Fourteen year old Lily Owens lives in South Carolina with her often-angry father who owns a peach farm. She is cared for by Rosaleen, one of her father's employees. It's 1964 and when Lily accompanies Rosaleen to register to vote (now that the Civil Rights Act has passed), Rosaleen ends up beaten and arrested when she returns insults of racists by pouring the contents of her snuff jug on their shoes. Lily and Rosaleen hitchhike to Tiburon, SC, a city that Lily found written on the back of a picture that used to belong to Lily's mother, who died when Lily was four. The two are taken in by three sisters who live in a bright pink house and who raise bees. In order to earn their keep, Lily learns the art of beekeeping while Rosaleen helps with the cooking. August, the oldest of the sisters, encourages Lily to tell her story, knowing that Lily lied about who she and Rosaleen were, where they were from and where they were going. Lily resists, even as she feels drawn to August. Lily's biggest secret is her guilt over her mother's death. This is a moving coming-of-age story, with relevant quotes about bees at the start of each chapter.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
The Secret Lives of Bees
The Secret Lives of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (2002) 302 pages
Fourteen year old Lily Owens lives in South Carolina with her often-angry father who owns a peach farm. She is cared for by Rosaleen, one of her father's employees. It's 1964 and when Lily accompanies Rosaleen to register to vote (now that the Civil Rights Act has passed), Rosaleen ends up beaten and arrested when she returns insults of racists by pouring the contents of her snuff jug on their shoes. Lily and Rosaleen hitchhike to Tiburon, SC, a city that Lily found written on the back of a picture that used to belong to Lily's mother, who died when Lily was four. The two are taken in by three sisters who live in a bright pink house and who raise bees. In order to earn their keep, Lily learns the art of beekeeping while Rosaleen helps with the cooking. August, the oldest of the sisters, encourages Lily to tell her story, knowing that Lily lied about who she and Rosaleen were, where they were from and where they were going. Lily resists, even as she feels drawn to August. Lily's biggest secret is her guilt over her mother's death. This is a moving coming-of-age story, with relevant quotes about bees at the start of each chapter.
Fourteen year old Lily Owens lives in South Carolina with her often-angry father who owns a peach farm. She is cared for by Rosaleen, one of her father's employees. It's 1964 and when Lily accompanies Rosaleen to register to vote (now that the Civil Rights Act has passed), Rosaleen ends up beaten and arrested when she returns insults of racists by pouring the contents of her snuff jug on their shoes. Lily and Rosaleen hitchhike to Tiburon, SC, a city that Lily found written on the back of a picture that used to belong to Lily's mother, who died when Lily was four. The two are taken in by three sisters who live in a bright pink house and who raise bees. In order to earn their keep, Lily learns the art of beekeeping while Rosaleen helps with the cooking. August, the oldest of the sisters, encourages Lily to tell her story, knowing that Lily lied about who she and Rosaleen were, where they were from and where they were going. Lily resists, even as she feels drawn to August. Lily's biggest secret is her guilt over her mother's death. This is a moving coming-of-age story, with relevant quotes about bees at the start of each chapter.
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