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Summary: The Secret Life of Bees (CD version)
Review: Not only is this an artfully crafted book with an absorbing story and lyrical writing, but on the unabridged CD version, it is beautiful to listen to. Narrator, Jenna Lamia's voice transports you into the scenes and is perfectly suited to the main characters.
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Summary: Excellent Book Club Read
Review: I read this book as a member of a book club and absolutely loved it. Our group likes a good read which also weaves in facts that you wouldn't otherwise know/learn about (i.e., Memoirs of a Geisha) - this is perfect. Not only do you read a great tale of a young girl searching for the truth behind her mother's death, but you get a glimpse into the racial tensions in the 1960s as well as a bit of bee harvesting! A quick, well-written novel you will want to read straight through.
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Summary: Book of the year!
Review: The charecters in this book will keep you engaged from start to finish. Long after you finish the book you will actually miss them! I wanted more of Lily, T. Ray, and Rosaleen. And how could you forget the 'Calendar Sisters' in August, May and June! A brilliant story and originality make this one of the books of the year...easily!
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Summary: My new favorite book
Review: This book is so full of wisdom and is beautifully written. It is also a page-turner. I simply could not read it fast enough and now want to go back and start over. I loved it that much. It is an inspiration. Not since the Ya-Ya's has a book touched me like this.
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Summary: One of those memorable books that changes you
Review: Reading this book helped me to remember that love can transform even the deepest wounds. The Black Mary in the story leaves unforgettable images in my mind. Only a writer who has absorbed an incredible storehouse of knowledge about life could have written this. The characters are eccentric and delicious. The setting vibrates with truth. The plot dazzles you with its unexpected twists and turns. Black Mary will remain in my heart forever, just as the "calendar" sisters will. They are archtypes of everyday people we encounter. Those healers-of-our-hearts who arrive unexpectedly to guide us to a higher knowledge. The wailing wall especially touched me. Yes, the pain the world suffers hits some of us especially hard, but nature, the rocks in the wall accepting all that grief, and the river that embraced the lost...the bees...Damn! This was a good book. The kind I return to again and again whenever I need to renew my faith in the human spirit, to realize that something "out there" leads us all to our own Tiburons. Thank you Sue Monk for such a wonderful adventure...from the first page to last, I could hardly breath because I was so awed by the beauty you mapped.
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Summary: a good read
Review: I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but I loved it. Ms KIdd's writing reminds me of Elizabeth Berg. Here we have Lily who has a mean father, no mother and runs away from it all. I think the last paragraph of the book is the best.I think the author did an excellent job of showing us how different blacks and whites were treated. I can just imagaine Roseleen practicing writing her name. I loved May's wall. perhaps we all need a wall like that when life gets too hard. I hope that somewhere, somehow Lily and Zach get together. I would have loved to live with those ladies. How wonderful for Lily to find all that love in her search for her mother.
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Summary: A memorable, piercing read
Review: I will not give a mini book review; others have done far better than I. Instead, I wish to note the impact of this book on me. Once in a blue moon, someone like Sue Monk Kidd can weave a tale of the fragile heart of teenage girls and create a story that pierces our hearts and minds. She has done what few writers can do...made me cry...tears of sadness for Lily and tears brought on by the sheer gentleness of May and August and the struggle of heart within June. I especially loved the way she surrounded her story with the secret lives of bees and their fragile existence as well. Finally, I could almost feel the love that August had for Lily lift straight from the pages of the book. It was as though the bees had flown around me as well and embraced the teenage girl in all of us. The Boatright sisters give me hope that a world like this could really exist. I love May for her wailing wall, August for her gentle heart, and June for her ability to grow. I thank you, Sue Monk Kidd, for a wonderful story.
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Summary: What is the hype about?
Review: ok. This was a decent read. No more. if you've read stuff by Maya angelou, toni morrison, etc then you end up feeling like a lot of the language and events are just a teensy weensy bit a copy of something that you've read before. The coincidences didnt work for me and I'm sorry to say I skimmed the last two thirds. No big surprises. Some nice images and writing but nothing to get all worked up about.
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Summary: Amazing Book - pure genius writing!
Review: This book absolutely captured me. Having not been born until just after the civil rights movement it gave me a unique perspective on what transpired during that time. The way Ms. Kidd writes just draws you into her characters and makes you fall in love with them. August Boatwright and her relationship with Lily provide a real lesson in unconditional love well worth remembering. May's extreme emotional sensitivity emphasizes the deep pain and suffering of the time. I highly recommend this book to people of all ages and races. It is something that will stay with me for a long time.
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Summary: Fabulous Book
Review: This is Lily's story, a 14 year old growing up in South Carolina during much social upheaval in the 1960's. From the very first page, I knew that this would be a great read. Lily is longing for a mother's love and gets more than she bargained for when she meets with the beekeeping sisters, May, June and August. Each one teaches Lily something different about herself; strength, love, compassion. Rosaleen and the Daughters of Mary are also wonderful characters in Lily's life who help to teach her life's hardest lessons. This book is about love and forgiveness and one girl's journey to find herself and her inner strength. Ms. Kidd has told a heartwarming story with amazing insight and truly lyrical writing. This book is not to be overlooked.
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