to read it, which is good for me these days. And I managed to get some housework done too! :p

The story is set in 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act. Lily lives in South Carolina, an area where racism is still high on the agenda. Rosaleen, who was chosen by Lily’s father to come in from his orchard to take care of Lily after her mother died, is black. She goes to register to vote, as allowed by the newly signed Act, and that is where her troubles begin…

Lily only has a few reminders of her mother. One of these is a picture of the Virgin Mary - only she’s black - an unthinkable image in the town where Lily lives. On the back of the picture is the name of a town, Tiburon, and it is to here that Lily and Rosaleen flee. Once there, Lily goes into a store and sees her black Madonna - on a honey jar label.

The storekeeper tells her where the honey is produced, and that is how she comes to find the Boatwright sisters. Here, Lily has to come to terms with the past and learn to move on. She does this with the help of the sisters… and some honey bees.

This is my January bookworms read - I think it's going to make for a good discussion!

The paperback is 374 pages long and is published by Review. The ISBN number is 0747266832.

9/10
(Read January 2007)

[Louiseog]

I read this this month and loved it.
Really enjoyed the picture it created of America in the 1960s.
I want to go and live there even though bd things happened.
Felt it had a real moral which resonated with me at the moment about getting on with it and having no regrets!

[madcow]

Sounds good, another for the TBR list!

[princessponti]

I really enjoyed this book too, although I read it a while ago and can't remember too much :( ...oh to have a brain!... I remember the wall in the back garden though for the sister that felt too much; I thought it was a wonderful idea, it really resonated with me.

When I close my eyes I can see the sisters kitchen and the little honey room out back where Lily slept (I can almost smell the honey!). Was the book quite descriptive, or am I better at recalling images rather than plot points? Bizarre! I can picture the whole house, the stream and everything, yet the plot is beyond my reach! ..sorry, I've moved away from the point to explore my own memories.. it's odd though!!

[SusanMargaret]

Yes, The Secret Life of Bees is an enjoyable book to read. I read it a few years back. Janet, have fun discussing it at your book club. Princessponti, I think you are right in that the book was descriptive, I also remember the kitchen in the sisters home. I pictured it as a bright sunny place with huge windows. Wasn't there also a section in the book where bees would come into Lily's bedroom when she lived at home with her father? Or am I thinking of another book? At any rate, The Secret Life of Bees is truely an enjoyable book.

[pontalba]

I read this awhile back, maybe a couple of years ago, and surprised myself by enjoying it. At the time it was a departure for me, and I had it for a year of so before I actually read it.
Yes, the plot is fuzzy for me now as well, but it was physically descriptive, and brought out the girl's emotions well.
Definitely a thumbs up. ;)

[Janet]

I agree, the imagery in the book was brilliant. I have such a clear picture in my mind of the Pink House, the honey house and the grounds.

It screams screenplay at me - I can definitely see it as a film.

[kernow_reader]

I read this too and loved it. Found it a charming little tale. Aren't the sisters called after months of the year eg April, May and June? Or something like that.

[Janet]

I read this too and loved it. Found it a charming little tale. Aren't the sisters called after months of the year eg April, May and June? Or something like that.
That's right, April (deceased), May, June and August.

[Purple Poppy]

Ah ha! When classic FM advertises its book review (Wed nights about 6.30pm) it uses two excerpts, the first is the Incident of the dog in the night thingy, and the second is a young girl talking about watching the bees on her bedroom wall...I wonder??
Will definately push this one up the TBR pile, although I haven't got a copy yet! That would help, wouldn't it!

PP

[Janet]

Ah ha! When classic FM advertises its book review (Wed nights about 6.30pm) it uses two excerpts, the first is the Incident of the dog in the night thingy, and the second is a young girl talking about watching the bees on her bedroom wall...I wonder??
"At night I would lie in bed and watch the show, how bees squeezed through the cracks of my bedroom wall and flew circles around the room, making a propeller sound, a high pitched zzzzzz that hummed along my skin..."

Certainly sounds like the same thing. :)

[Purple Poppy]

Thats it!! Oh great. I kept wondering what it was. I must get that book. Going onto Green met to search.
Thanks Janet!!:friends0:

[Renniemist]

I once had a wasp nest in the loft. They managed to squeeze through cracks and vents into my bedroom. I was not very happy I can tell you.:(

Nevertheless because the review sounded so good I have just added The Secret Life of Bees to my wish list.:)

[princessponti]

I agree, the imagery in the book was brilliant. I have such a clear picture in my mind of the Pink House, the honey house and the grounds.

It screams screenplay at me - I can definitely see it as a film.


Me too! Definately!! ...it only takes one writer to make a screenplay.. anyone?


-- the title sometimes gets substituted in my head to become The Secret Life of Peas.. I'm thinking that maybe this story wouldn't quite be so interesting. The imagery of them squeezed into the cracks in the bedroom walls doesn't quite work for me either. (think it's past my bedtime)

[Purple Poppy]

Princessponti said

-- the title sometimes gets substituted in my head to become The Secret Life of Peas.. I'm thinking that maybe this story wouldn't quite be so interesting. The imagery of them squeezed into the cracks in the bedroom walls doesn't quite work for me either. (think it's past my bedtime)


LOL. They'd probably turn black and start humming too!!:lol:

[princessponti]

LOL. They'd probably turn black and start humming too!!:lol:


:lol: :lol: they probably would!! :lol: :lol:

[Gyre]

Sounds good, I am taking of note of the title.


:mrgreen:

[mrstrecool]

This is on my TBR pile. I got it free in a magazine last year. Don't you just love it when magazines give away books?!

[Purple Poppy]

LOL I had to restrain Kell yesterday cos she caught sight of a magazine with a free book! (She isn't allowed any more books at the moment)...she thought if she got it free...:lol: ;)

Bless her!

[Gyre]

I added this book to my wish list on amazon...:mrgreen:

[princessponti]

I added this book to my wish list on amazon...:mrgreen:

..an aside..

...why don't random strangers buy me things from my amazon wish list? I'm sure that this is what it should be for, not just a holding camp for books before I can afford to buy them! *mental note* must find forum for generous rich people and start schmoozing

[Janet]

..an aside..

...why don't random strangers buy me things from my amazon wish list? I'm sure that this is what it should be for, not just a holding camp for books before I can afford to buy them! *mental note* must find forum for generous rich people and start schmoozing
:lol: Good plan!

[princessponti]

...let us compare notes for a coordinated attack! I'm sure we'll get more booty that way!! :D

[Janet]

I agree, the imagery in the book was brilliant. I have such a clear picture in my mind of the Pink House, the honey house and the grounds.

It screams screenplay at me - I can definitely see it as a film.
Well, blow me! (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416212/) :mrgreen:

[princessponti]

O wow!! Good hunting Bagpuss! ...not sure what I make of Dakota Fanning as Lily, she looks too young to me; maybe her picture is deceiving!

[Gyre]

I ordered this from Amazon the other day,another book for the TBR pile...:mrgreen:

[Purple Poppy]

My copy of The Secret Life of Bees arrived this morning, with Maus! I have so many books that I'm dying to read that I think I need to turn into a hermit!

Pp

[Ronny]

I read Secret Life of Bees, last year for my library book club (oh, how I miss it) and really enjoyed it. I agree that it was a very easy story to picture in your head. The descriptions were perfect, not too much but just enough.

I have the Mermaid Chair on my TBR list, has anyone read it?

[princessponti]

I read Secret Life of Bees, last year for my library book club (oh, how I miss it) and really enjoyed it. I agree that it was a very easy story to picture in your head. The descriptions were perfect, not too much but just enough.

I have the Mermaid Chair on my TBR list, has anyone read it?


I have Mermaid Chair on the bookshelf downstairs..it is on my ever growing list!

[Janet]

Our Bookworms gave this an average score of 8.1 out of 10 last night. The second highest score after The Kite Runner, which got 9.1 out of 10!

[buzzybee]

I read this very recently but found it quite slow to get into in the beginning but once I did I really enjoyed it.

[Gyre]

I just finished 'The Secret Life of Bees' this evening and I really enjoyed it.

I found it quite slow at the beginning but I liked that, it seem to show how Lily was feeling, she was feeling down, not getting anywhere fast.

The story was excellent, a real sense of feeling amongst the characters, a very enjoyable story x

[Marilou]

I just finished 'The Secret Life of Bees' this evening and I really enjoyed it.

I found it quite slow at the beginning but I liked that, it seem to show how Lily was feeling, she was feeling down, not getting anywhere fast.

The story was excellent, a real sense of feeling amongst the characters, a very enjoyable story x
Read the Secret Life twice. I loved it so much that I read Sue Monk Kidd's next novel, the Mermaid Chair. Totally different but really soulsearching. Loved it too but I have to admit it was much different.

[princessponti]

I just finished 'The Secret Life of Bees' this evening and I really enjoyed it.

I found it quite slow at the beginning but I liked that, it seem to show how Lily was feeling, she was feeling down, not getting anywhere fast.

The story was excellent, a real sense of feeling amongst the characters, a very enjoyable story x


Yay!! I'm glad you liked it! :smile2:

[dogmatix]

PP I loved this book!!!

[rosegarden]

Just finished listening to the audio book version, loved it and loved the South Carolina accent too.

Carole
:jump:

[Inver]

:readingtwo: Another fan of the book here too. I loved it. The Mermaid Chair was really good too by the same author.:readingtwo:

[Gyre]

I loved this book so much I am refusing to part with it :lol: I might buy 'The Mermaid Chair' x

[princessponti]

I have the mermaid chair awaiting to be read over there!! :)

[Captiva Dreaming]

I loved this book -- a friend of mine sent it over from the States last year, after she read it and enjoyed it so much.
I read it cover to cover in a couple of days. It was very poignant...and at times had to wipe a tear away.

It did put me in mind of a film called *Fried Green Tomatoes* (at the Whistle Stop Cafe) - somehow -- not sure why though :) Great movie!
Maybe, it was the scene with the bees....and the bee charmer, and it was in the south.