The Secret Life of Bees: A Novel Audio CD – Unabridged, 2 Jan. 2014

Who’d have thought a novel written from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old American chapel-going girl would find favour with an agnostic British male pensioner? This one did, and how!Lily is given an authentic voice by the writer so that there’s no danger of author intrusion in this tale of prejudice, faith, injustice and coming of age. It’s always both fascinated and amazed me that the deep south of the USA, with its large population of holier than thou churchgoers was also the hotbed of slavery and racial prejudice. It’s as if the true message of the New Testament never made it through the ignorance and the concept of hypocrisy never arose. But it can’t be as simple as that, since many well-educated folk were every bit as prejudiced on the grounds of skin colour alone.This novel is set against the background of the early results of the move towards the removal of racial discrimination: a move that seems to have a long way yet to go. Some of the events are alien to the culture of rural Britain, where religion is treated with the suspicion, if not the contempt, it deserves. The unthinking cruelty, ignorance, and pointless prejudice of the times and the region are wonderfully portrayed along with the corruption of their policing system.But it is Lily’s innocent pursuit of justice that most strongly drives this story. She is an intelligent and troubled girl in search of love, and desperate for answers to the mysteries of her life. Her courage and determination, mingled with the wonderful imagination and self-preserving lies she employs to survive in a strange and alien environment, are beautifully conveyed. Character is the most important element of any novel and here we come across a cast of real, credible and interesting people. Mood, atmosphere, emotion and state of mind all rise effortlessly from the page.There are passages where little happens, but the descriptions and attention to detail carry the reader through these quiet times, preparing the ground for the upheavals and tensions that make this book a real page-turner. The portrayal of the local distortions of the Catholic faith, exemplifying how such belief systems allow myth and legend to take on the mantle of truth and fact, is cleverly interwoven into the narrative. And the references to the lives of the honey bees, that form a central theme and allegory to the tale, are well researched and fascinating in themselves.I was able to picture the countryside with its wild aspects mingled with the towns and farms, see the pink house and the orchards with their hives, appreciate the clothing and styles of the characters, and enjoy the flavours and aromas of the food they served and ate.There is sadness, brutality, joy, corruption, innocence, exploitation, ignorance, danger, exploration, love, and the first stirrings of desire in this beautifully written novel. I can’t now recall how I came across it; I suspect it was on of one of those lists of books recommended by avid readers. I’m glad I did, however, as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Secret Life of Bees begins in the summer of 1964 with Lily, 14, and her dad T.Ray in South Carolina. Her mum had died when Lily was a very young child and ever since Lily has had a troublesome childhood. She never felt like she belonged anywhere, and her dad seemed particularly cruel and unloving. Her only glimpse of caring came from Rosaleen, the woman T.Ray took from working in the orchard to help around the house.In a world where black people were considered lower class citizens, Rosaleen did not have the best life growing up either. Together, Lily and Rosaleen navigate through the challenges of being a black woman in a white man’s world, whilst also dealing with Lily’s emotional scars of losing a mother. Although the president signed the Civil Rights Act and allowed black people to vote, there was not an immediate shift of public opinion. Lily is forced to grow up quickly when she is exposed to the truth of racism in the southern states.The pair end up on a journey to a different kind of world when they meet August and her sisters making honey in the big pink house. Lily works to resolve her conflicting feelings for her mother and the day she died, and looks to find a place where she truly belongs.Sue Monk Kidd focuses on the stories we all know about racism and the fight for equality. Her female characters show strength and determination in the face of adversity. The story feels so familiar at times but still catches your breath as it sweeps you from one emotion to another.The Secret Life of Bees fills you with haunting images followed by a hope for a better future. It balances grief with love, despair with belief, and betrayal with loyalty. Although religious themes are explored, they only serve to enhance the characters rather than getting too involved. The process of beekeeping adds another dimension and pulls the characters together.

This has been one of the most beautiful books I have ever read! Emotional, heartbreaking, inspirational, tender and innocent - the story of a young girl and her journey to find peace. And so many interesting facts about the lives of bees too. I will read it time and again for the rest of my life.

Sue Monk Kidd is a New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees. Some of her more recent works include The Book of Longings and The Invention of Wings. The Secret Life of Bees is a novel set in South Carolina in the year 1964, and it follows the story of 14 year old Lily Owens, on her journey to discover more about her mother’s past. An incident takes place towards the beginning of the story in which Lily and her caretaker Rosaleen escape their hometown and find a new place to live. They eventually find themselves in Tiburon, South Carolina, taken in by three beekeeping sisters. This work of fiction begins with a slower pace in order to set the scene, but becomes filled with more and more significant plot points as it continues. Lily, a white teenager living in the south during a time of extreme racial discrimination, learns the secrets and wonders of beekeeping through these black sisters. The story also reveals the beauty and significance of sisterhood, womanhood, and community, to a girl who is longing for a mother she never got to know. Throughout the text, overall themes of love, grief, race, and unity are explored. The author paces the story with care, and is descriptive throughout, in order to encapsulate the duration of an entire summer. Sue Monk Kidd’s beautiful use of language allows the audience to feel submerged within the story, and deeply connect with the backgrounds and emotions of all of the characters. The text features extremely well developed characters, many of whom are eventually found to have connections with one another towards the end. Personally, I adored this book, and would easily add it to my list of favorites. At first, I will admit to having had some trouble maintaining my attention span before the story picked up pace, but when it did, it was difficult to put it down. The story is narrated from the perspective of a teenager, and there are many aspects that a young, especially female audience can relate to. Despite this story being surrounded around female characters, this is a perfect book for people of all genders and ages to enjoy. No matter what background somebody comes from, anybody can gain a lot of meaning and insight on life from this book. This novel was incredibly eye opening, simply beautiful, and the whole story is tied together perfectly towards the end. I am hoping to read more of Sue Monk Kidd’s work in the future.

It was an easy and enjoyable read that reminded me of where the crawdads sing. The characters were heartfelt and I loved the bee facts at the start of each chapter.

Lily, a 14-year-old girl who lives with her abusive father and has a foggy memory of her mother's murder, is the subject of the story The Secret Lives of Bees. It takes place in South Carolina in 1964, when there was racial discrimination. We also have Rosaleen, who has been the family's maid for almost ten years and serves as Lily's mother figure.This book tells the story of Lily's search for her mother and how, in some ways, it relates to beekeeping.

Habe zuerst den Film gesehen, dann das Buch gelesen. Natürlich weicht beides ab, aber nicht zu sehr. Beides ist wirklich empfehlenswert da die Geschichte sehr emotional erzählt wird und einen guten Einblick in diese Epoche der US-amerikanischen Geschichte bietet.

Buen libro. Era un libro de lectura obligada en un curso de inglés y la verdad es que me acabó gustando mucho. Una cautivadora novela que trae a la memoria tomates verdes fritos, llevada al cine con un elenco espectacular.Carolina del Sur, 1964, en plena lucha por los derechos civiles. Una adolescente y su amiga negra deciden escapar del duro porvenir que les espera en su ciudad, y a la vez buscar respuestas sobre lo ocurrido a la madre de una de ellas, fallecida en extrañas circunstancias. Por el camino se encontrarán con tres hermanas afroamericanas que se dedican a la apicultura y que las acogerán en su casa.