The Secret Life of Bees
Registered by Wistroll of Centuria, Wisconsin USA on 11/1/2004
This book is in a Controlled Release!
This book is in a Controlled Release!
12 journalers for this copy...
Although this book brought me back to some of the horrors of my chilhood, it was a great read. I wished I had found a place like Lily did when I had run away when I was 12.
I lost my Mother when I was 5 and over the yrs. had gone through quite a thought process as Lily did so I was able to truly empathize with her.
I also enjoyed the interview with the author at the end of the book.
This is not only a great book for women, but I think teen girls would also enjoy it very much!
Book synopsis:
Lily Owens is growing up in South Carolina in the mid-1960s, raised by her cruel father but cared for by Rosaleen, her African-American nanny. When Rosaleen tries to vote and is beaten for her trouble, she and Lily head for the town of Tiburon, a place with ties to Lily's dead mother, where they live with a local beekeeper, and where Lily learns valuable truths about her mother and herself. The story is supplemented by a great deal of information about bees, which is fascinating in itself.
I lost my Mother when I was 5 and over the yrs. had gone through quite a thought process as Lily did so I was able to truly empathize with her.
I also enjoyed the interview with the author at the end of the book.
This is not only a great book for women, but I think teen girls would also enjoy it very much!
Book synopsis:
Lily Owens is growing up in South Carolina in the mid-1960s, raised by her cruel father but cared for by Rosaleen, her African-American nanny. When Rosaleen tries to vote and is beaten for her trouble, she and Lily head for the town of Tiburon, a place with ties to Lily's dead mother, where they live with a local beekeeper, and where Lily learns valuable truths about her mother and herself. The story is supplemented by a great deal of information about bees, which is fascinating in itself.
Journal Entry 2 by Wistroll at -- By Hand Or Post, Ray/Ring, RABCK in Milltown, Wisconsin USA on Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Released on Thursday, November 04, 2004 at about 12:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Sending to another BC member in Milltown, Wisconsin USA.
RELEASE NOTES:
Being sent to kitiarablue as a RABCK.
Enjoy!
RELEASE NOTES:
Being sent to kitiarablue as a RABCK.
Enjoy!
Was delivered today, thanks Wistroll!!!
I finished this book this morning, my cheeks still wet with tears. Although it's Father's Day, this story has me thinking of mothers, and the need for a mother's love. It's a need so strong that if you don't have it, you may spend your life trying to create it... The book, of course, is about Lily's search for the truth about her mother's life, and her need to know her mother loved her. I'll let you find out whether she's learns this on your own, but after you read this book, I'd bet anything you'll be examining your relationships with your own mothers, real or imagined.
Released 18 yrs ago (7/12/2005 UTC) at
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Sent off to KF-in-Georgia this afternoon... Enjoy!
Sent off to KF-in-Georgia this afternoon... Enjoy!
Arrived safely today. Thanks so much.
I had to push myself to finish reading this, but I’m glad I did._____The narrator of the tale is a 14-year-old who doesn’t at all feel like a 14-year-old. Let me correct that: our fictional narrator is relating a tale of what happened to her when she was 14 (in 1964). So you’ve got a 14-year-old’s reactions to events, but related with a very grown-up, mature voice and phrasing. That mature voice kept me from identifying much with what Lily was going through because I never felt I was reading a tale by a 14-year-old.
_____Add to that a semi-magical slant to the tale—the Black Madonna/Mary veneration, the influence of the bees—and you’re left with a story that feels like a fairy tale/parable: another barrier that stopped this reader from identifying with Lily. I never felt “hooked” by the story. I mostly had to make myself read the book; this wasn’t one of those “can’t-wait-to-see-what-happens-next” books.
_____But the writing is good, some of the phrases and expressions are wonderful. And I liked the ending. It’ll be interesting to see the movie (due in 2006, reportedly with Dakota Fanning as Lily).
This book is going to JeepACV today (media mail). She's got a very long bookring going with another copy, so this copy will give her the opportunity to split the ring into more manageable numbers.(And I'll get all the fun of reading bookring journal entries, without the hassles of actually organizing the thing...)
Book arrived today - thank you so much for this additional copy to send out to participants of my bookray!!!
I'll get this organized in the next couple of days and send it on its way.
I'll get this organized in the next couple of days and send it on its way.
International Version of the bookray!!!
Here are the participants gathered from the original list which was LOOOONNNNGGGG....
dodau (UK)
Nell-Lu (Scotland, UK)
SudoKris (Germany)
Whitehorsy (Belgium)
NeferSand (Portugal)
balzak26 (Portugal) **
Witchie (Portugal) **
Sparky14 (Portugal) **
Xeyra (Portugal)
butterfly-noir (Portugal)
serendipity-sg (Greece)
tweesty (France)
jubby (Australia)
gussy916 (India)
hshah (India)
UPDATED 09/04/05: I have dodau's address and will be mailing this next week. I'm in the middle of moving this week and won't get to the post office. Thanks for your patience!
Here are the participants gathered from the original list which was LOOOONNNNGGGG....
dodau (UK)
Nell-Lu (Scotland, UK)
SudoKris (Germany)
Whitehorsy (Belgium)
NeferSand (Portugal)
balzak26 (Portugal) **
Witchie (Portugal) **
Sparky14 (Portugal) **
Xeyra (Portugal)
butterfly-noir (Portugal)
serendipity-sg (Greece)
tweesty (France)
jubby (Australia)
gussy916 (India)
hshah (India)
UPDATED 09/04/05: I have dodau's address and will be mailing this next week. I'm in the middle of moving this week and won't get to the post office. Thanks for your patience!
Journal Entry 11 by JeepACV at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Monday, September 12, 2005
Released 18 yrs ago (9/12/2005 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Shipped across the pond via surface mail today.
Shipped across the pond via surface mail today.
Journal Entry 12 by dodau from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire United Kingdom on Friday, September 16, 2005
Arrived safely this morning
Journal Entry 13 by dodau from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire United Kingdom on Monday, September 26, 2005
This was a great book. Warm, well written and suspenseful. I loved the characters and the setting and would definatly read a sequel should she decide to write one.
Journal Entry 14 by dodau at To the next participant in Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada on Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Released 18 yrs ago (9/27/2005 UTC) at To the next participant in Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
This just arrived - ta dodau for sending it on, and JeepACV for organising the ray. Thanks also, dodau, for the postcard.
I received another bookray yesterday, so this one is second on my TBR list. I'll probably get onto it early next week.
I received another bookray yesterday, so this one is second on my TBR list. I'll probably get onto it early next week.
I quite enjoyed this book, but rather like KF-in-Georgia I found that the writing style distanced me from the main character. It was quite a page-turner, and even though none of the characters rang quite true I still wanted to know what happened to them. I'm glad to have read this - thanks everyone for getting it all the way to Scotland.
One thing I could do with some help on - is anybody out there bi-lingual between American English and British English? I have no idea what "grits" are.
I'll package this up to go to SudoKris now, and take it to the Post Office tomorrow.
EDITED: Thanks KF-in-Georgia for the description of grits.
One thing I could do with some help on - is anybody out there bi-lingual between American English and British English? I have no idea what "grits" are.
I'll package this up to go to SudoKris now, and take it to the Post Office tomorrow.
EDITED: Thanks KF-in-Georgia for the description of grits.
Thanks a lot - for the book and the chocolate that accompanied it!
Finally finished Secret Life of Bees... I found it really hard to get into, but it was definately worth the effort - Thanks so much for sharin!
Finally finished Secret Life of Bees... I found it really hard to get into, but it was definately worth the effort - Thanks so much for sharin!
This book has arrived last week... together with 2 other rings/rays. I've been looking forward to reading this, so I'm sure it won't take that long untill I'll be able to pass it on. :-)
PS: Thanks SudoKris, for the beautiful postcard from St. Andrews!
PS: Thanks SudoKris, for the beautiful postcard from St. Andrews!
Journal Entry 19 by whitehorsy from Hasselt, Limburg / Limbourg Belgium on Saturday, December 10, 2005
I've finished this today... not in tears though. ;-) I have to say that I've enjoyed this book a lot, it's a beautiful story. Living in the pink house must have been heaven for Lily, coming from such an unpleasant environment. I really loved the story from that point on. Getting to know the 'calendar' sisters, Lily's search for the truth, the funny events, the sad emotional parts. What I also found interesting about this book was being confronted with these racial differences, the fact that black people were put down like that...
I've PM'd NeferSand a few days ago. I'll send the book along as soon as I've got the address.
Update Dec. 15: Nefersand can't be reached, will send the book off to balzak26 today.
I've PM'd NeferSand a few days ago. I'll send the book along as soon as I've got the address.
Update Dec. 15: Nefersand can't be reached, will send the book off to balzak26 today.
Arrived Today. Thanks WhiteHorsy for the Book and postcards.I'll come back with my opinion and will send it to the next bookcrosser...
I sent several PM's to Witchie and Sparky14, since they didnt respond I sent a PM to Xeyra... hope to send this book to someone soon !!!!!
This book arrived today, rather unexpected. I have a few other bookrings on my TBR mountain at the moment but hope to get to this one before the month is done. Thank you for the bookring. I've been wanting to read this for a long while now.
Sorry this has been with me for so long. I finished reading it a couple of weeks ago, at long last, and have contacted the next person in line. I loved this simple, heart-warming story. At first I wasn't sure I liked Lily but she grew on me as the story progressed. Very enjoyable and lovely read.
Journal Entry 24 by butterfly-noir from Lisboa - City, Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Tuesday, May 15, 2007
arried last weel. I'll try to be as quick as I can, but I have already some other internacional rings at hands
Journal Entry 25 by butterfly-noir from Lisboa - City, Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Wednesday, May 21, 2008
this book is sweett as honey.
I've read a lot of good reviwes about the secret life of bees and although I dint think the book is as great as many of them said I tottaly understand them. Its a beutifull and heart moving story. its at the same time deep and simple. its just not really the type of book I consider great, its to nice and cozy and sweett.
what I enjoyed the most about the sotry is the fact its one of those books that makes you thing, how much the world changed in 50y more or less. its half a century but its a lifetime none the less.
As all the other participants on the ray already read it I'm taking it whit me to my next bc meeting ato release it
I've read a lot of good reviwes about the secret life of bees and although I dint think the book is as great as many of them said I tottaly understand them. Its a beutifull and heart moving story. its at the same time deep and simple. its just not really the type of book I consider great, its to nice and cozy and sweett.
what I enjoyed the most about the sotry is the fact its one of those books that makes you thing, how much the world changed in 50y more or less. its half a century but its a lifetime none the less.
As all the other participants on the ray already read it I'm taking it whit me to my next bc meeting ato release it
I've read so many good reviews about this book that I got curious!! So when butterfly-noir RABCKed it I didn't think twice :)
I've recently started another book and so this is the next one after it... As I've promised BN after I'm done with it I'll pass it on.
Thanks for sending to me :)
I've recently started another book and so this is the next one after it... As I've promised BN after I'm done with it I'll pass it on.
Thanks for sending to me :)
I've read this book a while back but forgot to JE it...
I’ve heard a lot about this book and really curious about it, but at the same time afraid of being disappointed after so much talk. Now that I’ve read I can say that I simply adore it!!!
It’s a touching and powerful story, during 1964 – the year of the Civil Rights Act, about a young white girl - Lily, her proud and outspoken African American nanny, a sisterhood of women, and the memory of her mother. It covers a bit of many and different topics, is a story about lost, racism, betrayal, forgiveness, friendship,love, and power of women.
“The Dance of the Dissident Daughter” and “When the Heart Waits”are also two books by Sue Monk Kidd, narratives about of her spiritual experience. Not sure if I’ll give them a try…
Here are a some excerpts from the book that I’d like to keep in mind
She laughed again. “You know, some things don’t matter that much, Lily. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person’s heart-now, that matters. The whole problem is people-”
“They don’t know what matters and what doesn’t,” I said, filling in her sentence and feeling proud of myself for doing so.
“I was gonna say, the problem is they know wht matters, but they don’t choose it. You know how hard that is, Lily? I love May, but it was still so hard to choose Caribbean Pink. The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.”, Page 147
“Honey, don’t worry about it,”said Sugar- Girl. “The drive-by window is at the white people’s funeral home. They’re the only ones with enought money to fix up something that ridiculous.” They all broke down again with hysterics, and I could not help laughing, too, partly with relief that people would not be joyriding throught the funeral home to see May and partly because you could ot help laughing at the sight of all the Dughters laughing.
But I will tell you this secret thing, which not one of them saw not een August, the thing that brought me the most cause for gladness. It was how Sugar-Girl said what she did, like I was truly one of them. No tone person in the ropom said, Sugar-Girl, really, talking about the white people like that and we have a white perso present. They didn’t even tink of me beeing different.
Up until then I’d thought that white people and colored people getting along was the big aim, but after that I decided everybodybeing colorless together was a better plan. , Page 208-209
June said, “Don’t you think it was really her time to die?”
“I don’t know,” said August. “Maybe it was. But one thing May was right about is that it’s our time to live. It’s her dying wish that we do that, June, so we need to see to it. All right?”
“What do you mean?” said June.
We watched August walk over to the window, put her hands on the countertop, and gaze out at the sky. It was aquamarine and shinny as taffeta. You had the feeling she was making a big decision.
June pulled out a chair, sat down. “August, what?”
When August turned back, her jaw was set. “I’m going to say something to you, June.” She walked over and stood in front of her. “You’ve been hafway living your life for too long. May was saying that when it’s time to die, go ahead and die, and when it’s time to live, live. Don’ sort-of-maybe live, but live like you’re going all out, like you’re not afraid.”, Page 210-211
“You’re one-third friend, one-third brother, one third bee partner, and one-third boyfriend,” I told him . He explained to me I had too many thirds in the equation, which, of course, I knew, as I am bad in maths but not that bad. We stared at each other as I tried to figure out which third would get deleted.
I said, “If I was a Negro girl-”
He placed his fingers across my lips so I tasted his saltiness.
“We can’t think of changing our skin,” he said. “Change the world – that’ how we gotta think.” Page 216
Going as a RABCK to FrancescaLivia. Hope you will like it :)
I’ve heard a lot about this book and really curious about it, but at the same time afraid of being disappointed after so much talk. Now that I’ve read I can say that I simply adore it!!!
It’s a touching and powerful story, during 1964 – the year of the Civil Rights Act, about a young white girl - Lily, her proud and outspoken African American nanny, a sisterhood of women, and the memory of her mother. It covers a bit of many and different topics, is a story about lost, racism, betrayal, forgiveness, friendship,love, and power of women.
“The Dance of the Dissident Daughter” and “When the Heart Waits”are also two books by Sue Monk Kidd, narratives about of her spiritual experience. Not sure if I’ll give them a try…
Here are a some excerpts from the book that I’d like to keep in mind
She laughed again. “You know, some things don’t matter that much, Lily. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person’s heart-now, that matters. The whole problem is people-”
“They don’t know what matters and what doesn’t,” I said, filling in her sentence and feeling proud of myself for doing so.
“I was gonna say, the problem is they know wht matters, but they don’t choose it. You know how hard that is, Lily? I love May, but it was still so hard to choose Caribbean Pink. The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.”, Page 147
“Honey, don’t worry about it,”said Sugar- Girl. “The drive-by window is at the white people’s funeral home. They’re the only ones with enought money to fix up something that ridiculous.” They all broke down again with hysterics, and I could not help laughing, too, partly with relief that people would not be joyriding throught the funeral home to see May and partly because you could ot help laughing at the sight of all the Dughters laughing.
But I will tell you this secret thing, which not one of them saw not een August, the thing that brought me the most cause for gladness. It was how Sugar-Girl said what she did, like I was truly one of them. No tone person in the ropom said, Sugar-Girl, really, talking about the white people like that and we have a white perso present. They didn’t even tink of me beeing different.
Up until then I’d thought that white people and colored people getting along was the big aim, but after that I decided everybodybeing colorless together was a better plan. , Page 208-209
June said, “Don’t you think it was really her time to die?”
“I don’t know,” said August. “Maybe it was. But one thing May was right about is that it’s our time to live. It’s her dying wish that we do that, June, so we need to see to it. All right?”
“What do you mean?” said June.
We watched August walk over to the window, put her hands on the countertop, and gaze out at the sky. It was aquamarine and shinny as taffeta. You had the feeling she was making a big decision.
June pulled out a chair, sat down. “August, what?”
When August turned back, her jaw was set. “I’m going to say something to you, June.” She walked over and stood in front of her. “You’ve been hafway living your life for too long. May was saying that when it’s time to die, go ahead and die, and when it’s time to live, live. Don’ sort-of-maybe live, but live like you’re going all out, like you’re not afraid.”, Page 210-211
“You’re one-third friend, one-third brother, one third bee partner, and one-third boyfriend,” I told him . He explained to me I had too many thirds in the equation, which, of course, I knew, as I am bad in maths but not that bad. We stared at each other as I tried to figure out which third would get deleted.
I said, “If I was a Negro girl-”
He placed his fingers across my lips so I tasted his saltiness.
“We can’t think of changing our skin,” he said. “Change the world – that’ how we gotta think.” Page 216
Going as a RABCK to FrancescaLivia. Hope you will like it :)
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent today to FrancescaLivia. Hope you'll like it, at least much as I did :) (Economic Rate)
Sent today to FrancescaLivia. Hope you'll like it, at least much as I did :) (Economic Rate)
