I loved this book from the first page to the last

books:


	• The Secret Life of Bees Sue Kidd Penguin (Non-Classics), 2005 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 1364 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Absolutely Outstanding

This is an extremely easy read about a girl finding out who she is and where she has come from. You won't be able to put this book down! A perfect summer read and recommended book to everyone!

The Secret Life of Bees

If someone where to ask you what this novel was about, please do not simply replay, "Oh, it's about bees." As someone who received this response, I became extremely discouraged to read the novel, and did not consider reading it again for a few years. I am so glad I changed my mind though because as soon as I started to read, I quickly realized that it was so much more than just a story about bees, and I fell in love with the novel. I think I enjoyed it so much because of the symbolism of bees, the life journey Lily travels, and her outlook on racism and segregation. An obvious focus point in this novel was the bees, which represent family. The bees were able to help Lily along her journey as she escaped from her abusive father, learned the truth about her dead mother, and found the true meaning of family. As she matured and changed, so did her opinion of racism, and with the few facts about segregation included, I found this concept both interesting and somewhat educational. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone that is looking for a good summer read. It is a light and easy read that is heartwarming and will make you appreciate the life you lead and the people and nature that surround you.

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Wonderful Book

This Book has me interested in getting more books by this author this is my favorite book of hers. My sister Terra says that people love this book

I loved this book from the first page to the last

I enjoyed this book so much that i bought (with my own money) 28 copies for my entire 8th grade class to read. The class really enjoyed it too. I was a bit concerned about what some parents may say but the only parent who said anything was one who read it from cover to cover in one weekend when her daughter brought it home. The only regret is that I had a few male students who weren't the most academic students who were into any possible phrases that had to do with anything of a sexual nature. The scene where they were bathing in the river, and some other section that I can't remember that mentioned a nipple that caused 5 minutes of tittering laughter (no pun intended) from a few 13/14 year old boys. This is a book that is recommended for this age group and I can see why because it has enough emotion to capture their attention. This book stuck with me for at least 3 months. I can't wait for the movie.

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Simple yet moving story of self-discovery

"The Secret Lives of Bees" is the simple yet moving story of Lily Owens, a 14-year-old white girl, and her aching search to connect with her mother, who was killed in a terrible accident when Lily was four. Without her mother, Lily was raised by her abusive father T. Ray and a "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, an African-American woman who had previously served as a picker on T. Ray's peach farm. In the summer of 1964, two events serve to alter Lily's life - first, Rosaleen is arrested for pouring snuff juice on the feet of three of the town's worst bigots and, second, T. Ray tells Lily that her mother never loved her. Armed with one of the few possessions remaining of her mother - a picture of a black Mary, marked "Tiburon, S.C." - Lily breaks Rosaleen free from prison and together they set off to Tiburon. It is in Tiburon that "the bees come," as Lily finds her way to a group of beekeepers, who welcome both her and Rosaeen into their home. In searching for a sense of her mother, instead, in these beekeepers, Lily finds both a spiritual awakening and a sense of community, ending her journey with not just one mother but many mothers to care for and look after her.

First, Tiburon provides a spiritual awakening for Lily. Bees are the symbol of one's soul - according to one popular saying, "When a bee flies, a soul will rise," or, in other words, a person's soul will be reborn if bees are around. In searching for the meaning of her mother's picture of the black Mary, Lily comes to Tiburon and, while at a grocery store, notices honey jars adorning the same image. She finds out the honey is made by August Boatwright, who, along with her "calendar sisters," May and June, agrees to take Lily and Rosaleen into her home. It is here, among the bees, that Lily's soul begins to rise. In her new home, Lily discovers a statute of the black Mary, her right arm raised, her fingers closed in a fist, and a faded red heart painted on her breast. Every Sunday, August convenes a group, known as the "Daughters of Mary," which pays tribute to this statue, touching their fingers on her faded red heart. Initially not invited to take part in this ritual, Lily feels like an outsider, the fractured place in her heart pierced whenever she looks at the statue. As Lily gains acceptance within the group, she is emboldened to touch Mary's heart, but still she fails to undergo any substantive transformation. Finally, August explains to Lily that Mary is not some statute, "She's something inside of you," and asks Lily to touch her own heart to find the power (Mary's fist) and love (Mary's heart). Whereas, at T. Ray's church, Mary "never got much attention," in Lily's new life with the Daughters of Mary, Mary is not only prominent, but she is powerful. Lily eventually comes to see Mary every day, not just in the statute but in herself: "I feel her in unexpected moments, her Assumption into heaven happening in places inside me. She will suddenly rise, and when she does, she does not go up, up into the sky, but further and further inside me." Instead of feeling the fractured place in her heart when looking at Mary, Lily now feels the holes being "gouged out." While looking for traces of her earthly mother, she has instead found her spiritual mother, her soul being reborn.

In addition to finding power within herself, Lily also finds power within the Boatwrights' community. The symbol of a bee colony as a female community is used extensively throughout "The Secret Lives of Bees." In a bee colony, there is no role for males; they are "reared only at the times of year when their presence is required," or when it is time to mate. On the other hand, females are indispensable: "[i]solate a honeybee from her sisters and she will soon die." Like the bees, Lily is leading a secret life: she is a runaway who has freed a black woman from jail. She lies to the Boatwrights and tells them her father is dead and that Rosaleen, beaten and bloodied in jail, has just fallen down the stairs. At first, Lily is apprehensive of her new surroundings: "I could have been in the Congo for how unfamiliar it felt. Staying in a colored house with colored women, eating off their dishes, lying on their sheets - it was not something I was against, but I was brand-new to it, and my skin had never felt so white to me." Eventually, though, Lily finds sanctuary in their community, participating in their odd rituals, becoming a "true beekeeper," and especially coming to love August, the kind maternal "queen" of their community. Finally feeling secure enough to reveal her secrets, Lily confesses to August that, not only is she a runaway, but she was the one who killed her own mother. Even if it was an accident, she still believes she is unlovable. August insists otherwise, telling her how she loves her, Rosaleen loves her, the Boatwright sisters love her, and all the Daughters of Mary love her too. According to bee lore, "A queenless colony is a pitiful and melancholy community [. . . b]ut introduce a new queen and the most extravagant change takes place." While Lily has lost her mother, there is no more aching, because she realizes she has "more mothers than eight girls off the street." August, Rosaleen, and the Daughters of Mary all represent new "queens," or mothers in her life. With their support, Lily undergoes "extravagant change," beginning her new life, a life that she loves.

As Lily undergoes her transformation, initially it is unclear what the book's message is: do we find power through our own spirit, or through others? While August tells Lily that she can find Mary - or her spirit - inside of herself, in reality, Lily's spiritual discovery occurs as she makes connections with others, specifically, August and the Daughters of Mary. It is through them that she is able to overcome her prejudice that an African-American woman cannot be her mother and comes to not only accept all of her new mothers but also comes to identify with the image of the Black Madonna. When Lily asks August why she puts that image on her honey jars, August answers that doing so allows black women to see themselves as divine because "everybody needs a God who looks like them." That Lily, as a white girl, comes to identify with the Black Madonna suggests a female solidarity - that we see ourselves along gender lines. But there is also a black man who attends the Daughters' meetings with his wife. While his inclusion in this female community is never fully explained, the basic message seems to follow that, whether you are male or female, or white or black, spiritual discovery cannot be made in isolation, for it is only through others that we discover ourselves.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Sue Monk Kidd's ravishing debut novel has stolen the hearts of reviewers and readers alike with its strong, assured voice. Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees 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 "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest 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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