Rating: 
Summary: Hooky
Review: I stayed home from work all day just to finish this. It was worth it. On every level, with all its complexities, this so far is my number one book for 2003.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet as Honey
Review: Lily Owens is a fourteen year old girl living in the racially charged South of the 1960's. Unlike other girls her age she carries around a deep burden that at times threatens to overcome her. Her mother died when she was four leaving her with only a pathetic handful of items including an unusual picture of a black madonna with the words Tiburon, South Carolina written on the back. Left to live with her abusive father T. Ray, Lily dreams of the times she was loved by her mother and is grateful for the only tenderness she gets from her black caretaker Rosaleen. When Rosaleen angers some white men from the town while on her way to register to vote, Lily has to think fast and both she and Rosaleen run away to escape. They go to the only place Lily can think of, Tiburon. What Lily finds is a strange pink house with the three Boatwright sisters named after the months of the year. She and Rosaleen are accepted into their home and Lily begins to learn about raising bees and the making of Black Madonna honey. It is here that Sue Monk Kidd excels so beautifully with her characterizations of the three sisters, August, June and May. It is with tenderness and longing that Lily begins to explore the emotions she has repressed because she feels loved and safe for the first time. The reader aches with Lily as she searches for a reason to feel worthy of love and to release and forgive the past. Kidd, fashions a tale about these strong woman who learn that the only way to feel nourished is to mother oneself. This novel is like taking a ride on a deliciously slow, winding river on a warm summer day. The writing is beautiful, the story is engaging and the characters are intriguing. A really enjoyable reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: What a Book!
Review: I originally bought this book for my daughter to take to music camp. I had run out of books to read so I picked this up and thought I'd read it before she took it to camp. I am so glad I did. This book makes you laugh and cry. I just loved reading about "the sisters" and their bee farm. I loved the way they accepted Lily as one of their own. It is a book that gives you hope and reminds you that people's differences can make for an exciting and interesting life.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't have to take my words
Review: I think this book should only be read by women because there are many things here that men most probably might find boring and not interesting. I finished the book because I was hoping that I might like it somewhere before the last chapter, but boy.. I was disappointed. Well, don't take my words for it, read it and see you might like it. After all, different folks like things differently. Maybe I'll try to find a book about the secret life of cockroach. I might like it better that this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Loving it...
Review: This book is a rare jewel and the only reason I didn't give it 5 starts is because I'm only on page 10, but I LOVE it! I can't imagine how the next 290 pages will be, but guaranteed I'll be up all night finding out! :)
Rating:
Summary: A Lingering Pleasure
Review: I completed The Secret Life of Bees two months ago, but have thought of it nearly every day since. It is one of those rare books that buzzes with the grace, beauty and strenth that defines humanity. If you're looking for a book that uplifts without preaching, and teaches without condescending, please pick this up!
Rating: 
Summary: Completely unoriginal.
Review: I had high hopes for this book. But I found it to be irritatingly predictable: abused and neglected white child saved by strong black women, set in times of racial strife. It felt like every other work of Southern fiction I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK
Review: I have VERY picky taste when it comes to books. When i read reviews, i think: "oh well the people who wrote these are some of the few who actually enjoyed the book", but with this book, i was enthralled by every detail, and couldn't put it down for a second! i reccomend this book to anyone, from someone my age (14)and adults. GO GET IT!
Rating:
Summary: An exquisite & poignantly written HONEY of a Southern Novel!
Review: It's an old story: Sweet young girl raised in an abusive home by a sadistic redneck father not only prevails but flourishes. It's the telling of this lovely story that has people falling in love with Lily Owens, the fourteen-year old girl who never felt loved or wanted. As a result of her journey to discover something about her mother, Lily realizes that she is not only loved, but cherished.
Sue Monk Kidd's words will tug at your heart. Certainly a gifted writer, Kidd is able to portray the deep pain and anguish people have to go through during their passage to adulthood. Her descriptions of Southern Life during the tumultuous civil rights era are incredibly haunting. I loved this book so much that I was sad when I finished it! Please Ms. Kidd, write a sequel!
Rating:
Summary: A lesson on living
Review: I LOVED this book!!! The characters entered my heart and have lingered on. The characters are wonderfully developed, the writing style is beautiful, the description of beekeeping is interesting, but most importantly, the message about familiy and living and the importance of relationships is inspiring!! Maybe I loved it because it is what I deeply believe, but I think anyone yearning for that connection will "feel" this book in their hearts.
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