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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

June 3rd, 2009 by monnibo

secret_life_of_beesSet in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees follows the story of 14-year-old Lily Owens. She is mistreated by her father, T. Ray; haunted by the memories of her mother’s death; and only loved by her nanny Rosaleen. Everything changes when Rosaleen insults the three biggest racists in their little town. Lily breaks Rosaleen out of jail and heads for Tilbourn, South Carolina on just a small hint that her mother may have once been there.

I really enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees; the story was interesting, the characters were compelling. You can definitely see how it would make a good film as the action is very straight forward and almost a little flat. That’s not to say it was boring, it was just the same direction all the time; no major “problem” for our protagonist or “inciting incidents” that help the story reach a climax.

I really enjoyed the variety of characters and I think that was the highlight of the book. Lily was a typical 14-year-old: insecure, self-conscious, and wanting something special to call her own. August Boatwright, who Lily finds in Tilbourn, becomes her mentor and confident. Rosaleen is unforgiving, bold, and sometimes brash. August is a confident woman with the makings of a fantastic, loving, caring “Aunt August”. August’s sisters June and May each have their own quirks and quarrels which keeps them interesting. They are certainly vivid characters with personality and life of their own; definitely my favourite part of the book was learning more about each of the women.

I would definitely recommend this book for an easy and enjoyable read. I think I’ll lend it to my mother next… and keep your eyes peeled as Julia is currently reading it too! Now, to rent the movie and compare/contrast!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm and is filed under Books, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 responses about “The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd”

  1. Ruth said:
    June 3rd, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    I’ve been considering this title for a while. thanks for the review.

    [Reply]

  2. Jerrie said:
    June 4th, 2009 at 7:03 am

    I really enjoyed this one as well. Still haven’t watch the movie…should do that soon. Happy reading. :)

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  3. Chan said:
    June 4th, 2009 at 7:31 am

    I really enjoyed the book and want to see the movie!

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  4. Literary Feline said:
    June 4th, 2009 at 11:00 am

    I enjoyed this one too, Monica. I really liked Lily. I hope you enjoy the movie. It’s a bit different from the book.

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  5. Bubblesknits said:
    June 4th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    I’ve heard that this was a really good book. I might see if they have it at the library.

    [Reply]

  6. Julia said:
    June 4th, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Whew! No spoilers in the post. :) I’m only half way through…

    [Reply]

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