"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (published in 2001) will be the September pick for the Gateway/Lighthouse Women Nomo Book Club. (It was also recently featured in Queen Camilla (formerly the Duchess of Cornwall)'s Reading Room, which I follow on Instagram.) 

"The Secret Life of Bees" is set in July 1964 in rural South Carolina, where 14-year-old Lily Owens lives and works on a peach farm with her abusive father and their black housekeeper Rosaleen. Emboldened by the newly signed Civil Rights Act, Rosaleen tries to register to vote -- with disastrous results. Together, she & Lily flee to Tiburon, South Carolina, which is tied in a mysterious way to Lily's mother, Deborah, who died when Lily was 4. In Tiburon, they are taken in by the (slightly eccentric) three Boatwright sisters -- all unmarried, childless, and devoted to bee-keeping, honey-making, the cult of the Black Madonna, and each other.  

It's funny how some books can be a slog to get through, while others, even if you have your doubts that it might appeal to you, just fly on by. I read the first half over three days, and the second half in one.  There was a lot here in the setting and the plot elements that was familiar (and perhaps even just a wee bit stereotypical?). I was reminded of other similar novels I've read in the past -- coming of age stories set in the American South during the Jim Crow era -- among them "Summer of My German Soldier" by Bette Greene (which I read as a young teen), "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (review here), and "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens (review here). 

(I was also reminded of my great-uncle, a World War 2 veteran and shy bachelor with a sly sense of humour and fondness for cigars, who lived his entire life in the same house with my grandmother (his older sister), and worked as a beekeeper on a nearby honey farm. There was always a big bucket of fresh honey in Grandma's pantry, and they'd bring one for us whenever they came to visit. Sadly, he died suddenly in 1976, shortly after he turned 59 and I was 15.  I still think of him often and wish I'd known him better.) 

But the writing was wonderful, the characters and their voices and the world they lived in were vividly drawn, and the beekeeping angle was pretty unique (and interesting). I loved the strong, independent women in this book, and how they loved and supported each other.  And, as a childless woman, I appreciated how clearly the story showed that you don't have to be a biological mother to nurture and care for others. 

4 stars on Goodreads 

Apparently there is a movie version, made in 2008, starring Dakota Fanning as Lily, Jennifer Hudson as Rosaleen, and Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo as August, June and May Boatwright. (Somewhat younger and more glamourous than I pictured the characters in the book, but that's Hollywood for you...!)  

This was Book #27 read to date in 2023 (and Book #2 finished in July), bringing me to 60% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 2 books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."