The characters were so well defined. There was a bit of everything in this novel, love, friendship, politics, injustice. Definitely worth the read and as always much better than the movie.

This is a highly enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it. You won't be disappointed.

Touching story about how family can be who you love and who loves you, not who raised you. Strong female characters make this an interesting read.

I attempted to read this book years ago, when I was still in my teens. I read a bit of it but I could not get into it.

I just recently finished it and I am blown away. I loved it. It was beautiful and I fell in love with the characters. Although it was sad, it was also uplifting.

Alright, what to say? This was a slow book but it was meaningful. I enjoyed reading about Lily, but I wasn't too interested in continuous reading. Took me so long because sometimes I forgot what I was reading. Didn't reel me in.
The movie was pretty good. It was more emotional for me. I teared up during the movie.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't seen the movie because there would be more surprises, I wouldn't know what was coming.
I did still enjoy it though, I liked how all the females were strong characters, including the bees. I also liked the quote at the beginning of each chapter from different bee books, they usually left me smiling. It also gave me a deeper look into the story as a whole and I enjoy the movie a lot more now.

This book was hard to get into and read at first, but after the second chapter when everything starts to happen, it gets more interesting and intense. The Secret Life of the Bees is also a easy novel to read. It took me two days to finish, and i really liked it.

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 daughter? nice message.


still, a good read.

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 daughter? nice message.


still, a good read.

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

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.

"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 into her mother's life while she settles into her new found home.

An amazing novel by Sue Kidd. I cannot wait to read another of her works.

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...

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 influence that was given to the "divine Mary" in the book and her role in the womens' lives just really turned me off.

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 doubtful that it will fair any better as a motion picture with the ever so annoying Dakota Fanning as Lily. Although, maybe Queen Latifah will be its saving grace.

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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.

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.

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.

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 what we make her out to be. She was a young, Jewish woman. We don't know what she looked like. She definitely wasn't divine.
In this book, they use it to help Lily discover her "divine female power". Although there is strength in our relationships with other women, I found the search for girl power a bit ridiculous.
I liked her relationship with Zach, the young black bee keeper. I appreciate the bravery of the early inter-racial couples, who did it when it was so difficult. They paved the way for the rest of us, who can live our lives without race being an issue in our marriages.
As for the bees, you learn alot about bee-keeping, and the descriptions are so real I could almost hear them buzzing around my head, and it made my skin crawl.

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, but also carries such a broad political message-the fact we are all equal in our love for each other and our beliefs, no matter how different, all have impact on the world and how we percieve it. It is a book that should not be taken lightly, though the innocent love story of the two children is splendid. I most admire the fact that Sue Monk Kidd goes into her own experiences and gives this story a personal touch, something a book of this caliber must have. Though thin, this story must be read.