I was totally drawn into Lilys world feeling her optimistic and seemingly carefree approach to life despite her tragic circumstances. I'm now encouraging my daughter of 13 to read this story as I feel the lessons in the book are invaluable to all of us, namely that in the midst of destructive behaviour and sadistic culture we can still find those that show genuine love and human compassion! it really doesn't have to be people from our own family or even our own culture but when we find it we should stay close to them and learn to flourish along side them.

I really loved this book because of its endless thought-provoking mysteries!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Secret Life of Bees first caught my eye because I have seen the movie and really enjoyed that. Sue Monk Kidd did an excellent job of pulling you into her story from the very beginning. I always hate when movies or books are slow in the beginning and you are just waiting till the end for all the action. In this book Kidd keeps a consistent pace with a little more excitement at the end, but she keeps you entertained throughout. Starting with the way the young girl, Lily is faced with the hardships of living with her dad and then ending with her dad’s crashing entrance. She catches you just at the time when you think its going to be a happy story and makes you remember the hurt from the beginning. This back and forth pull makes the story play on your heart. I am a sucker for a good ending, but also don’t like the predictable. Kidd throws in a few hardships along the way making the happy ending a struggle to receive. The negatives of this book are none! I loved every second of the movie and was even more pleased while reading the book. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The Secret Life of Bees is the first novel by Sue Monk Kidd. Set in 1964, this is the story of Lily Melissa Owens, who lives on a peach farm in South Carolina. At four years of age, Lily accidentally killed her mother. Her father is a harsh and cruel man, and Lily craves her mother’s love. She does have the friendship of Rosaleen, a Negro servant, but when events put Rosaleen in jail and in danger of her life, Lily decides they need to escape. Lily follows the scant trail left by her mother and they end up living with the eccentric Boatwright sisters, farming honey and learning to understand the world and themselves. Filled with facts and anecdotes about bees and beekeeping, this heart-warming tale has tears and laughter and much wisdom. For me, it was reminiscent of novels by Alice Hoffman and Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple. The epigraphs about bees at the beginning of each chapter were a delightful touch.

This book was actually very good. I don't really like to read, but this was something I had to read more than twice!

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is an inspiring and fantastic novel. I recommended the story of Lily Owens to anybody!

I thought this was a wonderful book....the main character had a lot of "guts" to just up and leave to find where her mother had gotten the Madonna.

I enjoyed how the adults just took her in and it sure was uncanny how her mother had really been there and then the daughter came back.

It was sad and heart wrenching at times, but the women who loved her made you want to be there too.

'The Secret Life of Bees' was a very chilling book to read. It was so sad how 'Blacks' were treated in those days. I adore this book now it is one of my many favourites. And i would recomend it to any one.