By
Lolita Barrister
Sue Monk Kidd
"The Secret Life of Bees"
This review was a request. I immediately rang up the local used book store to see if they had one in stock. Thankfully, they did. It was not a book that I had ever intended to read as I’ve absolutely no interest in bees.
I was pleasantly surprised by the comparison of human socio-development versus that of a colony of bees and the heavy annotation of the Divine Mother and her powers of healing, much like that of honey.
The novel is the protagonist’s memory of the summer she spent as a 14 year old finding truth and healing as well as discovering the true meanings of love in a racially divided South Carolina of 1964. Set shortly after the government’s decree that the Black population has the right to vote, a young Lily Owens observes that the local colour has different ideas on the matter as they realize their privileges to abuse are threatened.
Should be consumed with: a sunny day, a gorgeous back garden, and a glass of gin.
Caveat: Moderate use of Southern slang decorated with heavy use of snuff.
Ta,
Lolita
ISBN: 0-670-89460-5
