Details
Rent The Secret Life of Bees
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Format: Paperback, Unabridged-CD
Publisher: Penguin USA
Published: Jan 2003
Genre: Fiction - Psychological
Retail Price: $18.00
Pages: 320
Synopsis
In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their Georgia peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart's answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words 'Tiburon, South Carolina' scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. When Lily's beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of--Tiburon, South Carolina--determined to find out more about her dead mother. Although the plot threads are too neatly trimmed, The Secret Life of Bees is a carefully crafted novel with an inspired depiction of character. The legend of the Black Madonna and the brave, kind, peculiar women who perpetuate Lily's story dominate the second half of the book, placing Kidd's debut novel squarely in the honored tradition of the Southern Gothic. --Regina Marler
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Reviews
I loved this book, and with most books that are made into mocvies, I was skeptical. I read the book before I saw the movie and it won me over, what an engaging story with so many levels to it. As an English teacher I could spend a month or two on this book easily with the class! Fantastic book!
i too had no idea what to expect from this story, but i'm so glad i read it. the characters are facinating and so well developed. the story is heart-breaking and heart-warming all at the same time. i couldn't put this book down.
This was a book that I heard of but didn't know much about. I've been reading more whimsical chick books like the Stephanie Plum series and decided that I would check this out. And I am glad I did. I really, really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the characters and I could picture myself being there and just enjoying it as the main character was. Definitely worth checking out. I just finished reading it and have already recommended it to friends.
I picked this book up on a whim while at the local bookstore. I was not sure what to expect when I began, but immediately, the words flew off the page, enveloping me in their story. There was no option but to dive in and enjoy the ride. If you are willing to take an emotional journey, I would recommend this book.
i had heard this book mentioned a few times, it was on the ny times list, and it was ok but i dont see what all the hype was about. its one of those hallmark specials kind of books, and i dont really too much love any of the characters. you might as well read it but dont expect too much.