Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

86 reviews

amandag's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

I’m sure this is supposed to be a coming of age story where a girl explores her grief at the loss of her mother, but  I felt so much second hand embarrassment for her most of the first half of this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Death of parent

Minor: Mental illness

kotashomelibrary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Violence and Domestic abuse

Minor: Hate crime

inkysplodge's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Abandonment and Fatphobia

Minor: Ableism

midnightmarauder's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

The Secret Life of Bees is one of those movies that helps remind you that it is possible to come from a life full of hardship and struggle and go into one full of love and support. I am not at all surprised that the book it's adapted from is exactly like that. 

The story follows Lily Owens, a fourteen-year-old girl living in South Carolina in 1964. She lives with her abusive father, T. Ray, who is a constant ticking time bomb, and Rosaleen, a black woman who works as a maid in the Owens household and has been a motherly figure to Lily for as long as she can remember. 

Lily's mother died when she was four, the specifics of which are hazy in her memory. She holds on to the few belongings that her mother left behind, and, after a difficult night with T. Ray, she flees her house, eventually ending up in the care of the Boatwright sisters. 

What I liked about this book was the fact that Lily got a happy ending. One of my favorite tropes is the found family trope, and both the book and movie fulfilled it. Lily knew she would never truly be happy if she stayed with T. Ray, so even though her running away could've ended badly, I'm glad she decided to leave. She always had a family waiting for her in the pink house and it just took her some time to find them. 

I watched the movie way before I read the book, so I have a softer spot for the film adaptation. The characters really come to life on screen, and each actress that played the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah as August, Alicia Keys as June, and Sophie Okonedo as May) did an amazing job in their roles. 

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Bullying

sauvageloup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

a really beautiful read with a lot of poignancy.
pacing felt a little slow in a couple of places but that was part of the charm.
loved the mix of depicting the time periods racism, lily dealing with the loss of her mother, the goings on with August, may and June, and the beautiful descriptions of them and the surroundings and the bees.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Child abuse, Blood, Violence, Vomit, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Racism, Emotional abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment

schorlett's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence

Moderate: Grief, Suicide, Death, and Mental illness

Minor: Blood, Bullying, and Pregnancy

laurajenkins's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

Lots of idolatry, which made parts of it difficult to read. Spiritual abuse.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Hate crime, Death, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

rogier_vdw's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Child abuse

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.

---

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

---

Content Warnings

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