A book that many of our members had previously read. We were split on feeling like the element of mysticism really added anything to the novel.

When you read The Secret Life of Bees, just make sure you’ve got a jar of honey somewhere in the house. At some point you’re going to need a spoonful, at least. Honey, and the bees that produce it, permeates this short novel, coloring the air, in the food, on the walls, in everything. Our narrator Lily learns that honey can do a lot of things. It can wake you up in the morning, put you to sleep at night, and preserve you from harm. Honey does that and so does love, which she learns the summer she runs away from her cruel and cold father and finds herself taken in by a trio of sisters – August, June and May – with hearts big enough for her to move into.

Lily is fourteen years old but already has darkness in her past; she leaves town with the woman who’s always taken care of her, a black woman named Rosaleen, who is running away herself. But Rosaleen is running from injustice and from prejudice, in the early days of the Civil Rights movement in South Carolina, where racial equality is still something to be sneered at. Together they form an unlikely pair, but August Boatwright’s pink house and her bees seem to suit them both.

Dealing with racism, with a young girl’s struggle for acceptance of the past and yearning for the motherly love she’s never had, and with faith, pain and love, this short little book has depths that don’t weigh it down. On the surface it is a lovely story set in an almost magical place, with the real world and its harshness intruding, needing to be overcome. But beneath that story there is more, more about belief and strength, about suffering that defeats us, about love in all of its many forms. “Did you know there are thirty-two names for love in one of the Eskimo languages?” August says to Lily at one point. “And we just have this one.”

This is also a story about courage and character, about choices and truth. Lily asks August at one point why her house is painted such a bright color, and August responds that it was in order to make her sister May happy.

“All this time I just figured you liked pink,” I said.
She laughed again. “You know, some things don’t matter that much, Lily. Like the color
of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person’s heart –
now, that matters. The whole problem with people is—”
“They don’t know what matters and what doesn’t,” I said, filling in her sentence and
feeling proud of myself for doing so.
“I was gonna say, The problem is they know what matters, but they don’t choose it. You
know how hard that is, Lily? I love May, but it was still so hard to choose Caribbean Pink.
The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.” (p. 147)

In the Harry Potter books, wise Professor Dumbledore is fond of talking about “the choice between what is hard, and what is easy.” August Boatwright would have understood just what he meant.

Sue Monk Kidd’s writing is incredibly evocative, and yet with an economy of words. Much as Alice Walker did in The Color Purple, Kidd conveys the truest truths in the simplest of ways, leaving us with lessons worth learning, and most definitely, a story worth reading. ( )

My first mistake in reading this book was watching the movie first and then reading the book when it was so fresh in my mind.

The Secret Life of Bees is the story of a young girl, Lily, who runs away from home to try and escape the demons of your childhood. She makes the journey to a place she thought her mother visited years ago and begins to learn the beekeeper and honey business, bringing Rosaleen, her surrogate mother along with her.

The story is so emotional and so raw, it’s easy to tell how it translated to film with the right characters to play the parts. And having seen the film I found it to be very true to the book compared to some translations. It’s a great coming of age story as Lily grows from a young innocent, naive little girl, into a young woman handling her own demons and thriving for the first time.

Absolutely great book.

The Review

Considering that this book was copyrighted in 2002, I am “behind the boat” on reading it. Embarrassing as this is to admit it, I’ve had this book in my closet for years. I think I borrowed it from an old friend. When I became a blogger and invested in my first bookcase, I organized all of the books from my closet. This one, included in the stack, has yellowed pages and isn’t the “prettiest” book on my shelves. But, with a movie being made from it and all… well, I convinced myself that it is a “must read.” As I’m nearing the end of the Just For the Love of It Challenge, I noticed that this book was on my list of ones to finish by the end of April. So it was said… so it shall be done.

When I cracked it open, I remembered that I had actually started to read this book years ago. I recalled not being interested in the story and putting it at the bottom of the pile. Back then, I think The DaVinci Code and Chick Lit were all that would keep my mind occupied. I’m glad that I read it in 2009, with a different set of eyes and a deeper appreciation for literature. After all, this is an award-winning, New York Times Bestseller which sold over 4.5 million copies in paperback alone. I did feel differently about this read the second time around. I really liked it.

For those of you who have read this book, I’m dying to know who your favorite character(s) was/(were). I liked August quite a bit, as I did Lily. I absolutely could not stand T. Ray, but I don’t think anybody who has read this book actually can say they like him. He’s the awful father, who hits and is cruel. YULCK! I was saddened by what happened to a couple of the characters, but happy with the ending as far as the rest of the characters were all concerned.

I make the assumption in this review that many of my readers have already read this book. If you haven’t, gaze over the Storyline above. If the story interests you, grab yourself a copy. It is very well written, the character development is terrific, and it has the overall feel of an American ”classic.” However, please keep in mind that this book is really based around the lives of women and, as such, is really a “Women’s Fiction” book rather than a standard fiction.

Here are some of the great quotes from the book to give you an idea of just how good this book is:

“Did you know there are thirty-two names for love in one of the Eskimo languages?” August said. “And we just have this one. We are so limited, you have to use the same word for loving Rosaleen as you do for loving a Coke with peanuts. Isn’t that a shame we don’t have more ways to say it?”

She laughed again. “You know, some things don’t matter that much, Lily. LIke the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person’s heart - now, that matters. The whole problem with people is - .” “They don’t know what matters and what doesn’t,” I said, filling in her sentence and feeling proud of myself for doing so.

“Every person on the face of the planet makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. We’re all human…”

People would rather die than forgive. It’s that hard.

… She said, “Deborah Fontanel, every living creature on the earth is special. You want to be the one who puts an end to one of them?”



On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

I’m allergic to bee stings. Because of this, I am terrified of bees. This book teaches you to be still and just send the bees love. The bees will feel your love and will not sting you. I’m going to try it!

For the genre Fiction:Women’s/Historical:American, I am going to rate this book a 9 OUT OF 10. ( )

This is a very cute book. It kept me entertained and I almost cried a few times. The characters are great and very convincing, I almost felt like I knew them! It's a very cozy book, something to read with a cup of tea and honey. ( )