Rating: 
Summary: Too Much Honey, Honey
Review: Sue Monk Kidd writes beautifully about dreams, and this novel is one, long dream. It held my attention and pulled me into its little world, but after I finished it, I felt rooked. Nothing about the characters or the situation feels natural and real; all is forced and artificial. From the poor white-trash girl with the sadistic daddy to the African-American sisters, named for months of the year, running a honey farm in rural South Carolina, who seem to dispense home-made wisdom with each jar of their home-made nectar -- all during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1964 -- good golly miss Molly! This is, I can fairly say, didactic writing at its absolutely most delightful. So if you don't mind being hit over the head with BIG IDEAS while reading a sentimental story about the enduring power of Womankind, then this book is for you. I expect more from a novel than a big hug and a good cry.
Rating: 
Summary: You must read this book!
Review: This is one of the most wonderful books I've ever read. As cliche' as it may sound it really will make you laugh, cry and fall in love with the characters. It's such a beautiful story about a young girl/woman's journey and teaches you so much about love, friendship, family, forgiveness, joy and loss. I recommend it to all women.
Rating: 
Summary: A Lifetime original movie?
Review: This book is one of the most cliche-ridden books I've ever read. The coming-of-age teen girl. The african-american wisdom. The abusive Southern father. New-age take on old religions. Hugs. Crying. Funerals and weddings. All in a Southern summer.Other books have taken these cliches and done great things. That's what made them cliches. Our author, however, has given us a book so unoriginal, so cloyingly sweet, as to dull the palate and the senses. If you need some heart-warming fluff, and can hold your breath long enough, by all means, read this book. Otherwise, read anything else. Also, the author was undoubtedly writing the screenplay at the same time she was writing this book. I'm sure the movie rights are signed and sealed by now. And Oprah will play the part of August, a role she was born for. Yes, it's one of those kinds of books.
Rating:
Summary: a very satisfying read
Review: The characters in this book bring you in and wrap their arms around you. The pages are infused with warmth and love, life lessons learned, and good triumphing over despair in the end. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Could Lily be Huckleberry Finn long lost sister
Review: When I finished the book I was quite amazed to find certain similarities between Lily's self-discovery of her own journey w/ the bees, and Huckleberry Finn drifting down the river in search of his own. Both of them care for the person they are running away w/ and each see the horror and discontent beyond the confine of their home or raft. Of course there are differences, but more so since it got me interested.
Rating:
Summary: Sorority
Review: The plot is believeable and enchanting. This is a consistently well written narrative. A young woman seeking nurturing from a maternal source finds an unlikely group of strong women to guide her through her journey into womanhood. The parallels between a bee hive and the comfort and security of life with "sisters" is a great undercurrent for this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Loved this book
Review: This story was so moving and wonderful as soon as I finished reading it, I wanted to read I again. A little girl searching for her mother and her mother's love. She finds motherly love, but not as she or the reader expected it. This novel was a joy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Just plain old good story telling
Review: Life of Bees has you cheering for all the women throughout the book. The issues were real, but presented without interrupting the story. I was so impressed wtih the writing and story line that I immediately had my (very sensitive) 12 year-old daughter read it. It is a story worth reading and remembering for its sensitive revealemant of abuse and prejudice, and for its recognition of doing the right thing not only for human kind, but for yourself. It makes you proud to be a woman and wish you could cure the world with honey.
Rating:
Summary: charming and a joy to read
Review: A balanced, musical novel about love and harmony, "The Secret Life of Bees" tells the coming-of-age story of 14-year-old Lily Owens. Withering in her 1964 backwoods South Carolina home, she runs away from an abusive father and an uninspiring life. She seeks the town of Tiburon, inspired by a picture found among her deceased mother's possessions, and on arriving she meets a world full of remarkable women who lead her on a journey towards happiness, her mother, and herself. "The Secret Life of Bees" is wonderful to read. It's lyrical and engaging and full of connections. Bees weave in and out of the story, encompassing the setting and the lives of the characters. Although it's not a long book and reads quickly, it builds a world, a house of metaphors that engage and delight. The book's only shortcoming is its neatness. Set at the epicenter of the Civil Rights Movement, it ignores the momentous events of the day, concentrating instead on the deep relationships within and among its characters. However, when racial issues enter the plot, they are suspiciously tidy. Although these incidents do not ring true, they hardly mar the story's charm, since their details and level of realism are peripheral to the novel's true concerns: strength in oneself, love among women, secrets, and bees.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, while encouraging
Review: Some think it's silly, others think it is sensible. I just thought it was a fun, while encouraging, book to read. The Prayer of Hannah by Kenn Gividen is another excellent book.
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