I read this book in 2 days. Forty-eight wonderful hours of characters to fall in love with. I adore this type of book – character driven but with a point. This book is not without its heartbreak. The Secret Life of Bees takes place in South Carolina in 1964 during the heart of the Civil Rights movement. The novel centres around Lily Owens, whose life was forever changed by the tragic death of her mother. Lily is haunted by these memories and when her surrogate mother, a spirited black woman named Rosaleen, insults three racists Lily decides they need to escape together once and for all.
The journey that follows is one built on the love of mothers and daughters and the powerful relationship created with a group of unlikely women that become Lily’s stand-in mothers. This is an inspiring story about one little girl’s need for love, forgiveness, and acceptance where the politically charged times act as a backdrop to the more personal evolution taking place in the character of Lily.
This book is a definite must read especially because the movie version comes out on October 17th. I can’t wait to see it! Check out the trailer here:
This review was written by Jen.