Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read for Mothers & Daughters, Dads and Sons Too
Review: "...Bees" tells the story of Lily Owen, age 14, living on a peach farm in the South when the Civil Rights Act is passed. Told in the first person, we quickly learn that her mother is dead and her father is...complicated. What I really loved is how poignantly and accurately Ms. Kidd captured the tortures of adolescence, of trying to fit in with one's peers, which is never easy and for Lily, nearly impossible. My favorite line is when Lily, describing high school, says "I might as well have had a sign stapled to my back stating 'I AM NOT POPULAR AND NEVER WILL BE.' " The book is divided between filling in the back story (why did the mother die? How?) and what happens after Lily leaves home. It is funny, sad, suspenseful. The writing is lucid and elegant. Truly one of the best books I've read in years.
Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: Lily's innocent and untainted view of the world is the underlying theme of here life-changing adventure. The author takes the complex world of the segregationist South and turns it upside down in an enchanting book that my 25-year-old book club buddies enjoyed as much as my 70-year-old mother did. With the same power and conviction as "towanda" in Fried Green Tomatoes, August leads her beehive through many of life's difficult times.
Rating:
Summary: This is one book that hit the mark!
Review: This was a fun book to read. The story and characters were believable, a little larger than life of course, but to me that makes a good novel. I liked the characters I was supposed to like, I disliked the characters I was supposed to dislike, and I UNDERSTOOD THEIR MOTIVATION which is sooooo lacking in many other novels I have read recently.I also enjoyed the first person narrative -- it worked in this book and made it charming! A fast, memorable read that I wholehearted recommend. Although more geared to women, I believe that men will enjoy the story as well. READ THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read!!
Review: This book is a wonderfully heartwarming story. It is so colorful with amazing characters. A true tribute to women. So many good messages. I highly reccomend this succulant story.
Rating:
Summary: Let it Envelope You
Review: I felt wrapped up in Southern Comfort while reading this book. The strength of the language and sheer heart of the story will take you in. If you have enjoyed books like "Ellen Foster," "How to Make an American Quilt," and "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood" I think you will feel at home with this work.
Rating:
Summary: A TOUCHING STORYABOUT A GIRL IN SEARCH OF FAMILY LOVE
Review: WOW! This is a story about a girl in the 1960's, during the Civil Rights Act. I could not put this book down! Kidd has done an excellent job on this fantastic novel, and I plan to read more of her's. I would reccommend this to anyone from 13, to above and beyond! Lily Owens has run away from home. Reason? She has just broken her black nanny out of jail, she has an abusive father, and is in search of the history of her dead mother's past. She ends up on a bee-raising "farm," with three black old maids. Secrets of her Mother are revealed as she stays with these ladies, and parts in her she discovers along the way. I loved this book sooo much! I would put it at the top of the New York Bestseller's list in no time if I were the judge!! READ THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming and Uplifting
Review: I laughed, I cried, and I felt joy reading this book. I've passed it on to several friends, they've in turn bought it as gifts for their daughters (or mothers), and I recommend it every chance I can. This is a book about mothers, daughters, loss and hope. Hope reigns triumphant in this delightfully written novel. The protagonist, Lily, is a girl in a bad situation but her spunk and drive erase any trace of woe-is-me that might be found in other books on a similar subject. The cast of characters in this heartwarming book will delight you, enlighten you, and make you wish you could spend your days with them. Kidd should write far more fiction; I'll be lined up waiting for her next novel. I read to senior citizens every week and I just finished reading the entire book to them (a chapter at a time) and they were mesmerized and delighted with the book. Each week they could hardly wait for the next instalment to be read. Read it to someone you care about. Enjoy! (btw, it's a great gift book for any mother or daughter)
Rating: 
Summary: Too Much Honey, Honey
Review: Sue Monk Kidd writes beautifully about dreams, and this novel is one, long dream. It held my attention and pulled me into its little world, but after I finished it, I felt rooked. Nothing about the characters or the situation feels natural and real; all is forced and artificial. From the poor white-trash girl with the sadistic daddy to the African-American sisters, named for months of the year, running a honey farm in rural South Carolina, who seem to dispense home-made wisdom with each jar of their home-made nectar -- all during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1964 -- good golly miss Molly! This is, I can fairly say, didactic writing at its absolutely most delightful. So if you don't mind being hit over the head with BIG IDEAS while reading a sentimental story about the enduring power of Womankind, then this book is for you. I expect more from a novel than a big hug and a good cry.
Rating:
Summary: You must read this book!
Review: This is one of the most wonderful books I've ever read. As cliche' as it may sound it really will make you laugh, cry and fall in love with the characters. It's such a beautiful story about a young girl/woman's journey and teaches you so much about love, friendship, family, forgiveness, joy and loss. I recommend it to all women.
Rating: 
Summary: A Lifetime original movie?
Review: This book is one of the most cliche-ridden books I've ever read. The coming-of-age teen girl. The african-american wisdom. The abusive Southern father. New-age take on old religions. Hugs. Crying. Funerals and weddings. All in a Southern summer. Other books have taken these cliches and done great things. That's what made them cliches. Our author, however, has given us a book so unoriginal, so cloyingly sweet, as to dull the palate and the senses. If you need some heart-warming fluff, and can hold your breath long enough, by all means, read this book. Otherwise, read anything else. Also, the author was undoubtedly writing the screenplay at the same time she was writing this book. I'm sure the movie rights are signed and sealed by now. And Oprah will play the part of August, a role she was born for. Yes, it's one of those kinds of books.
| 
