Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

34 reviews

orchidlilly's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

So... This was not nearly as great of a classic as I was led to expect. First of all, it succumbs to the common pitfall of all books of whatever genre this is; it's so unbearably pessimistic. Most of the book is pg torture porn wherein we watch the protagonist suffer while also getting blasted with the fact that she isn't suffering nearly as much as other people. The commentary on racism is cliche and not very well addressed. Every single black woman is the mammy stereotype, I didn't know it was even possible to have every character be the same stereotype. They all have practically no depth and no arcs of their own besides 'we exist to further the character arc of Lily'. The take on racism at the time is extremely one-sided and, pardon the wording, entirely black and white. And my biggest issue; I get that it's a coming of age novel, but the romance is, quite frankly, gross. Lily is 14, middle school age, and Zach is, from my recollection, gearing up to head into college, already weird. Then you have to factor in that completely out of the blue segment in the book where the love interest sucks honey off the main character's fingers. This scene is described in detail, about how it makes her slightly hot and bothered, and how she's also semi disgusted with herself because loving a black man is wrong. This scene is so entirely jarring and completely unnecessary that it pretty well ruined the entire book for me. The romance isn't even a main part of the book, but it's just so uncomfortable that I couldn't focus on anything else.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Mental illness, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual content, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Blood, and Bullying

yayokay's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

this book was a great combination of childhood wit, memorable moments,  and self-acceptance. (and some childhood trauma) 

the characters are v well developed & deserve the world. (august boatwright i will never forget you)

my favorite quotes that revolve around the themes would be:  "knowing can be a curse on a person's life. i'd traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth, and i didn't know which one was heavier." (pg 317) 

"oh lily, why would i go and hurt you with something like that?" (pg 328) 

"i love you. just like i loved your mother." (pg 313)

"i could feel it coming. the end of everything" (pg 363)

anyways, i think thats all i have to say. i didnt find any flaws in this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Death, and Racism

chloew130's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Grief

cement_tree's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

jessicohen15's review against another edition

hopeful 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? No

3.75

Historical fiction isn’t always my jam but it was beautifully written and certain passages I’d often skip over in other book, ones of great detail of reflection, popped off the page in angelic notes. I didn’t have to read this for school, just for fun and I think not having to dissect the piece definitely allowed me to enjoy it more.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

lulu2121's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Child abuse, Blood, and Death of parent

savannah_c_dipasquale's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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: Abandonment, Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Violence, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Death of parent, Gore, Medical content, and Police brutality

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Classism

regalreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, and Panic attacks/disorders

bubothereader's review against another edition

3.0

• Very easy to read, but not sophomoric. 
• Dealt with suicide and the aftermath of death almost well—I found explanations about grief, flippant.
• I think Lily should've found about being abandoned much earlier, but she deals with it in a believable manner.
• I like the way Kidd dealt with race by subtly showing how stupid racism is—that it's a trait people choose to have and that it's completely harbored by ignorance. She even tried to have an interracial relationship in the 60s.
• Very poignant relationship with her father. However, everything that occurred with her mother was quite far-fetched. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Grief

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

The Secret Life of Bees is a critically acclaimed intersectional feminist story set in South Carolina 1964, amidst a time of racial turmoil. Readers follow Lily, a white 14 year old girl and her African American “stand in mother” as they flee discrimination, emotional/physical abuse, and jail on a journey to learn more about the protagonist’s deceased mother. While the premise of this novel was strong, I found that Kidd relied heavily on problematic stereotypes when developing the African American characters, for example, the angry, uneducated, and emotional black woman. As a biracial person myself, this was difficult to read, especially since I the characters were described as “eccentric.”Kidd also used the n slur as a white author, and the r slur as an abled author something I heavily disagree with. Overall, these factors and the writing were what knocked the novel down to three stars, but it is a compelling and fast paced read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship