Highest Rated Review by the Community
-
Jul 09 '02
Pros: tender, funny, thought-provoking
Cons: slightly unrealistic
Summary: Some scientist published a study not long ago (or so I hear) claiming that the human animal transits from adolescence to adulthood at an age in the mid-thirties. Such a revelation failed to surprise me, I'll admit. "So what?" you say, "maturity's ... read more
-
-
Aug 01 '11
Pros: Great for girls. Can't put it down.
Cons: Not for boys. Can get a little boring but it picks right back up.
Summary: I bought this book because it was on my summer reading list. To be honest, I thought it was going to be a big snooze-fest but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! This book Is about a white girl named Lily who runs away on her 15th birhtday ... read more
-
-
Jun 18 '11
Pros: Touching story that will grab you and draw you in to its richness.
Cons: If your teen reads it, discuss issues like suicide with them.
Summary: This intricate novel is the poignant tale of one Lily Owens, a teenager growing up on her father's dreary peach farm. Her father, if he pays her any attention at all, is harsh and even abusive. When she gets in ... read more
-
-
Aug 08 '08
Pros: Nicely developed characters. Great evocation of the climate in South Carolina.
Cons: Somewhat disappointing ending.
Summary: Here's a review from a 43 year old male. My wife read the book, and it looked entertaining enough to give it a try. I know it's supposed to be "chick-lit" (a designation I hate...as though some stories are only OK for one gender), but I was intrigued to ... read more
-
-
Jun 17 '08
Pros: Characterization, tone.
Cons: None.
Summary: Lily Melissa Owens didn't feel like her life was ever going anywhere. Living on a South Carolina peach farm in 1964 with her abrasive and borderline abusive father T Ray, her unfashionable clothes and love of reading separating her from her peers, the ... read more
-
-
Apr 29 '07
Pros: You'll be hooked from the front page to the last! Wonderful characters!
Cons: None!
Summary: The Secret Life of Bees is set in South Carolina 1964. The narrator of the book is 14 year old Lily Owens who lives with her neglectful father T-Ray. Lily life is dominated by the hazy memory of her mothers death 10 years before when Lily was 4 years ... read more
-
-
Nov 13 '06
Pros: Rich story line, 'different' in many ways
Cons: Very depressing, characters not always easy to connect with
Summary: I’ve walked by Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees hundreds of times in the book store. A couple of times I stopped and picked it up, and proceeded to read the cover. My first thoughts were that the book was severely ... read more
-
-
Mar 16 '06
Pros: Makes you think about your own life. Learning about the life of bees.
Cons: A slow starter. But moves on quickly.
Summary: I had bought this book at the Charlotte airport when it first came out for reading on a plane. I loved the cover and the title, but I didn't know anything about it. I guess because I was excited about going to the Bahamas, I really wasn't able to get ... read more
-
-
Aug 08 '05
Pros: Story about the keeping of bees and racial unrest in the 1960's.
Cons: Story about the keeping of bees and racial unrest in the 1960's.
Summary: I guess because you belong to a Book Club you read books you never thought would interest you. I bought all the books that were suggested this year in this book club but I don’t believe I will do that next year. I will check them out at the library ... read more
-
-
Apr 20 '05
Pros: Absolutely everything!
Cons: Absolutely nothing!
Summary: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is one of those books that grabs you from page one and keeps you totally immersed in it all the way to the end. There isn't one moment during your read that you'll be bored, restless or want to go do ... read more
-
-
Jul 14 '04
Pros: Gives you a new perspective on life, love, and family.
Cons: None.
Summary: Although I had seen this book at the bookstore many times I never had an interest in it. I had heard so many good reviews about it so I really WANTED to read it. When I would go to the bookstore I would always pick it up and read the back HOPING it would ... read more
-
-
Sep 13 '03
Pros: Pleasant utopian setting, compelling to many readers.
Cons: Problematic narrative voice, cliches, pat conclusion.
Summary: The Secret Life of Bees has become very popular, both with the reading public and with book groups. I read it for my book group, and I was sadly disappointed. Lily, a fourteen-year-old white girl growing up in rural South Carolina in 1964, is haunted b ... read more
-
-
Jul 09 '03
Pros: This story will take you away.
Cons: None
Summary: This is a beautifully written novel about a motherless young girl who struggles to find happiness an ... read more
-
-
Mar 29 '03
Pros: A veritable honeypot of imagery, foreshadow, and simile
Cons: Lily's "voice" is too old for 14
Summary: Like Harry Potter, Lily is in search of her dead mother's character and essence. She has a mean old father, who makes her kneel on Martha White uncooked grits when he feels she needs to be punished. The author dreamt this up; she never had to do it ... read more
-
-
Feb 28 '02
Pros: addicting plot, luring story, sharp images.
Cons: none
Summary: I am so lucky! I have access to a wonderful free library system. I work in Cambridge, Massachusetts and have now found two branches of the public library that are chock full of new release books.
For someone who relishes reading, going ... read more
-
|
|
