The Secret Life of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0142001740 Global Overview for this book
Registered by princess1984 of Arnprior, Ontario Canada on 12/26/2003
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12 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by princess1984 from Arnprior, Ontario Canada on Friday, December 26, 2003
A really good book.

I read this on my mom's (JuneBug31) recomendation. She read another copy of it and loved it, so I got myself one to read.

I found that it was really hard to get into at first, but once you did it was hard to but down. Lilly, a motherless 15 year old girl is in search of clues as to what her mother was, and how she came to be who she was before she died. She also wanted to be able to sort the truth from all the lies that her father would tell her.
Based in South Carolina right when the Civil Rights were signed for blacks and white to be treated as equals, it is an interesting book.


Journal Entry 2 by Kattwoman from Columbia, Missouri USA on Friday, March 12, 2004
Got this in the post from Princess as part of a trade .Thanks a lot Princess :)

Journal Entry 3 by Kattwoman from Columbia, Missouri USA on Sunday, June 13, 2004
I really enjoyed this book. The Secret life of Bee's is Lilly Owens emotional journey and a time of great adventure and discovery.I laughed and almost cried throughout this book.

Journal Entry 4 by SCA2003 from Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA on Thursday, October 14, 2004
I received this book in the mail today and will read it after another bookring(very short book!). Thanks so much.

Journal Entry 5 by Eucalia from Issaquah, Washington USA on Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Thanks to Katt66 and Valkyrie119 we now have this copy of this book to get our stalled bookring going again! The guidelines for this bookring can be found in the journals of the stalled copy here. If you have any questions at all about how this bookring works, please go read them!

This bookring is currently COMPLETED.

1. jenvince (CA) US only
2. watergirl (WA) anywhere
3. gill846 (BC) US/Can pref
4. EvaLowrain (KY) anywhere
5. surfenkitten (LA) US pref
6. copchic905 (MO) US pref
7. SCA2003 (OH) US/Can only
8. Megi51 (VA) anywhere
9. FortyToo (NJ) anywhere
10. CrazyGrace (MN) anywhere
11. landrellec (France) anywhere
12. mymlan (Finland) Europe pref
13. Secotyne (Switzerland) anywhere
14. lady-anglophile (Kuwait) anywhere
15. NeedSun (Canada)
16. SudoKris (Scotland) Europe pref
17. katalirob (GA) US only
18. hfitz5051 (FL) anywhere
19. snowy652 (Canada) US/Can pref

Journal Entry 6 by SCA2003 from Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA on Monday, October 25, 2004
This was such a good book! I got really wrapped up in the characters and forgot that I was sick with a terrible cold. It was a hard book to put down and I'm sorry that I finished it so fast!

Journal Entry 7 by SCA2003 at Post Office on 2nd Street in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio USA on Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Released on Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at about 9:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Post Office on 2nd Street in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio USA.

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailed to the next person for this Bookring.

Journal Entry 8 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Saturday, November 20, 2004
Came in the mail today; great reviews!

Journal Entry 9 by Megi53 from Danville, Virginia USA on Saturday, November 27, 2004
Like Sue Monk Kidd said about her own experience with fiction, I was "repelled and compelled" while reading this.

Like the characters in the book, I grew up between Virginia and South Carolina, during the early 1960's yet. So reading this brought back plenty of memories. (My brothers and I also were amused by the giant peach water tower).

I didn't relate to the goddess rituals; I've skimmed Kidd's *Dissident Daughter* and know sort of where she's coming from, though.

Luckily for her, Kidd admits she's very derivative. Otherwise director John Singleton would have already called his lawyer: the Calendar Sisters are straight out of 1993's *Poetic Justice* starring Tupac Shakur, Janet Jackson, and Maya Angelou as Aunt June.

Now that my criticisms are out of the way, I will have to say that I can see why this book got such glowing reviews. Some, no MUCH, of the writing is unique and positively luminous. (See pages 11 and 121 for examples.)

Thanks for sharing, and I mailed it to FortyToo this morning.

Journal Entry 10 by FortyToo from Westfield, New Jersey USA on Saturday, December 4, 2004
It arrived! Will journal as soon as I get a chance to read it--hopefully over the weekend.

Journal Entry 11 by FortyToo from Westfield, New Jersey USA on Wednesday, January 12, 2005
This book is like raw honey: golden, warm, sweet, thick, nourishing, but complex with some bitter bits.

At one point, August explains to Lily that a little pollen, (which is unpleasant if eaten alone), is "good for people" when mixed into honey. (It is reported to make people stonger and boost their immunity.)

This book would be too raw to read without the sweet bits, and too sweet without the raw bits. I found the characters engaging, and the backdrop of the south during the 60's compelling. It is well-balanced and *very* well-written.

Thanks for sharing this one, Eucalia!

Journal Entry 12 by FortyToo from Westfield, New Jersey USA on Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Finally got this in the mail to landrellec today. I sent it via air, so it shouldn't take too long (I hope!)

Journal Entry 13 by landrellec on Saturday, February 5, 2005
I received the book today. I look foracard to reading it.
Thank you !

Journal Entry 14 by landrellec on Wednesday, April 6, 2005
How come it took me so long reading it ? It's a lovely book.
I liked that the context, the Civil Rights Act and its turbulent beginnings against the personal history.
Lily is trying to find out about her mother who died, and about herself. It's complex, sometimes, it is really hard to read( T.Ray's bursts of violence).
I'm glad I read it.
Thank you.



Journal Entry 15 by landrellec on Monday, April 18, 2005
It's on its way to Finland.
Sorry for not entrying earlier but my French provider has been cut off bu Cogent from several American servers.

Journal Entry 16 by Mymlan from Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Thanks, I recieved the book today! I have a few chapters left of "Reading Lolita in Tehran", but as soon as I'm finished, I'll take on this one.

Journal Entry 17 by Mymlan from Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Wednesday, June 15, 2005
I'm sorry for having been silent for so long, I did finish the book a while ago, but I've just been too busy to (or too lazy) to journal it.

I read the book with pleasure, even though I found it a bit too "easy". Or maybe easy is not the word I'm after, but something in the whole "spiritual community of women" -thing was a bit too much for me. A bit too sweet maybe? And the honey metaphores were sometimes a bit too obvious and overwhelming as well.

I found the race question interesting, but then, the question of skin colour seems a bit passé, for me the real question is how to live together with people from different cultures and with different customs. But as a historical reminder it was interesting.

So, I did enjoy the book, but I doubt I'll read anything else from the author based on this experience. Now it will be on its way to Secotyne in a few days when I'll get a chance to go to the post office.

Journal Entry 18 by wingAnonymousFinderwing on Friday, July 8, 2005
It's a lovely book, as sweet as honey.
This love starving teenager, trying to construct herself through the sad story of her dead mother, and finding a real family among a women community, was really nice.

Thank you for sharing this.
It's now on his way to ladyanglophile.

Journal Entry 19 by norafrvr from Kuwait, Kuwait Kuwait on Tuesday, August 9, 2005
Recieved it today... Many thanks :)

Journal Entry 20 by norafrvr from Kuwait, Kuwait Kuwait on Tuesday, August 16, 2005
It's a great book :) i enjoyed it a lot. i like books that are written in the first person narration because they are so close to the reader and it gives a deep insight of the main characters feelings and opinions.

I loved all the women in the book, they are so real that you actually get attached to them emotionally!

I agree with what Sue Monk Kidd said in a coversation with her at the end of the book: "After I finished the novel, I actually felt homesick for the Pink house." .. I felt exactly the same thing :)..

in the conversation with the author alot of readers asked her to write a sequal for the novel and she said that she is thinking about it- if i were the author, i wouldn't even think about writing another book.. it is perfect the way it is now!

Thank u sooooo much for sharing this wonderful book :)

will be sent to NeedSun soon.

update 28th,Aug: sent to NeedSun...Enjoy!

Journal Entry 21 by NeedSun from Perth Road, Ontario Canada on Thursday, September 29, 2005
This book arrived today. Thank you very much for sending it to me.

Journal Entry 22 by NeedSun from Perth Road, Ontario Canada on Wednesday, October 12, 2005
This was a lovely, sweet book. I don't know what I was expecting from reading all the reviews but this book took me by surprise. August had a lot of wisdom which she shared with Lily at very opportune times. I agree wholeheartedly with lady-anglophile that there should not be a sequel. I want to imagine what Lily's future will be instead of reading about it. I very much enjoyed this book and will look for other things by this author.

My thanks to Eucalia for sharing this with us and to lady-anglophile for mailing it to me.

I sent a PM to SudoKris on October 10 to get her address. I'll let you all know when this book is on the move again.

Journal Entry 23 by NeedSun from Perth Road, Ontario Canada on Thursday, October 20, 2005
Sent airmail to SudoKris on Oct 17

Journal Entry 24 by SudoKris from Lathones, Scotland United Kingdom on Monday, October 24, 2005
Got here today - thank you so much for sending it airmail!
The book looks a bit tattered round the edges from all that travelling, so I'll probably stick it into sticky-back plastic before I'll read it!

Update 10.03.2006
I am so incredibly sorry, I completely forgot about this book and then found it again after Christmas :-( I don't usually keep rings this long!

Anyway, contacted the people after me, and the next two asked to be skipped.

Journal Entry 25 by Eucalia from Issaquah, Washington USA on Friday, March 17, 2006
This book arrived safely in my mailbox today! Thank you everyone for a successful (more or less) book ring!

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