The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (2003)

This was one of those books I couldn't put down. The characters were colorful and real. I laughed & cried while reading this book. I recommend it to anyone who wants to pass an afternoon with a great book!

“The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd is a coming-of-age novel set in 1964. Life in South Carolina is complicated, confusing, and frightening for the motherless Lily. In one of the novel’s most moving scenes, Lily accompanies her housekeeper, Rosaleen, when she walks proudly into town to register to vote for the first time only to be stopped. What happens on that afternoon causes Lily to question the actions of the adults around her. And to act in a way that changes everything.

The book is richly full of details about the life in the South, beekeeping, and 1964.

I just adored "The Secret Life of Bees." If you are a fan of Elizabeth Berg's fiction or her book "We Are All Welcome Here", then you'll probably love it, too!

It was a fairly good summer read. I do not care for Southern culture. I bought it to participate in a reading research project being conducted by the English Department professors at the University that I attend (which is in the South).

I liked the information about bees, from the various sources.

A real page turner. I couldn't put it down. It was recommended to me and I was glad that it was. This is a story of a child looking for herself and her place in the world and finds it in a place she didn't expect.

My daughter thanks you, she needed this book for school and it was in good condtion and fast delivery.

I bought this book to read as one of my book club's selections. I absolutely loved it! The writer really brings you into the story. I am now reading The Mermaid Chair by the same author. I love this book as well.

What a wonderful coming of age book! I really enjoyed the relationships between the women. What a wonderful way to show how women can unite and support each other. The book was a real page turner. I hated to put it down.

what an excellent book
thank you for having this book available
and for sending it so fast.
i loved the adventures that they both had
and the mystery behind the story about her mother.

This is my favorite book. I have already read it twice and I bought it so that I can read it again in the future and have it available for my children to read someday. The story is just so sweet and interesting. The main character, Lily Owens, is someone you can relate to, and you want to watch her grow up. Overall just a great, entertaining read.

Enjoyed reading and it was a quick read. Bought it because I heard a friend talk about it and because the local book club hosted by our local news station raved about it. A very entertaining tale of the life of a young girl during the civil rights era of the 1960's.

I enjoy reading books about the south being from there my self.It's a story that I know all too well about racism,cruelty and hatred.
It's redeeming in it's light and acceptance.The idea that you can live the life you never even dreamed possible.Finding acceptance in yourself as well as others.It's about balance.The good along with the bad.

I loved this book! It was a wonderful, heartwarming story. It was recommended to me by a friend and I will certainly be recommending it to others.

I bought this book for a women's spirituality course but would recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading. Not too deep or intense. References to 1960's racial tensions, various religious perspectives and coming of age issues. I didn't particularly care for the ending, but did enjoy the interview with the author at the end of the book. Overall an enjoyable book.

The book arrived in excellent condition and the owner has informed me that it has been thoroughly enjoyed.

The book was sent right away. My daughter neded it to read for her English class in high school.Thank you!

This page turner, The Secret Life of Bees, grabs the reader from page one and holds on real tight. It squeezes at your insides and tugs at your heart.
Sue Monk Kidd has written on of my favorite novels of all time. Her characters are fun, complex and jump off the pages.
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of a young Lily Owens. This crisp story evolves around her and her stand-in-mother ,Rosaleen, the trouble they get into and how they must leave town.
Rosaleen insults three racists and with Lily's help she busts out of jail and into the arms of three eccentric black beekeeping sisters, named May, June and August.
Much of Lily's story and the reason she stays with the sisters is centered around her dead mother and her quest for answers. Like many great novels before this one, the reader is taken away into world of the novel. In this case a world of bees, honey and the mysterious Black Madonna.
Lily disappoints on more than one occasion, (I found myself thinking- get over yourself (about Lily)) and then remembered she is a young child who does not understand loss, rejection and fear as much as an adult might.
The book reminds me of vacations as a youth, when you stop your worrying for a few weeks and you explored nature, life and the people who loved you- and who loved you unconditionally.
But as time passes and life goes on- the realities of life and adulthood always return- Often unlike some novels, the ending may not be so sweet and the problems seem worse when you return. This book got me through a tough time in my life and this world of Bees, Honey and Friendship shall always hold a place in my heart.
Two words - solitude and perseverance- we choose how to survive and how to look back at our own history and possibly say, "Thanks for the strength." We say it to God, The black Madonna or to anybody who will listen.

I purchased this book for my daughter's summer reading class for AP English. She is enjoying it thoroughly so far. Thanks again!

I bought this book for my wife and I because it was recommended to her by her sister.
This book was a fast read mainly because it was hard to put down. Its interest to us was magnified because it covered an era of difficult times with integration which we lived through.
Mildly adventurous and philosophical with lessons learned from the social bees,
it continually piqued our interest from start to finish.
We recommend it for family reading. It is a truly heartwarming story.

This book was a requirement for our book club. I think that it touches the soul of women and mothers. Especially those who have grown up without the blessing of having a mother to love and nourish them. It was very similar to the life that my own mother lived in some ways (without havving a mother) and it helped me to better understand the personal obstacles that she went through in her life as did the character in this book. I would definitely recommend this book for book clubs and to those who enjoy good reading.

This is a wonderful book - great story and well-written. I couldn't put it down, didn't want it to end, am hoping for a sequel. I promptly bought it for everyone on my Christmas list as well as the Mermaid Chair which I have yet to read.

And the secret is, it is a fantastic book! Warm and wonderful, the characters become your best friends! It is hard to put this book down but it is also one you don't want to rush through. I tried to savor each page. Sue Monk Kidd is an incredible writer who knows how to take us to the soul of a person and then brings us back, changed for the better. I highly recommend this as your summer read!

It was hard to put down. I've read other things from Sue Monk Kidd that I enjoyed. Very believable characters.

Excellent read! This book is phenomenal. The book was hard to put down upon the first pick up. I will keep it to read it over and over again. If you have the opportunity, grab this one!

THis bbok was fantastc. I bought it as a book club selection and this book is incredible. Not only did I learn a lot about bees, this was a great story of proud African Americans.

For Christmas of 2006 my mum bought me "The Mermaid's Chair," which I read...it was OK. She read it after I did and felt it was "OK" as well. When it ended I thought there much ado about not too much and when it ended it all I felt was, "That's it???" I didn't hate it but I wasn't moved by it either. But for some reason I decided to try "Bees" and found an inexpensive used copy for sale on Ebay. This one I let my mum read first, and she loved it so I gave it a whirl. I couldn't put it down. It is as lovely as the other one, well, isn't. It is warm and wraps itself around you like a cozy shawl. When it ended I felt as though I'd been someplace new (especially since I'm a "Yankee"/"northener" and have been all my life). This one will stay on my library shelf. I have no trouble recommending "Bees".