“The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd

An adult book that appeared on the bestseller lists for many weeks, this one had been on my “to read” list for a long time. It did not disappoint. An absolutely lovely, if not magical tale, this tells the story of Lily Owens, an abused girl with a troubled past. Set in South Carolina during the summer of 1964, Lily escapes her father along with a domestic servant of the household and finds refuge in a unique environment. The house she lands in is governed by the life of bees, as is the structure of the book, each chapter detailing social aspects of a bee’s life which are paralleled by the characters. Touching and sad, but ultimately uplifting, this is clearly one of those new classics. The prose is simple but beautifully penned, lyrical in its descriptions. The “inner life” of Lily and the people around her feel startlingly real and immensely powerful. It is definitely a book I continued to think about after I’d finished it, and one that made me want to turn the page – not because of events but to see the development of the characters. In the end, the emotional power of this story really affected me. There is a religious theme but I cannot imagine it would be offensive to those of differing beliefs. The faith of the women in the book is that of survival – the strength that can be found when you find the power of your own heart. The book is fiction, but it reads so much like truth that the author felt compelled to include a detailed interview at the end to describe her source materials. Brava to Ms. Kidd. May her next endeavor be as gratifying.