The Secret Life of Bees - Softcover

Kidd, Sue Monk

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143036408 ISBN 13: 9780143036401

Publisher: Penguin Group USA, 2005

Synopsis

Sue Monk Kidd s first novel "The Secret Life of Bees," a heartwarming coming of age tale set in 1960s South Carolina, a "New York Times "bestseller for more than 125 weeks, and a Good Morning America Read This Book Club pick

Fans of "The Help "will love Sue Monk Kidd s Southern coming of age tale. "The Secret Life of Bees "was a "New York Times "bestseller for more than 125 weeks, a Good Morning America Read This Book Club pick and was made into an award-winning film starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys. Set in South Carolina in 1964, "The Secret Life of Bees"will appeal to fans of Kathryn Stockett s "The Help"and Beth Hoffman s "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt," and tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed.
When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's most vicious racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come."

About this title

Review:

"A moving first novel...Lily is an authentic and winning character and her story is compellingly told. The bees presage her journey toward self-acceptance, faith and freedom that is at the heart of this novel." USA Today

"Inspiring. Sue Monk Kidd is a direct literary descendant of Carson McCullers." The Baltimore Sun

"Fully imagined...the core of this story is Lily's search for a mother, and she finds one in a place she never expected." The New York Times Book Review

"This is the story of a young girl's journey toward healing, and of the intrinsic sacredness of living in the world. Simply wonderful." Anne Rivers Siddons

""The stunning metaphors and realistic characters are so poignant they will bring tears to your eyes." Library Journal

"Kidd has written a triumphant coming-of-age novel that speaks to the universal need for love" New Orleans Times-Picayune

"The chapters...dance on the edges of 'Magical Realism, ' that blend of the fabulous and the ordinary that can invest a tale with a sense of wonderment, as is the case here." Richmond Times-Dispatch

"I am amazed that this moving, original, and accomplished book is a first novel. It is wonderfully written, powerful, poignant, and humorous, and deliciously eccentric. Do read it." Joanna Trollope

"A wonderful novel about mothers and daughters and the transcendent power of love." Connie May Fowler

"A truly original Southern voice." Anita Shreve

"It's as if Kidd loaded up a take-home plate with treats, and you said 'Oh, I couldn't, ' and then scarfed it down in the car on the way home." Entertainment Weekly

"The tale of one motherless daughter's discovery of what family really means and of the strange and wondrous places we love." The Washington Post"

Book Description:

Sue Monk Kidd's exquisite first novel has been extraordinarily successful, with sales of over 2.5 million in the US and over a year on the Publishers News bestseller list. It received huge acclaim in the UK, including this: 'Wonderfully written, powerful, poignant, and humorous... Do read it' Joanna Trollope

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Group USA
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0143036408
• ISBN 13: 9780143036401
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 302