Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: Agree with 22snappy Review: I haven't yet finished this book, but I thought I'd write my mid-way impression. The problems I have with it are as follows: 22snappy makes some good points about the cliched sort of tounge and cheek condescending views the author has for black people. Perhaps this was not her intention, but the whole "mystical negro" woman thing is really PC & cliched. Also, the use of the Virgin Mary as the Queen Bee is a bit heavy handed. Althouh I'm not religious, I felt the constant reference to it as being the closest thing to a "safe" anchor. In other words, since Kidd is writing about racism in the 1960's south, she needs to be very selectful at what she says & how it's said. For the mass audience, this will not offend because the majority of people who read this will be white. Black people, however, might feel diffrently, and rightfully so. On the good hand, Kidd has some intresting descriptions of things and her lead character can make some insightful observations. The Zach character is written very well & is his own person, not some cliched "negro boy". The other women the lead character spends time with are somewhat well developed & the use of the bee metaphor for the lives of women (although it has been done before & is nothing new- see Plath)is also handled well for what it is. Although I can't be more specific (since I haven't finished the book yet) my only last criticism would be that Lily does not really talk like a 14 year old. I would have liked to see more slang coming from her- you know- more stuff that 14 year olds say. I have trouble buying her young age. And if some readers wonder why I "trash" most books I review- it's because frankly, there isn't that much good stuff being published. This book is better than most, but is still limited in its chances & risk taking.A day later- I have finished the book & was dissapointed in how Kidd chose to end it. The metaphors are over explained & in the end just turns out to be another sappy mother daughter bonding book. There were moments where I just wanted to cringe (you must find the mother inside of you, August says when explining how the colony of bees will die if the queen/mother is dead )- pulleeze! I was glad that T.Ray stayed the loser that he was & that it was not the happy ending where she ends up with Zach & T.Ray sees the error of his ways. On the other hand, why do books like these feel the need to constantly have this big underlying "secret"? Regardless of murder/rape/incest etc- it reminded me a bit of "Shipping News" where everyone has a melodramatic secret. This isn't reality because in real life people only wish they had great secrets behind them to make up for thier vapid existence. Overall, I think this story had some real potential & is even "likeable" but the problems I have with how some of Kidd's technique falls I still stand behind 100%
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Fast easy read Review: This was a book that I could not put down. If you love to see the barriers of color breaking down in history this is a good book. I do have to say that I wish there was more to the book. It ended way to fast I think there was so much more to this story that could have been told. But all and all I think it was a good read. Not disappointed at all.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Don't miss this book!!! Review: Just a quickie to balance the recent negative reviews: I'd about like to shout from the rooftops about this book! One of the best "feel good" books I've read. It is incredibly wise, highly intriguing and filled with the best kind of motherly love. Having been "taken in" (so to speak) by colorful black women while growing up, I didn't have a problem with the likelihood of Lily (especially alongside her black friend) being taken in by these black women. Besides, it's a book! where wonderful and beautiful things can happen - and that's kind of the point. This book is about acceptance, the awesome and powerful bond of women and of women's amazing wisdom and capacity to love and nurture. Period. Some of it's a bit quirky but just go for the ride, look out for a couple of potholes but don't let that stop you from enjoying the scenery! I don't think (the majority of) you will be at all disappointed.
Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: Skip this one! Review: Totally agree with 22snappy's review. The novel is contrived and, once you get past the (admittedly interesting) beginning, doesn't have an original thought. The religious and racial fetishism is overdone and unbelievable. Lily is ultimately a character it's hard to care about, and her black 'mothers' do not ring true at all. This book was read by our mother-daughter book club (girls are aged 11-14) and trounced on by all. Too bad it doesn't live up to its fabulous hype!
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Couldn't put it down Review: I'm going to keep this short. LOVED IT! I couldn't put it down...I grew up in the South and could relate to just about everything in this book. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, bringing back good and bad memories of life in those times.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Civil Rights Era Review: It was kind of refreshing to read about interracial circumstances. Although a fairly short read, the charcters were interesting enough to keep it entertaining. Some of it was a bit cheesy in my opinion, but that's all it is, my opinion. Overall I enjoyed it.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: OceanLover Review: I was leant this book by a friend and found myself absorbed by the story. The writing is so gentle and beautiful that it truly moved me. I highly recommend the book and even suggested for my book group for this month.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: A pleasant read Review: This book grew on me, though the initial racial incident which sets the plot in motion struck me (and several other members of my book group) as absurdly improbable. The beekeeping metaphor is intriguing but at times a bit forced. The characters are quirky and endearing, but not terribly believable. The evil father of the protagonist, in particular, is more a cartoon than a character. I have read much better treatments of the civil rights era, the parallels between humans and the insect world, and the solidarity of women. I have read books in which the characters were infinitely more complex and interesting. The part of the book that I found convincing was the intense longing of the central character for her mother, whose untimely death leaves her with only a handful of memories and objects around which to reconstruct the past. Her nostalgia for a parent she hardly knew was palpable and deeply moving, and made me appreciate the gift of having known one's parents.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Not far from true life Review: The Secret Lives of Bees is a page turner. Lovely story set in the South. Some reviews mention that black women are portrayed unrealistically. But I disagree. For that time period, and with racism, lack of education for black women, it was very sad but true to life. Rosaleen was an example of a poorer black labor worker on a peach farm. I don't feel the author tried to portray her as a "mammy" character. It would have been totally unrealistic if Rosaleen were portrayed tha way some reviewers would have liked. I felt some parts of the book were a little drawn out. The honey ritual with Mary for instance.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: The only book that I may like better than Harry Potter Review: "The Secret Life Of Bees" is comprised of beautiful imagery, similies, and metaphors. It tells the story of a motherless girl who lives with her highly abusive father and nanny, named Lily. A little bit into the book, Lily decides to run away and brings her nanny Rosaleen with her. She's headed for Tiburon, South Carolina: the city that may hold the key to her mother's mysterious past. Lily and Rosaleen end up in the home of three black bee-keeping sisters. August is the wisest, June is the most uptight (until later, when she lightens up), and May is the most...eccentric. Several whites in the town are surprised that this white girl is living with a bunch of coloreds, and don't really like it. Things also kinda fall out of hand when Lily finds herself falling in love with the young male beekeeper, Zach Taylor. This book showed me how to respect my life, and how I shouldn't take small things for granted. Every time I see a bee now, instead of flailing my arms and running in the complete opposite direction like a maniac, I feel calm and truly know that it's not out to murder me. While reading some of this reviews, I noticed that several people are offended by the language used in this book. Let me tell you something: this has almost the LEAST amount of cursing I have ever read in a recent book (any of you ever read Of Mice And Men? Every other word is a curse, almost). But Back to the point: this book has really helped me shape my life. As I got further and further into the book and more and more attatched to the characters, I felt the need to keep reading get stronger and stronger. Once I woke up at 2:30 in the morning and started to read (I spent about ten minutes trying to find a flash-light). I seriously recommend this book to any living person.
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