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| Plot Summary of The Secret Life of Bees |
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"Living on a farm in South Carolina with her cruel, unyielding father, Lily Owens has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory-the afternoon her mother was killed, when Lily was four. Her only real companion at home has been the fierce, black woman Rosaleen, who acts as her mother.
One day, when Rosaleen insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily knows it's time to spring them both free. They take off in the only direction Lily can think of, toward a town called Tiburon, South Carolina. Lily found the name of this city on the back of a picture amind the few possessions left by her mother.
There they were taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters named May, June, and August. Lily thinks of them as the calendar sisters and enters their mesmerizing secret world of bees and honey. Maternal loss and betrayal. guilt and forgiveness entwine in a story that leads Lily to the single thing her heart longs for most."
Boppy, Resident Scholar
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"Lily is a 14-year-old girl whose mother died tragically when she was 4. She sets off with the woman who raised her, a black woman named Rosaleen, in search of answers about her mother, who she was, and confirmation that her mother loved her. She flees her father, a farmer with a temper who doesn't seem to have any paternal instincts. Lily and Rosaleen find themselves living with three black bee-keeping sisters, May, June, and August Boatwright. Through her experiences with the "calendar sisters" and their bees, Lily reaches a sense of belonging and peace."
JMoy, Resident Scholar
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"At 14, Lily Owen's life is spent longing for the mother she can barely remember and the hazy memory of her mother's death. In the rural South Carolina of 1964, racial violence is brutal and, when Lily's surrogate mother – the family's black servant, Rosaleen – falls victim, Lily and Rosaleen run away in pursuit of Lily's mother's identity and some sense of belonging. With only a handful of clues to guide them, Lily and Rosaleen are taken in by three eccentric beekeepers who set Lily on a course to understanding her family and growing up. Woven in and around this, Kidd gives us a vivid portrayal of the civil rights era American south, Lily's relationship with Rosaleen, and her budding romance with a young, idealistic black boy. "
Jennifer Martin-Romme, Resident Scholar
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"Lily grows up with her abusive father and her nanny. While coping with the loss of one family member, she runs away with her nanny and finds people she would love to call her own family. She also finds out more information about herself and her mother then she was looking for. "
Lindsy Carter, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Secret Life of Bees |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Father (or standin)
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- search for family/history
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Coping with loss of loved one(s)
Yes
Loss of...
- mother
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- farmer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 6 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
- Northeast
- Deep South
Farm/Ranch?
Yes
Farm/Ranch:
- farm
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Sue Monk Kidd Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Lindsy Carter
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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