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Summary: EXCELLENT BOOK CLUB CHOICE
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in years. Heartwarming and enjoyable. It was our Book Club choice last summer and remains a favorite that we still refer to.This is not major literature but a purely enjoyable diversion from the Classics. One I still tell friends they must read.We are waiting for the sequel or another novel from this entertaining author.
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Summary: As Good as it Gets
Review: This is an excellent book that touches on many emotions. My daughter (grown) recommended it and I enjoyed it thoroughly, as much as any recent favorite (The Lovely Bones, My Fractured Life, and Cider House Rules).
Rating: 
Summary: Good!
Review: I was, frankly, in awe of some of the bad reviews this book got. C'mon, it's not THAT bad! If one is looking for a sweet story taken at face value, what's wrong with this book?Then again, I seem to be drawn to books that take a dysfunctional situation and produces strong, happy characters, such as each and every character in this book. I like these types of stories. Many come to mind: The Book of Ruth, Before Women Had Wings, She's Come Undone just to name a few. This book perhaps wasn't on the same level of those books, but they're the same idea. And I find it hard to believe that one can't find some redeeming quality in a positive outcome. It was also a great escape story. The author did a wonderful job of describing the life of beekeeping, which I thought was fascinating. Tough life, but the sisters had great rewards from their efforts. If you tend to enjoy light, inoffensive stories and you don't have a tendancy or desire to read into something that it's not, this is a great story. If you tend to turn everything you read into a political debate, as some readers of The Secret Life of Bees seem to do, maybe you should pass this one up.
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Summary: I agree with the reader that said this book was compelling!
Review: I agree with the reader/reviewer of this book that said this book was a compelling read! You won't be disappointed!
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Summary: A Quest for Harmony in a World of Chaos
Review: Sue Monk Kidd's, The Secret Life of Bees, is a novel about growing up and a love that crosses all boundaries. The book is a thematic novel that looks at the love of family and a girl's search for her mother. Kidd made me absolutely fall in love with this book. Her development of the characters was complex, and I became emotionally attached to their actions and the outcome as the book progressed. Kidd utilizes literary techniques as she provokes the reader to examine his/her beliefs in this heart-warming novel. The Secret Life of Bees is a story in which the main conflicts reflect the time period. The work focuses on the ideas of racism and skin color. It is placed within the state of South Carolina during the 1960's, directly after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. During this period of time, whites were still dominant and many laws against discrimination were not enforced. The events that take place in this novel are a reflection of that fact. Yet another demonstration of the time period is the technique of regionalism. It is heavily shown, as many of the dialects mirror the culture in the South. These regionalist characteristics are demonstrated as well through the action that occurs in the plot. Kidd begins the book by introducing the reader to the main character. Lily, a 16-yr old girl, has lost her mother and despises her father. The action and suspense are quickly elevated, as Lily runs away from her controlling father, T-Ray. Lily then breaks her African-American nanny, Rosaleen, out of jail, as Rosaleen has disrespected the white men in town and been arrested. Lily and her nanny formulate a plan to go to Tiburon, SC, in pursuit of any ties that her mother may have had in that town. Upon her arrival to Tiburon, however, her findings do not meet her expectations.. As Lily and Rosaleen struggle to find their way, they stumble upon a clue which leads them to the home of August Boatwright. Lily describes the scene when she says, "The woman [August] moved along a row of white boxes that bordered the woods beside the pink house, a house so pink it remained a scorched shock on the back of my eyelids after I looked away" (67). Lily and Rosaleen are soon taken in by three unique African-American sisters, August, June and May. Lily is inspired by these three, especially August, who teaches Lily to question everything as she finds out who she truly is. After an eventful summer at the sisters' home, the book closes as Lily's learns the truth about her mother. Lily describes her decision to move on when she says, "This is the moment I remember clearest of all - how I stood in the driveway looking back at them. I remember the sight of them standing there waiting. All these women, all this love, waiting" (299). The book ends as Lily realizes the importance of learning to love and forget what has been in her past. Sue Monk Kidd's novel is very effective. Not only does this book entertain, it forces the reader to look deeper at the heart of the book and examine the true issues at hand. The themes of racism, loneliness, family, and unconditional love are addressed continuously. From Lily's escape to her final release of emotions, she discovers the value in having a family who loves her, even if there is no blood-relation. Racism is continually addressed through the treatment and discrimination imposed upon African-Americans by the whites. This causes the reader to examine the thought provoking issues of racism and to determine if the behaviors are ethical. Pictures of loneliness are clearly illustrated in the early parts of the novel, in which Lily's painful memories and struggles to make it through without her family cause the reader to recognize and empathize with the loneliness which she experiences. Family and unconditional love are woven together in the love shown by the sisters towards Lily in their willingness to take her in and to make her feel apart of their family. The use of literary techniques also helps make understanding easier for the reader. Kidd's organization and casual, informal style emphasizes the persona of the book. Lily's speech reflects that of a 16-yr old girl. For example, when Lily is describing her hopes of reuniting with her mother she says, "I would meet her saying, 'Mother, forgive. Please forgive,' and she would kiss my skin till it grew chapped and tell me I was not to blame" (3). Kidd's use of syntax helps develop Lily's character in that it creates a protagonist that is straightforward for the reader to relate to. From that, she effectively creates a plot that intertwines the main struggles of the time period with a girl's search for love. Overall, I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone. This story draws the reader in through Kidd's writing style that forces the reader to become active and to examine his/her beliefs. The deep themes which she develops serve not only as guides to the story, but even further as challenges for the reader in regards to their own life. Sue Monk Kidd's, The Secret Life of Bees, is a highly compelling story of the quest of a young lady to uncover the life of her beloved mother and ultimately of her discovery of a love that shatters all boundaries.
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Summary: What a wonderful story!!!
Review: I am from the deep piney woods of East Texas, I also am white. I have known and do know people black and white just like the ones in this story. The fact of the matter is that black people were treated like this (which was wrong) and some of thim did live just as is portrayed in the book. I felt like I was sitting in the parlor with the Daughters and their hats wanting to be a part of that friendship. I have to admit that I was a little troubled about how Mary had replaced our savior Jesus Christ but over all I loved the book.
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Summary: Just How Hard DO African Americans Have to Work?
Review: I found this book to be repugnant on so many levels it's difficult for me to begin. Giving new meaning to the term "magical Negro" the book follows the misdadventures of a motherless white girl as she meanders through the deep south of the 60's. She is rescued from her personal history of a depressed mom and abusive dad by the most stereotypical African American women this side of Gone with the Wind. I guess cleaning houses, getting denied decent jobs and dealing with virulent racism isn't enough of a challenge for these women in Kidd's eyes. They get to work overtime to harbor a teenage white girl as she searches for her "inner mother". This book left me wishing that MY inner mother had spoken up soon enough to save me a wasted $12.95.
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Summary: Great Read
Review: Wow. I just finished this book last night. This is a great story about love, racism, family, growing up, feminism, and faith. Basically everything that could be stuffed in. I think that the author really explores all of these issues in her diverse characters. Lily's journey to finding her niche really is touching and the almost-too-perfect way that things come together at the end nevertheless makes you feel really good inside. The simple storytelling style, detailed description of beekeeping, and the archetypal emotions and experiences however, make it seem very real and close to home.
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Summary: It Will Keep You Interested
Review: "The Secret Life of Bees" doesn't blow you away with symbolism like "The Da Vinci Code" and it doesn't make you squirm in your seat with addiction like "My Fractured Life." "The Secret Life of Bees" is an old fashioned story. Think along the lines of "To Kill A Mocking Bird." Just because it doesn't capture you with graphic images or fast lane twists doesn't make it any less vital than WOW books like Da Vinci and Fracture Life. Bees will keep you interested, if not addicted, and fulfill you when you are done.
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Summary: What a disappointment
Review: After having this book recommended to me so many times, I finally got it. What a disappointment! This coming of age novel doesn't even come close to the quality of the books it has been compared to -- say, Elizabeth Berg's Katy Nash series, Kay Gibbon's Ellen Foster, or Connie Mae Foweler's "Before Women Had Wings." It seems to me like maybe Kidd is trying too hard be that kind of writer. If so, she's widely missing the mark.
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