The Secret Life of Bees ::-:: BOOKRAY ::-:: Completed!!
10 journalers for this copy...
From amazon.com:
'In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their Georgia peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart's answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words "Tiburon, South Carolina" scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. When Lily's beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of--Tiburon, South Carolina--determined to find out more about her dead mother. Although the plot threads are too neatly trimmed, The Secret Life of Bees is a carefully crafted novel with an inspired depiction of character. The legend of the Black Madonna and the brave, kind, peculiar women who perpetuate Lily's story dominate the second half of the book, placing Kidd's debut novel squarely in the honored tradition of the Southern Gothic.'
'In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their Georgia peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart's answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words "Tiburon, South Carolina" scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. When Lily's beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of--Tiburon, South Carolina--determined to find out more about her dead mother. Although the plot threads are too neatly trimmed, The Secret Life of Bees is a carefully crafted novel with an inspired depiction of character. The legend of the Black Madonna and the brave, kind, peculiar women who perpetuate Lily's story dominate the second half of the book, placing Kidd's debut novel squarely in the honored tradition of the Southern Gothic.'
I know this is a very popular book right now, and I'd like to share it with as many readers as possible. If you would like to be added to this Bookray, please send me a PM.
Check here for the next reader, and PM them when you're ready to send the book on to them.
Thanks!
1. grace4truth ~ Michigan ~ rec'd
2. lemondrop622 ~ Florida ~ rec'd
3. MyPileOfBooks ~ Missouri ~ rec'd
4. raquelsita ~ California ~ rec'd
5. MizzSmile ~ California ~ rec'd
6. novasoy ~ Kentucky ~ rec'd
7. KarinAlyssa ~ Quebec, Canada ~ rec'd
8. Brujula ~ France ~ rec'd
9. msoma ~ England ~ rec'd
10. newk ~ Adelaide, Australia ~ chose to pass
11. Metropolitan ~ Sao Paulo, Brazil ~ already has read
Check here for the next reader, and PM them when you're ready to send the book on to them.
Thanks!
1. grace4truth ~ Michigan ~ rec'd
2. lemondrop622 ~ Florida ~ rec'd
3. MyPileOfBooks ~ Missouri ~ rec'd
4. raquelsita ~ California ~ rec'd
5. MizzSmile ~ California ~ rec'd
6. novasoy ~ Kentucky ~ rec'd
7. KarinAlyssa ~ Quebec, Canada ~ rec'd
8. Brujula ~ France ~ rec'd
9. msoma ~ England ~ rec'd
10. newk ~ Adelaide, Australia ~ chose to pass
11. Metropolitan ~ Sao Paulo, Brazil ~ already has read
Received as part of a bookring. Will read and pass along!
Great book! I was drawn into the life of Lily as she sought for the truth about her mother's past.
Part of bookray: mailed on to lemondrop622 via media mail 6/14/04. Enjoy!
Part of bookray: mailed on to lemondrop622 via media mail 6/14/04. Enjoy!
Perfect timing! I finished another book I was reading today, went to check the mail soon after and this arrived. Thanks grace4truth for sending the book and thanks beachglass for starting this ray! I'm looking forward to reading it :)
Well, I'm glad I didn't have any major plans this weekend because I couldn't stop reading this book. Along with Lily, I loved Rosaleen and the calendar sisters, wonderful characters. If I could jump into places from books, the pink house with all the lovely women would be one of my choices! This was a great book :)
I just got this in the mail! Will start this book as soon as I finish the one that I'm reading! Should start this book in a day or two!
What a great book! I started this book thinking that I might not like it but WOW!!! I ended up loving it!!!
Arrived in the mail today. It is next in line after the bookring I am currently reading.
"And when you get down to it, Lily, that's the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love - but to persist in love."
At first I didn't get that involved in this book...maybe it's because I couldn't give it enough time between my studies....but by the middle/end of the book I was completely wrapped up in it. I loved the little bits of bee-knowledge spread throughout the book, too! Thank you beachglass for sending this one out!
This is being sent to MizzSmile tomorrow.
At first I didn't get that involved in this book...maybe it's because I couldn't give it enough time between my studies....but by the middle/end of the book I was completely wrapped up in it. I loved the little bits of bee-knowledge spread throughout the book, too! Thank you beachglass for sending this one out!
This is being sent to MizzSmile tomorrow.
Received in the mail today. I'm looking forward to reading it after hearing wonderful praises from a friend in Georgia. I'm about to finish reading another bookray/ring book and hope to start reading this one sometime next week.
24th Book Read in 2004: A touching story about a teenage girl who yearns to re-connect with her mother's past. A mother who died when she was a toddler and holds onto a few tokens to keep her connected to what loving memory she has of her mother. What makes this a compelling story from other "coming-of-age" stories is that it is set in the South during mid-1960s and right after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. It is a story about how Lily (a daughter of a white peach farmer/veteran) finds herself amongst the strength and love of her surrogate black female mothers.
I enjoyed how Sue Monk Kidd opens each chapter with a quote of a biological/scientific fact about how bees operate. The quote she uses foreshadows of what we might discover/observe amongst the colony of human characters in that chapter. I also enjoyed the fables, parables, and stories within the story that were shared by August.
The side story about how Rosaleen was nearly killed, which was not an isolated incident, because she simply wanted to register to vote is a reminder that this didn't happen not too long ago. I hope folks will make an effort to vote this November, knowing that lots of people have died to gain as well as secure this right.
I enjoyed how Sue Monk Kidd opens each chapter with a quote of a biological/scientific fact about how bees operate. The quote she uses foreshadows of what we might discover/observe amongst the colony of human characters in that chapter. I also enjoyed the fables, parables, and stories within the story that were shared by August.
The side story about how Rosaleen was nearly killed, which was not an isolated incident, because she simply wanted to register to vote is a reminder that this didn't happen not too long ago. I hope folks will make an effort to vote this November, knowing that lots of people have died to gain as well as secure this right.
Journal Entry 16 by MizzSmile at --Controlled Release in Santa Clara, California USA on Thursday, October 7, 2004
Released 19 yrs ago (10/7/2004 UTC) at --Controlled Release in Santa Clara, California USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Sending it via media mail to novasoy. Thanks beachglass for starting this bookray :)
Sending it via media mail to novasoy. Thanks beachglass for starting this bookray :)
Got in the post yesterday. I'm looking forward to reading it!
Released on Friday, November 05, 2004 at about 11:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Another Bookcrosser in Lorraine, Quebec Controlled Releases.
RELEASE NOTES:
I'll be mailing this to KarinAlyssa on Friday.
This was a surprisingly good book. When I started it, I thought "chick lit", which I guess it is. But I found myself totally drawn into the story before long. I am quite partial to goddess mythology and the divine feminine so this was right up my alley with where I am in my spiritual journey. I know, that sounds corny. Deal with it.
I also loved all the ways honey was used. In my mind honey is a luxurious substance -- sweet and sensual, deep with meaning. It is a life giver to bees, which are in themselves metaphorical workhorses. It is a rich, decadent indulgence for eating. It has a host of different uses, and I loved each one employed by the book.
Lily's journey was a painful one. It's really hard to learn that you're parents are merely human. Especially when one is separated from one of them by death or divorce or whatever, and you put all these fantasies onto them. It was painful, but Lily goes through a great transformation.
I haven't quite finished yet. I have about ten pages to go, but I feel safe in saying this is one of my favorite books of the year.
RELEASE NOTES:
I'll be mailing this to KarinAlyssa on Friday.
This was a surprisingly good book. When I started it, I thought "chick lit", which I guess it is. But I found myself totally drawn into the story before long. I am quite partial to goddess mythology and the divine feminine so this was right up my alley with where I am in my spiritual journey. I know, that sounds corny. Deal with it.
I also loved all the ways honey was used. In my mind honey is a luxurious substance -- sweet and sensual, deep with meaning. It is a life giver to bees, which are in themselves metaphorical workhorses. It is a rich, decadent indulgence for eating. It has a host of different uses, and I loved each one employed by the book.
Lily's journey was a painful one. It's really hard to learn that you're parents are merely human. Especially when one is separated from one of them by death or divorce or whatever, and you put all these fantasies onto them. It was painful, but Lily goes through a great transformation.
I haven't quite finished yet. I have about ten pages to go, but I feel safe in saying this is one of my favorite books of the year.
I received this book during my preparation for my finals and I hadn't a chance to log in. I read that book in one sitting and I felt in love with that world. Lily, Rosaleen and the incredible sisters. Not only were the characters seemed real, but the writing was flowing and fantastic. Each character was unique, even the less important ones like the sisters' friends; I could picture Lunelle and she wasn't like Queenie. It's definetely one of my favorite books of this year.
Many thanks to beachglass to share that book through a bookray and I shall send this book after Christmas to Brujula.
Many thanks to beachglass to share that book through a bookray and I shall send this book after Christmas to Brujula.
Journal Entry 20 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Found yesterday in my mail!
Thank you beachglass and KarinAlyssa!
Thank you beachglass and KarinAlyssa!
Journal Entry 21 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Wednesday, February 9, 2005
I've really enjoyed this book. The story of Lily is a little sad, but so well told. And all these women characters are warm and strong. I also liked the glimpses about life in Southern states, and the difficult fight for civil rights and against race discrimination.
Thank you very much for sharing this book!
I will mail it to msoma tomorrow! (I finished the book saturday, but work has been hectic and I haven't been able to get near the computer or to the post office before!)
Thank you very much for sharing this book!
I will mail it to msoma tomorrow! (I finished the book saturday, but work has been hectic and I haven't been able to get near the computer or to the post office before!)
Got this as part of the bookray - thank you Brujula. It actually arrived on Wednesday, I will start reading it this week, as soon as I finish my current book.
I loved this book! So glad I joined the book ray. Finished it yesterday and will pm newk right now for the next address to send it to.
Thank you to everyone in the book ray for getting it to me and especially to beachglass for starting it!
Thank you to everyone in the book ray for getting it to me and especially to beachglass for starting it!
newk replied saying he/she is going to have to pass on this because of too many books to read!
Now pm-ing Metropolitan
Now pm-ing Metropolitan
Oh dear, Metropolitan has already read it. Have pm-ed beachglass asking what to do next.
Released 19 yrs ago (3/11/2005 UTC) at
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
beachglass said I was the end of the bookray - it made it! So I released it for someone else to read.
beachglass said I was the end of the bookray - it made it! So I released it for someone else to read.