Phoebe Baldwin 

Staff Writer 

“The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd

The year is 1964 in the town of Sylvan, South Carolina and Lily Owens is haunted by the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. Lily lives with her abusive father, T. Ray, and Rosaleen, the maid.. Between T.Ray’s abuse and Rosaleen’s violent arrest, Lily is desperate to escape the harsh environment that is thrust upon her. 

After a daring break-out, Lily and Rosaline set off on a journey for truth about Lily’s mother and end up being taken in by bee-keeping sisters, August, June and May. No matter how hard she tries, being consumed in the world of honey and bees does not keep the secrets and betrayals away from the pink house that she now comes to love. Will Lily fight for what her  heart longs or will she succumb to the fate that awaits her back with her father?

“The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd is a fictional novel that has touched the hearts of avid readers as well as students who are not as passionate about reading. From the life lessons learned from the bees, to the depiction of the 1960’s society, this novel has outdone itself in giving readers a novel to truly reflect on.