The Secret Life of Bees
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| The Secret Life of Bees | |
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 The Secret Life of Bees cover |
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| Author(s) | Sue Monk Kidd |
| Translator | Wally Frank |
| Illustrator | Kim Ellington |
| Cover artist | Borgin Reput |
| Country | United States |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
The Secret Life of Bees is a 2002 historical novel by American author Sue Monk Kidd. Set in the American South in 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act and intensifying racial unrest, Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees is a story of coming-of-age, of the ability of love to transform our lives, and the often unacknowledged longing for the universal feminine divine. Addressing the wounds of loss, betrayal, and the scarcity of love, Kidd demonstrates the power of women coming together to heal those wounds, to mother each other and themselves, and to create a sanctuary of true family and home. It received much critical acclaim and was a New York Times bestseller. It was nominated for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction and was adapted into a 2008 film by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
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[edit] Plot
Isolated on a South Carolina peach farm with a neglectful and harsh father, fourteen-year-old Lily Owens has spent much of her life longing for her mother, Deborah, who died amid mysterious circumstances when Lily was four years old. To make matters worse, her father, T. Ray, tells Lily that she accidentally killed her mother. Lily is raised by Rosaleen, her proud and outspoken African-American nanny. In the summer of 1964, when Rosaleen attempts to exercise her newly won right to vote, she is attacked by the three worst racists in town and is thrown into jail. Lily is determined to save Rosaleen and finally escape her own father as well. Seizing the moment, she springs Rosaleen from jail, and the two set out across South Carolina in search of a new life. Their destination is Tiburon, South Carolina—a town they know nothing about except that in a box of Lily's mother's belongings there is a cryptic picture of a black Virgin Mary with the words "Tiburon, South Carolina" written on the back. There they are taken in by three black beekeeping sisters who worship the Black Madonna. It is here, surrounded by the strength of the Madonna, the hum of bees, and a circle of wise and colorful women, that Lily makes her passage to wholeness and a new life.
[edit] Characters
Lily Owens is a fourteen-year-old white girl, searching for her identity through her deceased mother's past. Lily is constantly tormented by her father, T. Ray, as well as neighborhood boys. Despite her troubles, Lily is very creative. She is forced to work the Peach Stand on the road by their farm on summer days and daydreams of ways to escape her station in life, whether its getting to be a popular girl by going to "Manners School" or becoming a famous writer. She constantly misses and wonders about her mother as she has only a few things left to remind her of her mother, which she keeps hidden from T.Ray. Narrator of the story.
T.Ray Owens: the father of Lily Owens and the widower of Deborah Fontanel-Owens. He is insensitive, emotionally neglectful towards his daughter and physically abusive. T. Ray owns a peach orchard, which consumes most of his time. Lily does not call him Daddy or Dad or Father; she just calls him T. Ray, like everyone else.
Rosaleen Daise: the maid of Lily's household and other neighbors, also acts as Lily's primary caregiver (surrogate mother). She is Lily's best friend for most of the book. She is very heavy, but strong and stubborn. She can be rude and blunt, but overall wants the best for people. She stays with Lily when they leave their small town and head for Tiburon, SC.
August Boatwright: the eldest of the Boatwright sisters. August is a nurturing beekeeper, she is a deep thinker, highly spiritual and leads most of the Daughters Of Mary Ceremonies. She is a well-respected businesswoman in the community although she still has to deal with the racism and prejudices faced by all African Americans in the South during that time period.
June Boatwright: the sister of May Boatwright and August Boatwright. She is a school teacher and talented musician who is bitter about life and refuses to marry after being left at the altar many years before. She goes to local hospitals and nursing homes where people are dying and will play her cello privately for them as a way to send their souls to heaven.
May Boatwright: the sister of August and June Boatwright. She had a twin sister, April, who died when she was younger, she is abnormally sensitive and caring, and has somewhat of a childlike nature about her. Whenever she is upset she sings "Oh! Susanna" and also built a "wailing wall" in the backyard where her sisters send her when she starts getting too upset. She is highly sensitive to pain of others and the world in general, carries the weight of the world in her soul. After she finds out that Zach had been sent to jail, she tells everyone she's going to the wailing wall, when she really went to the river and drowned herself out of grief.
Deborah Fontanel-Owens: the deceased mother of Lily Owens and wife of T.Ray Owens. She is remembered to be very beautiful. She died when Lily as a four year old picked up a gun by accident and shot her mother with it. (Said by T-Ray to Lily.)
Our Lady of Chains: A centuries old statue of the Virgin Mary that is the center of the Boatwright sisters' religion and inspiration. The followers in the small group are called The Daughters of Mary. She comes to represent strength and ever-present love and solace to Lily who is learning for the first time in her life what it is like to have a family and be loved by those around her.
Zachary "Zach" Taylor: August's godson who helps her with the honey. He is a football player who attends the local black high school. Even though Zach is a very talented athlete and could probably get a scholarship to a Negro College for his sports abilities, he really wants to become an "ass-busting" lawyer, which would make him one of the first black lawyers in the area. He is always singing and says he loves Miles Davis.
Neil: the principal at the school where June teaches. He is nice, tall, and forgiving. Neil loves June Boatwright and has stayed by her through years of heated arguments and declined marriage proposals from June. The sisters all love him and hope that one day June will eventually say yes.
The Daughters of Mary: Cressie, Queenie and her daughter Violet, Lunelle, Mabelee, and Sugar-Girl who attends with her husband, Otis, the one man of the group. They are followers of Our Lady of Chains. The elaborate and beautiful hats that the ladies wear to the ceremonies are made by Lunelle, who is a hat maker.
[edit] Reception
Reception was generally very positive. Although the novel does include the underlying theme of the civil rights movement, USA Today felt the novel focused more on Lily's journey towards "self-acceptance, faith and freedom". The novel was originally published in 2002, and has since sold more than six million copies and has been published in 35 countries. It also maintained its position on the New York Times best seller list for two and a half years. In 2004, it was named the "Book Sense Paperback of the Year". It was also one of Good Morning America's "Read-This" Book club picks, and was nominated for the Orange Prize in England.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ www.suemonkkidd.com/author.aspx
[edit] References
- Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin Books, New York, NY, 2002. ISBN 978-0-14-200174-5
