Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

37 reviews

houseofatreides's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Secret Life of Bees goes over the harsh life of Lily Owens with her father T.Ray, who is a abusive and manipulative father who has never cared for her.

Lilys mother died when she was 4. Due to Lily accidentally shooting her mother with gun during a fight her parents had after they dropped the gun. Lily, one of her cherished possessions is a Black Madonna picture w Tirbuorn, S.C written on it. On her birthday(July 4) she and her Nanny Rosalee. Go into Town so Rosaleen can register to vote. After the running into 3 racists and the cops siding with them, Lily frees Rosaleen and they head to Tiburon. There they meet August,June, and May three sisters who live in a bright pink house and are bee farmers. The story follows the sisters trials during that hot summer of 1964 and as Lily herself comes out of her shell and finds the healing she needs.

the book overall is a story of hope and perseverance and of finding your inner self and where you belong and how to love forward amid tragedy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, and Emotional abuse

so_hull's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, and Suicide

miacorkum's review against another edition

adventurous emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, Mental illness, Death, and Child abuse

theabee's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Death of parent

zombiezami's review against another edition

5.0

This book left me almost about to cry. I realize from reading this and The Color Purple years ago: I'm a sucker for books about women and girls coming together to heal themselves from the pain of patriarchy. They build a form of spirituality that centers and affirms them. They learn to value themselves, their wants, and their perspectives. And then the healing they are able to do simply radiates outward, and it causes a reaction in everyone around them to witness that healing taking place. Some don't understand what's happening and they hate it. They mock or terrorize them for daring to live differently, to think that they can excuse themselves from the patriarchal structure they accept unconsciously. Others realize by their example that they don't have to accept patriarchy either, and they can find their own ways to be whole. 

I also especially loved the author's approach to grief, especially the importance of feeling it fully and creating rituals and remembrance about it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Grief, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Racism, Hate crime, Suicide, and Confinement

Moderate: Misogyny, Child death, Slavery, and Sexism

Minor: War and Animal death

skysbooknook's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Abandonment

divi_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent

shull3464's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Suicide, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Cursing, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Death, Grief, and Racial slurs

a_alves00's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Suicide, Death of parent, and Racism

michaelion's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Teenage me would've loved this.

I think the movie warped my  little baby brain, so then I ended up liking stuff like The Help and Hairspray, which I absolutely was obsessed with. But the focus on women, bees, connections to mothers and ancestry and selfs... Like ancestry lives within you and also you are your own mother... That white lady kinda popped off writing this. She kinda had a point to make. She kinda dotted her i's and crossed her t's. She kinda had her cake and ate it too. She kinda gobbled ate right the fuck up left no crumbs. She kinda did her thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Death, Racism, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Child abuse

Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Torture, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Police brutality, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Child death

Minor: Vomit, Misogyny, and War