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Summary: this is a fabulous book!
Review: this book was writen by sue monk kidd. she is a fabulous author. the book "the secret life of bees" is about a young girl named Lily Owens. she lived with her fater, T. Ray Owens, who was a returned military man. When Lily was young, she accidently shot her mother. T. Ray soon hired a nanny, Rosaleen, and afirican american women. When Rosaleen gets into some trouble with the law, Lily and her runaway to Tibourn, South Carolina. this is a very exciting novel, and it is the tuype of book that is hard to set down.
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Summary: A GENTLY TOLD STORY
Review: I'm not sure if "SECRET LIFE OF BEES" could ever be translated well into a film. I guess with CGI they can do anything these days. I would just hate to see the young girl turned into a middle aged man so Russell Crowe could make another try for an Oscar. Books like "MY FRACTURED LIFE" and "MASTER AND COMMANDER" jump off the page and scream to be translated into film, but I think part of the quaint appeal of "SECRET LIFE OF BEES" is that it doesn't have that wild excitement to it. It is a quiet novel, and one that if treated gently, will treat you gently in return. I have a sincere affection of "SECRET LIFE OF BEES." I mean no offense to "MY FRACTURED LIFE," "MASTER AND COMMANDER," "SEABISCUIT" or any other books of that ilk, they are fine books worthy of their many praises. But "SECRET LIFE OF BEES" has a gentleness that makes it uniquely endearing.
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Summary: Great book especially for women
Review: I would reccomend this book to everyone. I think teenage girls would get a lot of excellent life lessons from it as well as enjoying the read!
I love a great book!
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Summary: Deeply psychological, spiritual story
Review: The 14 year old protagonist is healed from her traumatic past by an intuitive leap that brings her to a nurturing mother figure, a feminized version of (far-fetched) Catholicism, honey, and the metaphor of beehive dynamics. Delicious diction and teenage romance add spice. The civil-rights coming-of-age-in-America backdrop may suggest healing at the macro-level as well. This is a book for any reader who needs to find and affirm her own mother within. If you shed some tears, you may well have started that journey. (See books by Kate Cohen-Posey)
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Summary: Be cautious
Review: This is an interesting, well-written book with finely-drawn characters. Ms Kidd portrays this troubled time in US history honestly. At times the book is beautiful, especially when it shows how women can be nurturing and protective of other women. One does get the sense though, that someone, either the author or perhaps Lily, sees all women as all-good and the majority of men as all-bad.
What concerns me is the current of "theology" humming through this book. It often times masquerades as Christianity, and more specifically Catholicism. But it is not Catholicism! It is some New Age cafeteria blend of Catholicism, nature worship, Gnosticism, female worship and narcissicism. If you are weak or vulnerable in your faith, or your faith is not grounded on sure knowledge, this book may lead you into error. This may sound overly melodramatic, but I don't believe in taking chances with one's salvation.
If you decide to read this book, keep in mind that even though Ms. Kidd got a lot of things right in this story, all contained therein is not truth. And sometimes error can be insidious, sliding in when we aren't even aware of it...an extreme example: do you think those of the People's Temple in Jonestown, Guyana knew they were in error?
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Summary: Pretty Dumb compared to my novel
Review: Hey who care about bees -- secret life or otherwise -- if I were you I'd purchase my novel about the most interesting person who ever lived -- MYSELF! Read MY FRACTURED LIFE, read MY FRACTURED LIFE, read MY FRACTURED LIFE
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Summary: A Must Read
Review: The Secret Life of Bees is what I definitely consider a Must Read book. It is on that level that is almost hypnotic to read, that kind of extraordinary experience that makes certain books not just enjoyable but somehow special to read. It is on the same level as The Time Traveler's Wife, My Fractured Life, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Middlesex, and Life of Pi.
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Summary: BitterSweet
Review: This book was very sad yet extremely moving. It was also a little bit happy, in a quirky kind of way. READ IT!!!!!!!!!!
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Summary: Fast, funny, endearing and memorable!
Review: It is simply a beautiful little book. Read it. It is one of our book clubs top 3 in over 36 total so far! My favorite.
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Summary: An exquisite coming-of-age tale for all women
Review: Sue Monk Kidd reveals extraordinary insight into a young woman's coming of age. In the process, she links her young protagonist's search for a mother figure to every person's search for something both divine and maternal. Ms. Kidd builds her compelling tale with lovely language that approaches the poetic without dripping in it."Secret Life" reaches deeply into something essential not only to women but hopefully to everyone--a search for nurturing and affirmation interwoven with a search for spirituality. Every woman I've talked with has been deeply moved by "The Secret Life of Bees."
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