Title: The Secret Life of Bees
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Finished: April 3, 2009
Pages: 302
Published: 2002
My first mistake in reading this book was watching the movie first and then reading the book when it was so fresh in my mind.
The Secret Life of Bees is the story of a young girl, Lily, who runs away from home to try and escape the demons of your childhood. She makes the journey to a place she thought her mother visited years ago and begins to learn the beekeeper and honey business, bringing Rosaleen, her surrogate mother along with her.
The story is so emotional and so raw, it’s easy to tell how it translated to film with the right characters to play the parts. And having seen the film I found it to be very true to the book compared to some translations. It’s a great coming of age story as Lily grows from a young innocent, naive little girl, into a young woman handling her own demons and thriving for the first time.
Absolutely great book.