Rating: 
Summary: Can't keep a "Secret..."
Review: I discovered this book through a co-worker. She lent it to me in exchange for lending her a copy of "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham. When she gave me the book, I had never heard of it, although the author's name did sound vaguely familiar. (I discovered later that Sue Monk Kidd used to be a regular contributor to "Guidepost" magazine, which my mother subscribed to when I was growing up.) I wasn't particularly enthused by the book - until I opened it up and started to read. I was instantly hooked, and I read it using every spare moment I had until I finished it. The novel is not "chick-lit" as some have described it; rather, it is a universal and timeless story. I am a 34 year old male and was touched again & again by Kidd's choice of phrasing and by her powerful narrative. This book made me fall in love with reading again.
Rating: 
Summary: Not THAT great
Review: I had heard that this was a wonderful book. It was an "ok" read but not on my list of "must reads". There just weren't enough things going on.When the book ended - I was still waiting on it to begin...
Rating:
Summary: At last a Non-Sappy "chick" book
Review: I usually can't stand female bonding books, but this one is different. Without giving too much away, the book centers on Lily, a young girl being raised by her emotionally withdrawn and often abusive father on a peach farm in the south in the sixties. Lily is an outcast, whose only real friend is the black housekeeper who has been looking after her since her mother died.The bees that Lily finds flying around her bedroom and a racially motivated incident inspire Lily to embark on a journey to discover the truth about what happened to her mother. The journey takes Lily to a honey farm, and sisters August, June and May, who become Lily's family, giving her the love and strength she needs to confront her past while teaching her to care for the fierce but delicate bees in August's care. This novel is beautifully crafted, skillfully using technical information about bees and honey-making as a metaphor for Lily's search for the truth. Although there is an undercurrent of the racial tensions that were so prominent in the south during the sixties, the story here is really about family and what it means to belong and to accept. It's rare to find coming of age type stories with female protagonists, and this one has five, along with a wonderful mix of the male characters who round out Lily's world. As I read it, I found myself admiring Kidd's skill at weaving a good yarn while filling her book with emotion of the non-tear-jerking kind. This is the best first novel I've read in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: oh paleese!
Review: Although this was a charming story, I found myself saying "oh please" too many times. It was too sappy to be believable. I don't understand how some reviewers would want to follow the characters lives in a sequel. I was glad to have them gone. On another note: I'm reading "The Red Tent", am 1/2 way thru and it is *fantastic*! I don't want it to end! :)
Rating:
Summary: really wonderful
Review: Everyone in my book club loved this novel. We do two books at a time, and this one was paired with THE SONG READER by Lisa Tucker, another great book. Try them both for a lively discussion! Betty Long
Rating:
Summary: I read this twice, loaned it out and want it back!
Review: The title of this book put me off...too bad..but I ended up reading it and now it's one of my favorite books. I love the story of people who have compassion for each other and who dare to be the people that they should be. It was both sad and happy and it made me feel sad to know that most abused kids don't get to leave their situations and to fall into a life of being loved/ It could be a beautiful film...
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: I loved this book. Luminous writing with a whimsical feel and yet a touch of the harsh realities of childhood and growing up. very recommended
Rating:
Summary: Great book to listen to
Review: I spend an hour a day driving to and from work so I recently decided to spend it listening to books. I chose this one because a review on the back of audio version said it was even better to hear this book than to read it. Well, I haven't read it so I can't attest to how good that would be, but I do agree that it was a beautiful book to listen to. I'm very selective about southern fiction because I find too many of them patronizing; but Kidd did an excellent job of staying true to the characters without making them cartoon-like. The reader was believably southern, but did not push the accent too far. Her adjustments in voice for different characters was consistent and as her voice changed even slightly, I knew which character was beginning to speak. As I listened, I felt like I was sitting in a theater with Lily telling me her story from the stage. It is a wonderful story, well written, with very endearing characters.
Rating:
Summary: I could not put this book down!
Review: I thoughly enjoyed "The Secret Life of Bees". Sue Monk is a gifted writer. I laughed, I cried, I felt as though I began to know these wonderful women. I'm looking forword to reading more of her work! I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Okay.
Review: Disappointed. I found the first 20-30 pages of this book to be riveting and deeply touching. Then I perceived the story to become very predictable, preachy, cliched. By the end, I was merely enduring and looking forward to the last page. I found it bothersome that the Southern white characters were largely portrayed as being one dimensional, dimwitted bigots while the black Southern characters were universally portrayed as long-suffering, flawless, uplifting people. A bit sophomoric and simplistic, no? And the author strained too hard to make the connection between bee and human behavior. The author seemed to start with a premise--the similarities between bees and humans--and would often go to absurd lengths to connect the two.
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