Secret Life Of Bees A Novel

Great message

12 months ago

i love it when i come across a book that leaves you so sad when it ends, and so moved by it. This book is a story of hardship, love, female power, and so much more. it's wonderful, and beautifully written. a must read for all girls there's two downsides to the book. one: in the middle of the book it started getting boring, when lily is living at August's house. it just goes on forever with no action. two: why was the only white man in the whole story a bad father who basically abused his… + read more

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Great message

12 months ago

i love it when i come across a book that leaves you so sad when it ends, and so moved by it. This book is a story of hardship, love, female power, and so much more. it's wonderful, and beautifully written. a must read for all girls there's two downsides to the book. one: in the middle of the book it started getting boring, when lily is living at August's house. it just goes on forever with no action. two: why was the only white man in the whole story a bad father who basically abused his… + read more

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Breathless ! :)

13 months ago

At first, I thought it was a boring book about honey or something. But it wasn`t !! It was about the times in history that we will never forget. When things went too far, and you had nothing to fall back on. This book brought to life what I never expected. You`d think that the it would be boring, but it wasn`t. It was very good, and I loved it. 4/5

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A Lovelyl Read

This review is from: Secret Life Of Bees A Novel (Hardcover)

14 months ago

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, took me back to my childhood. The characters were beautifully portrayed and the plot well developed with enough twists and turns to keep you up late at night reading.

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• 1 comment

Truly Inspiring!

15 months ago

"The Secret Life Of Bees" is an inspiring story of how a young white girl, Lily, is brought up by a troubled man, T. Ray. Lily's mother dies when she is only 4 years old and it becomes her quest to find out the truth of her mother's, Deborah, life. Lily and her nanny, Rosaleen, travel to South Carolina on a quest to find "the black Mary", a photo that was once Deborah's. Lily not only finds "the black Mary" on her journey, but she meets a wide variety of people that can offer her insight… + read more

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Not what Oprah made it to be...

16 months ago

I am an amateur book critic by far so others may not agree with me. This story was compelling but not as wonderful as Oprah made it out to be on her show. The characters were believable and similarity to bees unique. However, just not as exciting as I had hoped. Hopefully others think different...

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Disappointing

16 months ago

I had heard a lot of good things about this book but I must say it was a disappointing read. The spiritual connections being made between the Black Madonna and the inner goddess just all seemed too hokey and bordered on cheesy and ridiculous. I did enjoy the development of the relationships between Lily and Rosaleen and the rest of the sisters and the author did a great job of painting the civil rights backdrop of the 60's and the influences it had on the characters' lives. The major… + read more

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• 1 person found this helpful

Overrated, imho

16 months ago

The Secret Life of Bees was disappointingly overrated, and often felt contrived, bordering on cockamamie. Although the premise was honourable and encouraged discovering your inner-strength and spirituality, and there were some memorable occasions that dealt with the injustices related to the civil rights movement, I think the characters and plot lines fell short of their intended ambition. Consistent holes and weaknesses in the storyline had me struggling to finish this short read. It’s also… + read more

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really good

17 months ago

I thought that it was really neat how this story actually tied into bees. I also think its such a good story depicting the true meaning of friendship. A really cute little story.

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Too much religion

17 months ago

The religious contenet of this book was a lot to take. I expected some of that as the book is set in the country and in the 60s, but it was a huge part of the story. I am not usually a fan of preachy books, but this one was ok. Its a cute story and it is really well written. Having said that, I really don't think I will reach for this author again.

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Great read- couldn't put it down!

18 months ago

Loved this book. Though I have read many books with a similar theme, and loved them just as much as this one- this book really was fantastically written. The characters seem genuine, and action starts almost immediately.

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• 1 person found this helpful

Girl Power?

2 years ago

I was a little nervous to read this book, because it is set in the south in 1964. I was worried that it would be too upsetting to read about the racial injustices, but it doesn't focus too much on that. Lily's search for learning about her mother, leads her to a "hive" of mothers and she learns she must leave home to find home. The women's bizarre worship of a black madonna masthead reminded me why I am protestant. Mary wasn't black, any more than she was white. She was a real person, not… + read more

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Wow...

2 years ago

This author...this book...the characters, all I can say is wow. I was not "grabbed from the first sentence" but instead I began this book only out of condolences from a friend, who grabbed me in a passioned moment and proclaimed I must read it or I should surely perish. I think I owe this friend my summers reading. Definetly a cup of coffee and a danish. I was seized by these incredible characters, the insight and wisdom that the author has woven to create a world that is not only enchanting… + read more

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Beautifully written!

2 years ago

This book grabbed me from the first sentence and its beautiful language kept me engrossed till the very end...and I didn't want it to end! Sue Monk Kidd has the unbelieveable gift of painting pictures with words. Not only could I picture the surroundings and the characters, but I could smell, taste and feel everything that was described. A truly remarkable novel with a one-of-a-kind story. I liked the bits of history interspersed as well. Looking forward to reading The Mermaid's Chair!

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Beautiful, Uplifting Book

2 years ago

Lily's mother died tragically when she was 4 years old and she has lived the last 10 years with an abusive father and a black housekeeper. One day Lily has had enough and at 14 years old runs away, with the housekeeper, to find out about her mother. This is a beautiful story of a girl who searches for a mother she never knew and in the process finds how to fill that empty hole with faith and a mother figure. This is a beautiful story. Set in 1960s South Carolina is deals with the racial… + read more

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• 5 people found this helpful

Beautifully written

2 years ago

This is a beautifully written novel and a fantastic story.

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• 5 people found this helpful

My Favourite

2 years ago

This book was one of my favourites. It is timeless in the sense that any age group could read it and enjoy it thoroughly. Sue Monk Kidd writes a moving story about love, loyalty and the courage to move on from tragedy. I recommend this book to customers who might be looking for a gift for someone but is unsure about the content of other novels. If you read this and like it try Sue Monk Kidd's "The Mermaid Chair" or the novel by Donna VanLiere "The Angels of Morgan Hill"

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• 5 people found this helpful

More than you bargain for...

2 years ago

I was expecting a light read with this book. I did get more than I bargained for. I couldn't put it away and I can still vividly remember the story even after reading x number of books since. It has substance, dealing with women issues and racial discrimination, not your little romance novel here. I thought it was very well written.

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• 4 people found this helpful

A truly amazing novel

2 years ago

I have to admit that i'm not usually a fan of actually heart warming books, but this has surely changed me. It's an amazing story and I would highly recommend the read. It's just a truly amazing read.

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