Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd is an extraordinary storyteller. In "The Secret Life of Bees," she explores a young girl's search for the truth about her mother; her courage to tear down racial barriers; and her joy as she claims her place within a community of women. "Beautifully written."--Ursula Hegi, author of "The Vision of Emma Blau."

The Secret Life of Bees

A fourteen-year-old girl and her maid flee from her abusive father into the welcoming arms of the proprietors of Black Madonna Honey Co.

Laura Wilson

“It is the particular nature of the world to go on spinning no matter what sort of heartbreak is happening.”

August reached over and touched Zach's arm. She said, "Well. now, I guess I could say if l'd told May from the beginning about you getting arrested, instead of keeping it from her, none of this would've happened. Or if l'd stopped May from going out to the wall that night, none of this would've happened. What if I hadn't waited so long before going out there and getting her. She looked down at May's body. "It was May who did it, Zach." I was afraid, though, the blame would find a way to stick to them. That's how blame was.

“I don’t know if that’s what he wanted to ask me, but it’s something everybody wants - for someone to see the hurt done to them and set it down like it matters. “

“You know, some things don’t matter that much, Lily. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the over all scheme of life? But lifting a persons heart - now, that matters.”

Now in paperback comes the intoxicating debut novel of "one motherless daughter's discover of ... the strange and wondrous places we find love" ("The Washington Post"). Sue Monk Kidd's ravishing work is set in South Carolina in 1964.

The  secret life of bees

Merry Rudinger

This is the closest I can be to a religious book. Grateful for a hopeful time reading this. 

Tina Villarete

I really loved this one! A librarian recommended it to me when I asked for something escapist. I wouldn’t have necessarily picked it up on my own, but it ended up really tickling all the right places. It’s a coming of age story set in the American South, about a girl who fills the hole left by her dead mother through living with three eccentric black women. It covers both whimsical elements and serious topics exceptionally well. Highly recommend!

sage

Secret Life of Bees

Amelia C 

i found myself shedding tears on the metro whilst reading this book! quick read...

Sarah Sammis

With the film adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees in theaters right now the internet is awash in reviews of both the book and the film. I swear I didn't plan my review based on current events! Sometimes though, things just work out that way.

With it's 1964 South Carolina setting the novel takes its place with other emotionally charged books: The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, and the nonfiction Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley. While the book shares similar themes and historical points of interest, Kidd's novel is far more up-beat.

Of course the novel isn't one long happy string of events, how could it be when story centers around a teenage girl trying to find the secret of her mother's life while trying to escape from her abusive father? There is also the on going theme of tolerance in the face of societal bigotry. Despite all of these heavy themes, the three beekeeping sisters: August, June and May and their love for each other as a family and their unconditional welcoming of Lily and Rosaleen, bring a warmth and tenderness to this book and help put human faces on a rough piece of American history.

The book isn't though just about the year of the Civil Rights Act. It's also about beekeeping. Each chapter begins with a quote from one of a short list of famous beekeeping references. Of course these snippets play into the human drama. Read the quotes before the chapter begins to get a feel for what is coming next and to learn a thing or two about bees.

As fate would have it, I started the novel the day after the second season of Pushing Daisies aired. The first new episode was called "Bzzzzzzzzz!" and has a bee house (although greatly exaggerated) as Lily describes her bedroom in the opening chapter. With that odd connection in my mind, I was forever picturing the novel in the over done fashion of Pushing Daisies.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the novel start to finish. Even if you have no plans to see the film adaptation, go read the book.

Briar's Reviews

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a unique, historical fiction that will take you back in time and allow you to learn about bees.

This book was weird for me. I would go a few chapters and be totally immersed and obsessed with it, and then a few more chapters I'd be bored, sad or just uninterested. I'm not sure why either. Sue's writing is lovely and can transport you away. I feel like the problem with this book is that it's a bit of a coming of age story mixed with historical fiction mixed with a potential YA romance. There were times the book drifted away from a story of a girl learning about her past and herself to a bit of a wannabe romance. That little part stood out to me because it felt like it didn't belong. It took me out of the story.

I really wanted to read a historical fiction book and people kept talking about it, so I grabbed this one. I also heard it was a movie so I figured, read the book first? Why not? 

The best parts about this book tends to be about the bees or May, June and August. I was intrigued by their characters and was really hurt by some of the endings for them. Those women were unique and had an interesting story to tell. There's a part of me that wanted the girl's tale and the women's tales separate. There was just too much going on and too many stories that needed to be told.

I think this book is going to be really niche for some readers. Some people will love it and some people will absolutely hate it. There is charm there, but you need to like certain forms of writing to really dig it. I like fast paced books with lots of meaning and not as much random. This book didn't fit my normal read. I'm glad I read it because I do think it was a good story with lots of cool parts, but it just wasn't a good fit for me! Hopefully the next reader who picks up my copy will enjoy it!

Two out of five stars.

Jessica Hische

After her mother's death, Lily Owens and her African-American maid seek refuge from the racism of their South Carolina hometown with eccentric beekeeping sisters in this coming of age story representing the letter “K” in a new series of twenty-six collectible editions.

Sam 🌙

I might be 14 years late to this party but wow, what a fantastic book! It's rare that I give a five star review but this was a no-brainer. There was love, loss, romance, family, racial issues and bees which made for a thoroughly endearing and emotional read. My only complaint is that I didn't come across this book sooner, my teenage self could have gotten a lot out of it.

It starts with a bang, quite literally, and pulls you straight into the story; eager to learn more about the circumstances leading up to the event and how Lily copes with the aftermath. There are plenty of unanswered questions which keep you interested right the way through the novel. Chapter One is also where you are first introduced to the setting, the themes and the point of view of Lily. A girl who despite all her best efforts just doesn't fit in. This is also where the author begins to weave in the parallel of bees to humans which, as a bee fan, I really enjoyed. I found myself feeling quite sad at Lily's circumstances here, sad that she feels all alone, abused and abandoned. There is a fire in her though and I couldn't wait for her to get away and start forging her own path, even though she was just 14. 

Probably the part of the book I could relate to the most was the central theme around Mothers. Lily has to come to terms with her own feelings around her mother much like any teenage girl; the realisation that they make mistakes and are imperfect; just like anyone. It's easy to hold our Mothers high on a pedestal of being the all-knowing; although I would say without hesitation that my Mother is almost always right! 

For me, without a doubt my favourite part of the book, is where we meet the sisters. All 3 entirely different personalities but all full of compassion and love for the others. They are at the centre of their community of women and Lily learns so much through the beekeeping and their long standing traditions. I felt like I could have been very happy being taken in by those sisters myself! Spending my days writing in a notebook, tending to the bees and eating pancakes. The sisters aren't two dimensional though, they have their own struggles and tragedies and I feel that a book could have been written on each of them.

4.5 stars

Absolutely gorgeous book. Wonderful storytelling. Sue Monk Kidd is a real magician of words

heleen de boever

A wonderful coming of age story with some strong female characters. It’s not perfect as it definitely had some pacing issues but I really enjoyed it. It’s gonna make you angry at parts, as it should, but overall great read.

Eszter H

This is a well-written book that's worth the read but you shouldn't expect too much. While there is an interesting plot line, and a lot that happens along-side the plot line, it's not so much a book you would read to have fun reading but one you should read to learn. 
Whilst studying the book in school, my classmates and I have all agreed that Lily can be difficult to like at times but is an interesting character to read about nonetheless. This book allows you, the reader, to learn about what life was like in 1964 when the Civil Rights Act was passed in America.

Beautiful story that plays with the sexism and racism experienced in 1960’s South Carolina. The power that this book has has no bounds. Very inspiring.

Anna

Arturo Hernández

A short coming of age story about grief, lost and acceptance. The plot occurs on the 60s and it deals with races in the American culture in an upfront way. It talks about love and family. The writing style is straightforward, quite refreshing.

edith w.

A wonderfully atmospheric, engaging, emotional book about racial and gendered structures in a time when women, and particularly WoC, were abhorred (even more so, that is). Our young protagonist takes us through her own very personal struggles, and those within the terrifying world she sees around her, in 1960s America. This a joyous, though harrowing, read. 

Conclusion: get yourself a copy of The Secret Life of Bees as soon as you can. You won't regret it.

Fran Lewis

I read it all in one sitting. It is a nice story about what really makes a family.

Taylor Thompson

I wanted to like this book because so many others had said how good it was. I will agree that the writing and message are very well done. What got me was that it seemed consistently slow from beginning until the last chapter where things finally picked-up (T.Ray shows up). That really is the reason why I gave this book 3 stars. Otherwise, this is a really good coming-of-age book with a great message. As someone who had their own personal issues with their mother, I definitely took away this quote with me:
"'Our lady is now some magical being out there somewhere, like fairy godmother. She's not the statue in the parlor. She's something inside of you. Do you understand what I'm telling you?'
'Our Lady is inside me,' I repeated, not sure I did.
''You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside."

At the end of the book, the version I had some review questions and the one I liked most asked: Who is the queen bee? I would have to say May. I feel a lot of people would think August, but I think May is because she exudes patience, kindness, empathy and truly wants people to be happy. I think this attitude, if not already existing in the main characters, rubs off on others and that's how they all become such enjoyable characters to read.

Jaymie Lemke

The ending felt rushed and predictable. Yawn.

Mikayla r

I flew through this despite being very busy. This was the perfect escape from the troubling times we’re in. I didn’t expect to cry, but the connections I had to each character just felt so real and alive. Each character was written perfectly- at times it felt like I was the one they were speaking to. The imagery was so rich and vivid that I now associate honey with all things lovely.

Madison

One of the best books!! Very emotional but a great read!

Mary Shaw

This is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read! The story is so heartwarming and emotional and you never want to put it down. I recommend this book to everyone I meet and cannot praise it enough!! 

Kelsi Proulx

I found this one very sad. I got quite attached to the characters and it just really pulled at my heartstrings seeing them go through so much pain! It definitely had a lot of happy moments too so that made up for it a bit. Not sure if it really lived up to the hype for me but I might just not have been in the mood to read it. Might do a reread at some point.

Carroll Lachnit

Oookie sweetums junk. I couldn't finish it.

Francesca Montagna

This book was absolutely amazing. It was the perfect mix of family, friends, and heartbreak.

Rebecca White

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - is an impactful book with a relatable protagonist who guides you through the emotional events of the book. The message is beautiful and ever-lasting. This book became easily one of my favourites - I could not put it down.

The Secret Life of Bees

Reviews

Highlights