This isn’t my first time reading The Secret Life of Bees, 3rd or 4th actually, but it still continues to be my favorite book. I’ve learned more from this book from the lessons in it than any other book I’ve ever read and I think that’s why I keep coming back to it. This book has always had an impact on me and every time I read it, I’m reminded of all the good feelings it makes me have and many more emotions it makes me feel. No matter how many times I’ve read or will read The Secret Life of Bees, I’ll always love it.

My daughter had to read this for freshman english so I read it as well to both stay involved with what she's doing but also to check out what they're having them read these days.

The book is a coming of age story that deals with a lot of complicated issues for teens that are still relevant while exposing them to the racial tensions of south during the 50's and 60's. I liked the book but didn't love it. I still think something like To Kill a Mockingbird accomplishes many of the same messages and is just such a classic, probably because I read this at her age and she'll probably look at this the same way in years to come.

"If you haven't seen a beehive in the morning, you missed the eighth wonder of the world".

I loved that line. I also loved this book.

It's set in America when the civil rights act was put in place, it always throws me reading about this subject as it's so recent. In my head I think of it being so long ago they were riding around on horse and carts, but it's not. It's very humbling, loved the bees, felt I learned a lot about them, such loveable characters.

Five stars.

Miałam problemy, żeby wgryźć się w tę historię, (wciąż mi się nie mieści w głowie, że lata 60., tak niedawno temu, na południu Stanów wciąż były tak bardzo rasistowskie i to było coś totalnie „normalnego”) potem mnie zachwyciła, ale koniec wywołał jakiś taki niedosyt. Jakby za szybko się skończyła, za gładko? Nie wiem. To chyba ta jedna z rzadkich sytuacji, kiedy chciałabym, żeby książka była solidną cegiełką i bardziej rozkopała pewne wątki.

4,5/5

Very mushy, but utterly delightful.

2nd reading - DNF

I tried to read this book twice and I didn't like it enough to finish it either time. The first time I read it, I didn't make it very far past the narrative turn in which Rosaleen, a black woman in 1964, poured spit juice all over a bunch of white men, who then proceeded to torture her for a few chapters.

The fact that the character's actions don't reflect a believable level of situational awareness or self-preservation, a fact the character herself defends around the 100th page (wish I'd marked it; I didn't) isn't the only problem. The fact is it lacks internal logic -- the series of events beginning with Rosaleen's dire choice defies the realities of that character, and the setting Kidd creates in the South during the Civil Rights Movement. If she wants these things to fuel the story they need to do more than merely occur and displace the main characters. For that, Kidd could have written events far less atrocious and potentially wounding than the completely senseless beating of a black woman. As they stand, her narrative choices are never fully realized in the story or characters as they develop, at least by the halfway point, when I gave up reading.

Kidd didn't seem really to want to commit to the storyline. The novel was written in first person from the perspective of a 14-year-old runaway, who didn't really know where she was going. I wondered a couple times if Kidd was letting Lily's changing consciousness shape the narrative (and I might be right; wouldn't know unless I finished the book). But that experimental structure was not working for me here. I wanted the book to have a little bit more control than Lily could give it.

Lots of issues with this one -- character, structure, narrative problems. I couldn't finish it either time I tried to read it. Don't recommend. 2 stars.

Много, ама много хубаво написана книга. За съжаление нито заглавието, нито описанието, нито корицата, подсказват какъв магнетизъм, дълбочина и сила се крият в историята.
Когато за пръв път ми се мерна този роман, си помислих, че ще е от онзи тип книги, в които се говори основно за личностна трансформация и се проповядва силата на женската енергия. Ами, това изобщо не е така.
Въпреки заглавието, това не е и история, фокусирана върху пчелите. Тяхното присъствие е отчасти метафорично.
Авторката развива разнообразни теми с дълбочина.

Още след прочита на " Книга на копнежите" , ми направи впечатление, че Сю Монк Кид успява да изпипва това, за което пише. И не само- тя го одухотворява и го запечатва с чувство.

Има и филм по книгата, който ми се струва много интригуващ.

===

" Забелязала съм, че ако се взреш внимателно в очите на хората през първите пет секунди, когато се погледнете, истинските им чувства ще си проличат за миг, преди да бъдат прикрити. "

" Най- трудното нещо на този свят е да избереш същественото. "

" Няма по- подходящо време от настоящето. "

" ... понякога хората тръгват по своя житейски път като едни личности, а го приключват като съвсем различни. "

" Хората като цяло предпочитат да умрат, но не и да простят. Ето колко е трудно. Ако Бог каже простичко: „Давам ти избор, прости или умри“, много хора направо ще си поръчат ковчезите. "

„Ако искаш нещо от някого, винаги му предоставяй начин да ти го даде.“

შეიძლება სუბიექტურიც ვიყო, იმიტომ, რომ რამდენიმე თვეა “ჩემს გემოზე” წიგნი აღარ წამიკითხავს და პირველად, ამ რამდენიმე თვის განმავლობაში, მომეცა საშუალება, რომ ბოლომდე ჩავფლულიყავი და შემეგრძნო.. ეს წიგნი, კი, ბევრ ტკბილ გემოსა და მომნუსხველ არომატს იტევს.. თან ჩემთან ძალიან ახლოს მოვიდა, ყოველმხრივ..
თუმცა ამ ყველაფერს რომ თავი დავანებოთ, ზოგადადაც გამკვირვებია, რას უწუნებენ ამ ისტორიას, სიუჟეტი ძალიან საინტერესოა, თავს არცერთ მომენტში არ გაბეზრებს, ამავე დროს, არის ძალიან ლამაზი, მყუდრო, სიკეთით და სიყვარულით სავსე. ისე მომანატრა ზაფხული, ისე ცხადად ვიგრძენი სასიამოვნოდ გამთანგველი სიცხე, თაფლის წებოვნება და სიტკბო, ფუტკრების დაუღალავი ზუზუნი..
ძალიან კარგადაა გადმოცემული შენდობის სიმძიმე, რომ საკუთარი თავისთვის პატიება ყველაზე რთულია, მიხარია, რომ ლილიმ ეს მოახერხა, სიბრაზისა და წყენისგან თავი გაითავისუფლა და შეძლო ცხოვრება ჰარმონიულად გაეგრძელებინა უდიადესი ქალებისა და ჯადოსნური ფუტკრების გარემოცვაში.

This was such a sweet story not my usual type but nice nonetheless. I wasn’t fully invested in it sadly, I still enjoyed it but not enough to raise my rating to 4 stars.

I wanted to review this book but weeks went by and I didn’t get the chance. However, upon reflection, I realised that I have nothing to say beyond the first 2 sentences.. it’s not a memorable book at all nor left an impression on me. It’s one of those that I’ll eventually only remember reading because of the title and the fact that this book is popular but not because of the story itself.

The movie honestly looks more fun than the book. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was good, not enough to make me love the book more but if you’re into audiobooks and want to read this book, then the audiobook is a safe choice especially since it’s told by two distinctive narrators (if i remember correctly).

Lilly a teenage girl is not getting along with her father and decides to track down her mother who left when Lilly was a young child.
Her journey takes her to South Carolina where her mother was friendly with a family of sisters who tend to beehives and sell honey.
A wonderful story about courage, empathy and sisterhood.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It is a coming of age story of a girl who escapes her abusive father with her "nanny" to find out about about the death of her mother when she was a child. In the process she learns what its like to find a real family comprised of three women who teach her lessons that she will value for the rest of her life. The story is set against the turbulence of South Carolina in the early 1960's where resistance to recognizing the rights of African Americans leads to predictable outcomes. As a white girl with a black nanny, Lily end up living and working with African American women who take her in and provide her with the guidance and love she needs and craves.

The use of metaphor in the book is brilliant. I learned a lot about bees.