2004

This is one of those books that you just fall into, the kind of book that makes you wish you had the characters in your life as your own friends. Sue Monk Kidds writing folds you into their lives and their troubles and you find yourself really caring about these characters. To me, that makes a book worth reading again every once in a while. ( )

Throughout her whole life, Lily Owens carried the burden of her mother's death. At home, Lily lived with her unloving father, T-Ray, and the one person that cared about her, her black nanny, Rosaleen. Since Lily was a little girl, she would secretly admire her mother's remains, making it a goal of hers to go everywhere her mother went. Though they encountered several unlawful situations and faced racial discrimination, Lily and Rosaleen successfully made it to the Boatwright home, where Lily thought her mother had been before. While at the Boatwright home, Lily learned more about herself than she expected and discovered that her mother's love for her was never absent. Throughout Lily's experiences at the Boatwright home, August, May, and June became the mother-like figures that she never had.

Overall, I thought Sue Monk Kidd very successfully explained the several aspects of Lily Owen's life--the racism that existed towards her nanny, Rosaleen, the absence of a mother-like figure and the weight of her mother's death, and her determination to find out anything she could. I would recommend this book to girls just because the novel is told from a girl's point of view. This novel was definitely a good, quick read. ( )

Let's start my review of the books I've been reading in 2009 with my new favorite: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Remember that I didn't jot down any notes or anything while I was reading these, and it's been awhile since I've finished them, so I can't remember a lot of details, but I think I can remember enough to give you a fair review.

This was a book I was hesitant about reading. I don't know why, but anything that gets popular too fast is a turn off for me, but if I ever do come around to it, I end up loving it with everyone else (take Twilight, for instance). This book was no exception. My mom lent me her copy with her firm suggestion of reading it, and it didn't take me long to start, and then even less time to realize I couldn't put it down.

This is the story of Lily Owens, a Southern girl living with the guilt of her mother's death and the harshness of her unloving father during America's turbulent 60s. While trying to find her own path (and running from the law) she stumbles upon three black, beekeeping sisters, who teach her more than she bargained for.

Kidd does a wonderful job with the writing. Before each chapter she has an excerpt from different books giving details about bees and their culture, each a tiny glimpse into what awaits in the following chapter. The voice is spot-on and Lily's character is smart, lovable, and completely real. The sisters she meets are exactly who they should be; no other set of characters could have done a better job of guiding Lily to her ultimate realizations.

I loved this book, and therefore I give it 5 out of 5 stars, and I would definitely read it again (which is the biggest complement I can give a book). If you're looking for a good book to just pick up and get lost in, this is it. ( )

It's hard to describe this book without going into a lot of detail. It's more or less about Lily, a teenager living in 1960s South Carolina, and her dealings with race, prejudice, and the death of her mother. It's a sweet and gentle story of acceptance and forgiveness. A touch predictable, but not exasperatingly so. All in all it's just a nice little tale. ( )