Reviews

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Only show reviews with written explanations

vandelay's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.25

lilacwine17's review against another edition

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4.0

it was a really interesting story hard to understand at first but once you get into the story your hooked

spatterson12's review against another edition

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3.0

Lily is one of the original anti-heroes. I had a hard time with her character, but a 14-year-old who has been carrying the guilt of her mother’s death and spent a decade under the rule of an abusive father — it makes sense why she’s rough around the edges.

Lily is determined to find the truth about her mom, so she runs away with Rosaleen (the only mother figure she’s known) to South Carolina. There they meet three sisters who help Lily find safety and deconstruct her ways of thought while on the lam. All while learning the art of beekeeping.

ultimatekate's review against another edition

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4.0

Gotta love the end of school--I finally get a chance to read!

I really enjoyed this story of a girl struggling with her mother's death and her father's indifference/hatred. Things came together a little too well in the end, but overall, I thought the book was well-written, with well-developed, believeable, and flawed characters.

tencutepuppies's review against another edition

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5.0

(4.75/5) I read this for school for the second time and I forgot just how heartrending it truly is. I turned into a little bitch and cried at the end. It’s just so beautiful—the sisterhood between August, June, May and later Rosaleen, the whole Our Lady of Chains thing, the scene at the end where the women protect Lily from her father. And Lily’s entire character arc, going from an insecure teenage girl craving a mother figure to a healing girl learning to love herself under the guidance of her many mothers, is so beautiful. I can’t pinpoint why exactly, but the characters in this book are so easy to get connected to.

I know a lot of people answer the question, “If you could be dropped into any fictional place of your choice, which would it be?” with stuff like Percy Jackson or the ACoTaR world, but I would choose to live in the pink house with these three beekeeping sisters.