Title: The Secret Life of Bees
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Published: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 318
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Set in South Carolina in the 1960's, after living with a blurred memory of the murder of her mother and being mistreated by her father Lily Owens runs away with her black "stand-in-mother" and ends up living with three bee-keeping sisters in a town she is sure holds the secrets to her mothers past.
Review:
Despite my best efforts, I couldn't help but get my hopes up with this book - it's one I've heard praise about countless times. And although I enjoyed it, it didn't quite live up to those expectations.
What I liked most about this book was the discussions of race and the feminist aspects. I loved reading about this home where these wonderful and strange women were living. I felt like a good a good sense of the house, the sisterhood, the bees, the warmth of it all - coupled with them taking in a young, white girl and the setting of autumn in South Carolina - it all made a vivid and lovely picture.
However, I couldn't quite feel the connection with the main character, and I felt like the second part of the book dragged out a bit. And I can't say that I was in any way overwhelmed (in a good way) by this book, which I had thought I would be. In fact, I find myself a bit underwhelmed.
Overall though, it was worth the read and it's a book I think many people would enjoy. I especially think this makes a good bookclub book.
You can get this book at The Book Depository*
You can read more about it on Goodreads
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Published: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 318
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Set in South Carolina in the 1960's, after living with a blurred memory of the murder of her mother and being mistreated by her father Lily Owens runs away with her black "stand-in-mother" and ends up living with three bee-keeping sisters in a town she is sure holds the secrets to her mothers past.
Review:
Despite my best efforts, I couldn't help but get my hopes up with this book - it's one I've heard praise about countless times. And although I enjoyed it, it didn't quite live up to those expectations.
What I liked most about this book was the discussions of race and the feminist aspects. I loved reading about this home where these wonderful and strange women were living. I felt like a good a good sense of the house, the sisterhood, the bees, the warmth of it all - coupled with them taking in a young, white girl and the setting of autumn in South Carolina - it all made a vivid and lovely picture.
However, I couldn't quite feel the connection with the main character, and I felt like the second part of the book dragged out a bit. And I can't say that I was in any way overwhelmed (in a good way) by this book, which I had thought I would be. In fact, I find myself a bit underwhelmed.
Overall though, it was worth the read and it's a book I think many people would enjoy. I especially think this makes a good bookclub book.
You can get this book at The Book Depository*
You can read more about it on Goodreads
*AFFILIATE LINK
