At first I was a bit afraid that this would be another of these 'strong black women' novels. Not that I have anything against these novels, I just didn't really feel like it. I found it very interesting that this book was seen from a white girls point of view amonst black women. All the characters in the book are very deeply thought out, the all have a history. And though you don't actually read about it much, you just know the writer made complete persons out of them. I loved how the writer chose bees as the base of her story, it seems terribly fitting, because I think all the people in the story really resembled the bees. I was taken in by this novel, by the strenght of the women.

This book wants to travel as a ring, anyone interested?

Some requests regarding the ring:

1. Please make a journal entry when you receive the book and an entry or relesae notes when you release it.
2. Try and send the book on within a month. It's not a big deal if you can't make it, but please let me know. The next person might be waiting for it.
3. Other that, just enjoy!

- Bookguide (The Netherlands, ships Europe/UK)
- rroos (The Netherlands, ships intl.)
- Madnad (Spain, ships Europe)
- martjxox (Italy, after Madnad, ships Europe)
- Piolha (Portugal, ships Europe)<-- The book is here now.
- jaffacake (UK, ships intl.)
- voveryte (UK, ships europe)
- scruffykaz (UK, ships intl.)
- bertiebassett (UK, ships intl.)
- yayajanuary (Indonesia, ships intl.)
- timber77 (Canada, ships intl.)
- You?
- You?
- Or maybe you?
-
-
-
- Marsala

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I'll give this book to bookguide at the meeting this afternoon.

Hopefully the book and the readers will enjoy it's journey!

Handed to me personally at a very enjoyable Friday afternoon meeting on the terrace of OBCZ-Publiek in Eindhoven. I will try to read it and pass it on as soon as I can. Thank you Marsala.

Edit: Oh bother! I've made a JE while I was signed in as ForeignExchange, instead of my own screen-name. Just going to transfer it... Back in a minute!

Here I am again. Just transferred this from the ForeignExchange shelf to my own, as I was logged in as the BCZ instead of myself!
Update 25th September: I shall start reading this this weekend. Where did September go?!

What a wonderful book! Full of beautiful descriptions, unusual metaphors, and interesting observations about life. I agree with Marsala that the characters were well-rounded, and I could easily imagine this becoming a classic book to be studied at school.
The previous book which I read, 'Bridge to Terabithia' was also set in the South, and so I slid right on into this one, and there were certain themes in common: an intelligent and sensitive child growing up surrounded by poverty and ignorance ("What kind of person is against reading?" p.15), relieved by an enlightened teacher, and the love of an unlikely companion. In both books, the main character escaped mentally into a private world (Jesse by drawing, Lily by reading), and needs a highly-developed sense of self-preservation, avoiding certain situations. Both stories highlight the importance of friendship, but 'The Secret Life of Bees' has a sense of foreboding throughout, as Lily and Rosaleen hope not to be caught by Lily's father and the police. What is the truth about the day Lily's mother died and the relationship with her mother? Lily longs to know about her mother, but is torn in two by the fear of finding out that her obnoxious father was, for once, telling the truth.

There were so many beautiful passages in this book, and things that I wanted to remember, that I kept a piece of paper to note down my favourite parts. So here they are...
"People who think dying is the worst thing don't know a thing about life." p.2.
"I wanted to lie down in the orchard and let it hold me.
When the darkness had pulled the moon to the top of the sky, . . ." p.22.
"When I looked up through the web of trees, the night fell over me, and for a moment I lost my boundaries, feeling like the sky was my own skin and the moon was my heart beating up there in the dark." p.23.
"Did this mean if I told May about T.Ray's mounds of grits, his dozens of small cruelties, about my killing my mother - that hearing it, she would feel everything I did? I wanted to know what happened when two people felt it. Would it divide the hurt in two, make it lighter to bear, the way feeling someone's joy seemed to double it?" p.95.
"I have noticed that if you look carefully at people's eyes the first five seconds they look at you, the truth of their feelings will shine through for just an instant before it flickers away." p.104-105.
"Twice I walked into a spider's web, feeling the fine, transparent threads across my face and I liked them there. A veil spun from the night." p. 229.
"He bent his face close to mine and kissed me. At first it was like moth wings brushing my lips, then his mouth opening on mine. I gave way against him. He kissed me gently, but at the same time hungrily, and I liked how he tasted, the scent of his skin, the way his lips opened and closed, opened and closed. I was floating on a river of light. Escorted by fish. Jeweled with fish. And even with so much beautiful aching inside my body, with life throbbing beneath my skin and the rushing ways of love taking over, even with all of that, I could feel the fish dying against my heart." p. 230.

I have sent a PM to Rroos (4th October).

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Will be posted today to Rroos, together with 'Zoet' (= sweet). Lots of lovely sweet temptation in the autumn holiday ;-)

Gaat vandaag op de post naar Rroos, samen met 'Zoet'. Lekker veel zoete verleiding in de herfstvakantie ;-)

Lag vandaag in de brievenbus, met een heerlijk masker erbij. Is het zo duidelijk dat ik ontspanning nodig heb? :) Thanx, ben erg benieuwd naar dit boek!

Edit 28/12: I thought it to be a very good read. I had to get used to it for a little whil, but then I didn´t want to stop reading and I wanted to know what would happen next. Thanx so much for ringing this book, it´s going to continue its journey to Spain....Have a good read!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Going to Spain by mail...have a good read!

This arrived today - thanks rroos, also for the nice postcard! I've been wanting to read this for absolute AGES and think I might skip the book I am half way through now (or maybe finish it fast) and the other ring I rreceived a few days ago!

This was a good read but for some reason, I'd expected something different from it (please don't ask what, I don't know - sometimes I just get this idea in my head about how much I will like a certain book and well, I'd expected this one to become one of my all-time favourites but it won't happen).
I really liked the characters - Lily is a beautiful soul, despite her "lies", and you can't help but loving her. The whole setting was good - a bit of the civil rights movements involved, the setting of the pink house, the struggle for black people etc. The story line was great, too; I would have never thought that Lily would find the trails of her mother's past, so that was a bit of a surprise.
Thanks so much for sharing!!

Martjxox has asked to be skipped, as she received the book from somebody else in the meantime, so it'll be on its way to Portugal soon:)

sent to piolha today:)

Received!! Thank you!
I hope to enjoy it!! :))

This book was a surprise for me: when I participated on this ring, it’s was because of the title….I was just curious! But I didn’t expect to read such beautiful story!! … a story about love and courage… I loved the character Lily and I loved to know more about the bees…

Thank you so much Marsala to share this book!!

It's going to travel to jaffacake in UK this week…

At first I wasn't sure and it took me a little time to get into it, but it's a wonderful story :-)

Received today!

This is such a lovely story! I have waited to read this book for a very long time and can say that it was worth all that waiting. It's so beautifully written, full of lovely characters and... love...

The book will be sent to the next reader soon.

Arrived today. Looking forward to reading!

I was clearing out my bookshelves today when I came across this book which I thought I'd passed on a long time ago.

I'm sorry for stalling the ring for so long. I guess this must have been packed up when we moved and loaded on to the new bookshelves which I've only just got around to sorting out.

I've messaged the next person on the list and will get this moving asap...

Sending to the next person on the list!

Got it! Thanks...

Letting it go on behalf on BertieBassett