The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

“The tears rushed up, and my words came out in high-pitched sounds I didn’t recognize. T. Ray said she left me, that she left both of us and ran away. Kneeling on the floor, unable to stop shuddering, I heard it plainly. It said, you are unlovable, Lily Owens. Unlovable. Who could love you? Who in this world could ever love you?” – Lily Owens the main character in The Secret Life of Bees

Set in South Carolina, 1964, The Secret Life of Bees, tells the story of Lily Owens, a girl whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the day her mother was killed. One hot summer day, in Sylvan, South Carolina, Lily’s house-keeper, Rosaleen, insults three of the biggest racists in town. Lily sets out to bust Rosaleen and herself free - Rosaleen from jail, and herself from an unloving father, with no heart.

With not much of a plan at all, Lily sets out to find the last links to her mother. She and Rosaleen stumble upon a trio of African-American beekeepers in the town of Tiburon, South Carolina. August, May and June, the calendar sisters, take her under their wing, and introduce her to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and Lily’s life goes spinning off in a whole new orbit. Lily believes that they could hold the secrets to her mothers past.

Luanne Rice, a book critic who summarized this book perfectly said: “The Secret Life of Bees proves that a family can be found where you least expect it - maybe not under your own roof, but in that magical place where you find love. The Secret Life of Bees is a gift, filled with hope.”

The Secret life of Bees is one of my favorite novels and sometimes it brought tears to my eyes. A better part of the story is based on religion, which for me, distracted from the story, but still I loved The Secret Life of Bees.

5 Stars

Sahana