The Secret Life of Bees
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| Author | Sue Monk Kidd |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Released | January 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 336 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-14-200174-0 |
The Secret Life of Bees is a 2002 novel by author Sue Monk Kidd that has received much critical acclaim.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Lily Owens, the protagonist and narrator of the story, runs away from home with her stand-in mother, Rosaleen, and has a vague memory of accidentally shooting her mother at the age of four. Rosaleen has been arrested for assault, disturbing the peace, and theft. On her way to register to vote, Rosaleen steals two church fans and pours snuff juice on the shoes of the three most racist men in town after being verbally assaulted with racial slurs. After being beaten with a flashlight by one of the racists and being beaten again in her cell, Rosaleen is sent to the hospital where Lily breaks her out of jail. Together, they hitchhike to Tiburon, South Carolina on the hunch that Lily's mother, who had written the city name on the back of a photo of the Black Madonna, had once lived there.
After arriving in Tiburon, Lily spots the Black Madonna on a jar of honey in a store. Lily goes to the beekeeper's pink house and is taken in by the Boatwright sisters: May, June, and August. They supply Rosaleen and Lily with housing, and Lily becomes an apprentice beekeeper under the guidance of August, the head of the household.
Zachary Taylor, a high school student who works at the apiary to pay for college and become a lawyer, who courts Lily while working alongside her assisting August, is arrested after refusing to reveal which of his friends threw a bottle at a white man protesting a white Hollywood movie star who is bringing a Negro woman with him to a theatrical premiere. When May, one of the sisters, hears of this, she commits suicide by drowning herself, with a rock on her to hold her down.
Shortly after, T-Ray, Lily's father, finds her at the Boatwright household, and tries to take her back with him. She refuses and T-Ray finally lets her stay after realizing that it would be in his best interest to.
[edit] Characters in "The Secret Life of Bees"
- Terrence Ray Owens ("T. Ray"): A peach farmer, father to Lily Owens, and abusive widower
- Deborah Owens: Mother of Lily. She died while preparing to desert her husband and daughter
- Rosaleen Daise: A caring, persistent worker on T. Ray's peach farm, the only "mother figure" Lily has ever known
- Lily Melissa Owens: The 14-year girl who finds herself on the Boatwright bee farm after escaping her torturous life at home
- August Boatwright: An industrious and loving ex-schoolteacher and beekeeper who takes Lily under her wing
[edit] Influences
As a child, Kidd, like Lily, also had a nanny who habitually chewed snuff. Although the author wasn't forced to kneel on grits as punishment, both she and Lily share the same disaffection for them.
[edit] Awards and nominations
In addition to being a New York Times bestseller, The Secret Life of Bees has been selected by Good Morning America's "Read This!" Book Club.
2003 SEBA (Southeastern Book Sellers Association) Award for Best Fiction Novel
