Read this in a couple of hours while I was babysitting. Not always a good sign; particularly when the reason I am looking for material is that the only other house options are natural health and yoga magazines, as I am a dedicated chainsmoker with terrible posture.

Some of the ideas patly blurbed on the back seemed compelling. Mary definitely wasn't a WASP, so that's interesting; beekeeping is fertile for extended metaphor; and tough runaway girlchildren are a favorite, chixploitation or no. But while I was looking for short and sweet plot, this book knocked me about the head with near-narcoleptic tropes about culture, color, gender and otherness. Did you know that every poor white in the south beats their children and/or is criminally negligent? Did you know that black folk are all like, all proud and exotic, even the womenfolk?!? Did you know this is bullshit, Sue Monk Kidd?

It is embarassing for me that this book sees more media attention than the literal hundreds of books in/about the South written with clarity, subtlety, and brutal grace. Some Flannery fucken O'Connor oughta burn that vaseline right off the lens. Growing Up in the South: An Anthology of Modern Southern Literature is an even easier start.

این کتاب رو دوستم چند سال پیش بهم هدیه داد. اصلا فکر نمیکردم این اندازه از این کتاب خوشم بیاد! عالی بود. عالی!
به همه پیشنهادش میدم! حتما بخونیدش. نمیدونم ترجمه شده یا نه.
داستان در مورد لیلی هستش که مادر نداره و با باباش زندگی میکنه. و یه روز برای اینکه از مادرش بفهمه از خونه فرار میکنه. میره یه شهر دیگه و با سه خواهر سیاه پوست زندگی میکنه یه مدت. و تو این مدتی که پیش ایناس آدم زندگی و با هم بودن رو یاد میگیره. داستان هم از زبان خود لیلی هست که لذت خوندن رو چند برابر میکنه

This novel takes place in 1964 during the Civil Rights Act in South Carolina.
Lily Owen is a fourteen year old poor Southern white girl who lives on an isolated peach farm with her abusive father T. Ray and Rosaleen the big hearted black housekeeper. Lily's mother died tragically when she was four years old. Lily has grown up believing that she was the one who accidentally killed her mother with a shotgun. Lily spends most her days working hard on the farm with no appreciation or love from her father. Lily and Rosaleen get along quite well together and it's just as well seeing as Lily has no one else in her life that she she can share her feelings or thoughts with.

One afternoon Rosaleen goes into town to register herself to vote, but ends up getting into a fight with three male racists and she ends up being beaten and sent to jail. Rosaleen is Lily's only one true friend and knows she must do something so she ends up getting Rosaleen out of jail and together they decide to runaway.
They end up living with Boatwright sisters May, June and August who run and maintain a bee keeping business. Whilst living with the Boatwright sisters Lily is shown and taught by August on how the business is run and just what goes into making honey and bees wax products.
In the months that follow we see how Lily and Rosaleen start to experience what it's like to live in a family of love and friendship.

I really enjoyed this book and I really liked the little facts about bees at the start of each chapter. This was a moving story of friendship, racism and forgiveness and one in which I'm sure many people will enjoy reading.

داستان شیرین و جذابی از دختری به نام لی‌لی را می‌خوانیم که مادرش را در کودکی از دست داده است... رزالین خدمتکار خانه که زنی سیاه پوست است ما درگیر روابطی از نوع مادر دختری و نقش حمایتی زنان از هم میکند با لی‌لی ... که روابط بین آن ها و حتی گذشته‌ی لی‌لی هم در نوع خودش داستان را جالب می‌کنه...در کل کتاب بدی نبود.

I will have to write a review later. Dealing with a broken wrist right now.

Sunday, September 10, 2023


This book can be viewed in different ways. On the one hand it can be read as a novel about racial relations in the South. The setting is South Carolina in 1965 and a fifteen year old white girl, who escaping an abusive situation, finds refuge in a house full of Black women.

On the other hand, to listen to the fifteen year old, who wishes that “It would have been better if God had deleted skin pigmentation altogether.” (Page 155), this book can be an enchanting story of the power of women to guide their own lives. These women through love and personal bonds conquer the circumstances thrown at them by life.

The bee colonies and their “Secret Life” is a nice metaphor for this story.

*After reading this book all I want to say is:*

n  "I'm still scared of bees. I don't care about their secret life or even their life in general. I don't even like honey that much. The only thing I like about bees is the Bee movie."n


Rating: n  3.75 starsn

This book touched a lot of topics that I will soon talk about. But for anyone who doesn't finish reading reviews: I liked it. You can go now.

Religion:
Let's get this one out of the way first: I'm a muslim, so I wasn't that touched when Lily felt 'things' or when she touched the heart of The Lady of Chains and even when they talked about Mary being in her heart. I thought it was ridiculous. Espeacilly The Lady of Chains. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings. That didn't mean, I hated it. I just didn't relate to it.

Mother-daughter relationship:
This subject made me shed a few manly tears. The way this book makes you realize that mothers are human too, that they make mistakes.*even though my mom is always right* was beautiful.

Black rights and racism:
Thank god, we're in 2017. Man, the way black people were treated at that time felt like they were in the hunger games. It's true that racism still exists but I think that there have been definitely an improuvment. In my country we don't have that much diversity. I have only one classmate who's black and we treat her like everyone else. She's beautiful though, so maybe I'm a little bit jealous and smart too, ughh. But there is still racism espeacially since we aren't used to diversity. But I think the younger generation is much more tolerant than the older one.

Bees:
I n  haten them. And also hated the Bee facts at the start of every chapter. THERE, I said it: I HATE bees. I don't care that they work hard, that they need a queen or That you should send them love. Just keep them away from me. And I don't need their honey.

Romance:
Call me a teenager.*Even though I'm not* but this is what I liked most about the book.
n  June and Niel:n my babies, so happy for them.
n  Lily and Zach:n I already imagined their happy ending in my head.

Zach:
This is a topic at least for me, in case you were wondering. A hot one. I'm adding him to my fictonal boyfriends list. He was bae and a good, brave person with dimples. I have baes who aren't exactly good *yumm* But Zach managed to be swoony af and a good person. Multitasking.


The characters:
I liked everyone. How can you not? If they keep the bees away from me, I might consider living with them.

Other thoughts about the book:
*I liked how love played a big part in the story. I think everyone can learn a thing or two from this book. People need more love in their lives and not just the romantic kind.
*This book is kind of cliche, but we need these types of books from time to time.

Favorite Quotes:
“Nobody around here had ever seen a lady beekeeper till her. She liked to tell everybody that women made the best beekeepers, 'cause they have a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting. It comes from years of loving children and husbands.”

“The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.”

“Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough. - August Boatwright”

“It's something everybody wants-for someone to see the hurt done to them and set it down like it matters.”

While reading this book I felt the same way as when I watched videos about dogs meeting their owners after a long time. Basically this feeling:

Officially, I am a fan of Sue Monk Kidd. Actually, this book is even better written than The Invention of Wings.

I loved it, all of it. Lily, a white girl, runs away from home. Her father T-Ray is cruel and doesn't love her at all, her mother died when she was four, and it seems that she was involved in her death. It was necessary to run since Rosaleen, their housekeeper that takes care of Lily is getting in trouble when she wants to register to vote, and they both end up in jail. Rosaleen is beaten up badly, and Lily finds a way to run.

They go to Tiburon. Why Tiburon? Since Lily's mother had this name written on one of her things. And after a short while, they find themselves in a house with three lovely black ladies (well, June wasn't that lovely at the beginning, but she just takes time to get used to). The ladies, August, June and May, take Lily and Rosaleen into their house and their heart. They do know that Lily is lying, but they give her the time to tell the truth, and most important, they love her with all their hearts.

I loved Lily so much. She was just awesome. And the audiobook is read by Jenna Lamia. I highly recommend to listen to everything she reads. She has the sweetest voice, and she let's the reader dive into the story. I can recommend here on The Help by Kathryn Stockett, which is another super amazing book!

All the stars go to this one! 5 stars.

Magical negro fiction genre where the black women end up caring for the white female protagonist's emotional needs.

"The Secret Life of Bees" is a captivating novel that tells the story of Lily, a young girl who flees from her troubled home life and finds a new home and answers questions from her old one. Through her experiences in this new environment, Lily learns valuable lessons about selflessness, love, and the art of beekeeping. Along her journey, Lily meets people who completely change her outlook on her life, past and present. This book also takes place in the 1960’s in the South, making Lily aware of multiple historical events that are taking place. This book holds a compelling storyline with relatable characters and is an excellent choice for anyone looking for an engaging and thought-provoking read. -Amira T., SPL Teen Volunteer

I really enjoyed the story about a growing girl finding her way during a difficult time in history to the family she was always meant to have. The story is set during the early desegregation period in the US when hostility and resistance to change was the norm. Lily is trying to uncover her mother's past while dealing with some recent trouble with her caretaker Rosaleen. In her quest, she meets three sisters. August, the wise matriarch of the lot. June, the skeptical one. May, the sweet but troubled one. The sisters take her and Rosaleen into their home, becoming more to this girl than you could imagine: a family of choice. There's a controversial love interest with a boy named Zack who is black, Lily being white. Their little moments are sweet and tender. Lily's relationship with her father is complex and sad. She develops beautifully in the story in ways that are very clear to the reader. The plot was interesting and the writer clearly did her research. All in all a great read and a good break from my romances. Safety: Nothing overtly sexual between Lily and Zack. Only kisses. No rape. Yes to physical/emotional abuse.

It’s hard to believe that it was 15 years ago that this debut novel was an It book, and harder to believe that I’d never managed to get around to it until now. However, in some ways it felt familiar because I’d read a fair bit of background via Kidd’s chapter in Why We Write about Ourselves and Traveling with Pomegranates, in which she and her daughter explored the Black Madonna tradition in Europe.

This novel represents the joining of fairly unusual elements you wouldn’t expect to find in fiction – beekeeping and the divine feminine – with more well-trodden fictional territory: the Civil Rights movement in the South in the 1960s, unhappy family relationships, secrets, and a teenage girl’s coming of age. Fourteen-year-old Lily is an appealing narrator who runs away from her memories of her mother’s death and her angry father, peach farmer T. Ray. You can’t help but fall in love with the rest of her new African-American, matriarchal clan: their housekeeper, Rosaleen, who scandalizes the town by registering to vote; the bee-keeping Boatwright sisters, August, June, and May, who give Lily and Rosaleen refuge when they skip town; and the rest of the Daughters of Mary who join them in devotion to Jesus’ mother.

Although I think you can tell this is a first novel – it crams in so many happenings and so many emotional ups and downs – it’s still a charming story that draws you into the brutal heat of a South Carolina summer and keeps you hoping Lily will forgive herself and slip into the rhythms of a purposeful life of sisterhood.

Some lines I loved:

“The world will give you that once in a while, a brief timeout; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your beat-up life.”

“The way people lived their lives, settling for grits and cow shit, made me sick.”

August’s advice: “Don’t sort-of-maybe live, but live like you’re going all out, like you’re not afraid.”

“once you know the truth, you can’t ever go back and pick up your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is yours now.”

A shortened version of this review was originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

This book was my third venture into Ms Kidd's writing and it is my favourite. I really liked the story and all the characters revolving around a girl growing up without her mother in South Carolina in the 1960s. Racial drama abounds, but the cast of characters are well developed and mostly likeable and interesting. Highly recommended.