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The Secret Life Of Bees

The Secret Life Of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd

Penguin Books | January 28, 2003 | Trade Paperback

Based on 471 ratings | Rate this | 73 reviews
Sue Monk Kidd's first novel The Secret Life of Bees, a heartwarming coming of age tale set in 1960s South Carolina, a New York Times bestseller for more than 125 weeks, and a Good Morning America "Read This" Book Club pick
 
Fans of The Help will love Sue Monk Kidd's Southern coming of age tale. The Secret Life of Bees was a New York Times bestseller for more than 125 weeks, a Good Morning America "Read This" Book Club pick and was made into an award-winning film starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys. Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees will appeal to fans of Kathryn Stockett's The Helpand Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed.

When Lily''s fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town''s most vicious racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina-a town that holds the secret to her mother''s past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love-a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.
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Reviews of The Secret Life Of Bees

74 reviews from our community
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  • 6 years ago
    A Story of Sisterhood and the Soul
    I just loved The Secret Life of Bees. I was drawn into this book from the very first paragraph -- it's a story of sisterhood and the soul, written for those of us who prefer happy endings with a sense of realism. First-time novelist Sue Monk Kidd is going to be one to watch.
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  • 16 months ago
    Loved it
    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.
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  • 16 months ago
    Great book
    This is a highly enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it. You won't be disappointed.
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  • 2 years ago
    Fantastic book.
    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.
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  • 2 years ago
    Beautiful
    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.
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  • 2 years ago
    good book
    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.
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  • 3 years ago
    Buzz!
    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.
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  • 4 years ago
    Great !
    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.
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  • 4 years ago
    Great message
    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.
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  • 4 years ago
    Great message
    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.
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  • 4 years ago
    Breathless ! :)
    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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– More About This Product –

The Secret Life Of Bees

The Secret Life Of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd

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From Our Editors

The Secret Life of Bees has a rare wisdom about life--about mothers and daughters and the women in our lives who become our true mothers. A remarkable story about the divine power of women and the transforming power of love, this is a stunning debut whose rich, assured, irresistible voice gathers us up and doesn't let go, not for a moment. It is the kind of novel that women share with each other and that mothers will hand down to their daughters for years to come.

From the Publisher

Sue Monk Kidd's first novel The Secret Life of Bees, a heartwarming coming of age tale set in 1960s South Carolina, a New York Times bestseller for more than 125 weeks, and a Good Morning America "Read This" Book Club pick
 
Fans of The Help will love Sue Monk Kidd's Southern coming of age tale. The Secret Life of Bees was a New York Times bestseller for more than 125 weeks, a Good Morning America "Read This" Book Club pick and was made into an award-winning film starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys. Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees will appeal to fans of Kathryn Stockett's The Helpand Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed.

When Lily''s fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town''s most vicious racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina-a town that holds the secret to her mother''s past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love-a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.

About the Author

SUE MONK KIDD is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels, The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair, and the memoirs Traveling with Pomegranates, which she wrote with her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, When the Heart Waits, as well as Firstlight, a collection of her early writings. The Secret Life of Bees has spent more than 125 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into an award-winning movie starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys. The Mermaid Chair, a #1 New York Times bestseller, was adapted into a television movie. Both of her novels have been translated into more than 24 languages. The recipient of numerous literary awards, Sue lives with her husband on an island off the coast of Florida.

Edition Details

Format: Trade Paperback

Published: January 28, 2003

Publisher: Penguin Books

Language: English

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN - 10: 0142001740

ISBN - 13: 9780142001745

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