The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
The Secret Life of Bees is the story of a young girl trying to find a place that accepts and loves her. Lily Owens, an abused child, went on a journey to learn more about her mother who passed away when she was a young girl. On this journey, Lily meets a family of black sisters living together who help her get past her sadness and understand that she is loved and cared for.
Lily's Search for Love
Before Lilly ran away from her home, she was physically and emotionally abused by her "so called father." After enduring a punishment dealt out by her unreasonable father, Lily explains, "I'd been kneeling on grits since I was six, but I still never got used to that powdered-glass feeling beneath my skin." In scenes like this one, Kidd's main character, Lily, will make you cry, while other scenes will make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts. Read The Secret Life of Bees to experience the joys and sorrows of life through the eyes of this dynamic and endearing character, Lily.
African-American Women Overcoming Adversity
This book canvases the difficulties of daily life for black women in America during the 1960s. Yet, Kidd's beautifully written novel affirms the transcendent power of love that brings together people of different skin colors. The Calendar sisters challenge this society's limited view of African-Americans and their view of women to prove that all individuals have value regardless of their skin color or gender.
The queen, for her part, is the unifying force of the community; if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. After a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakeable signs of queenlessness.
A Buzz-worthy Novel
Sue Monk Kidd incorporates a metaphor explaining how the bees relating honey bees to the characters in the novel. An example of this would be the epigraphs before each chapter. She uses this metaphor all throughout the book explaining how the hive of bees represent all of the women in the story and their family like relationship. Kidd, using this metaphor, is showing how women need each other to bond and get through tough situations.
"Writing with the intimate voice of the memoirist and with the Southern's abiding sense of place, Sue Monk Kidd has written a forgiving story for the motherless child in all of us.
-- Shelby Hearon
"Deeply satisfying... A hive's worth of appealing characters, an off-beat plot and a lovely style."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Fully imagined... The core of this story is Lily's search for a mother, and she finds one in a place she never expected."
-The New York Times Book Review