The Secret Life of Bees
2 journalers for this copy...
I Love, Love, Love This Book!
In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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.
Left book on mail sorting stand/table in lobby.
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TO THE LUCKY FINDER .....
Yay! You found this great free book ... now what?
Please leave a journal entry to let me know you found it. To do this, you can either join the BookCrossing community and become a member for free or you can leave a journal entry anonymously. If you decide to become a member, please enter my name, paisleymonkey, as your referral.
The next step is to read and enjoy the book! Take your time ... savor it!! It’s free and it’s fun!! When you’re done, if you feel like it, leave another journal entry with your thoughts about this book.
Next, it’s time to decide if you want to add it to your own collection of books or set it free! If you decide to release the book, be sure to leave release notes - maybe a hint about where you left it, etc. Enjoy that feeling of leaving a surprise for someone else to find and savor! You’ll be notified by e-mail whenever another journal entry is made - this way you can keep track of the book’s travels. Before you know it, you’ll be searching your home for books you’ve read, so you can plan your own book releases ... Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO THE LUCKY FINDER .....
Yay! You found this great free book ... now what?
Please leave a journal entry to let me know you found it. To do this, you can either join the BookCrossing community and become a member for free or you can leave a journal entry anonymously. If you decide to become a member, please enter my name, paisleymonkey, as your referral.
The next step is to read and enjoy the book! Take your time ... savor it!! It’s free and it’s fun!! When you’re done, if you feel like it, leave another journal entry with your thoughts about this book.
Next, it’s time to decide if you want to add it to your own collection of books or set it free! If you decide to release the book, be sure to leave release notes - maybe a hint about where you left it, etc. Enjoy that feeling of leaving a surprise for someone else to find and savor! You’ll be notified by e-mail whenever another journal entry is made - this way you can keep track of the book’s travels. Before you know it, you’ll be searching your home for books you’ve read, so you can plan your own book releases ... Enjoy!
Wonderful book it touched home and my heart. I had a healing cry. It will be released to a friend at the Raymond Post Office for her to enjoy as well. I felt blessed and priviledged to find it and read it. Thank you.
