This is about the 2002 Sue Monk Kidd novel. For the 2008 film, see Secret Life of Bees (film)
The Secret Life of Bees is a
2002The year 2002 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 16: Authorities in Saudi Arabia arrested and jailed poet Abdul Mohsen Musalam and fired a newspaper editor following the publication of Musalam's poem The Corrupt on Earth that criticized the state's Islamic...
historical novel by
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Sue Monk KiddSue Monk Kidd is a writer from the Southern United States, best known for her novel, The Secret Life of Bees.- Biography :Kidd, who was born in Sylvester, Georgia, graduated from Texas Christian University with a B.S...
. It received much critical acclaim and was a New York Times bestseller. It was nominated for the
Orange Broadband Prize for FictionThe Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
and was adapted into a 2008
filmThe Secret Life of Bees is a 2008 American drama film, adapted from the novel of the same name by Sue Monk Kidd. The film was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and produced by Will Smith, with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as executive producer. The film is noted for Queen Latifah's critically...
by
Gina Prince-BythewoodGina Prince-Bythewood is an American film director and writer. Her primary credits as a director include the films Disappearing Acts and Love & Basketball, produced by Spike Lee and starring Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan, which won her the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.Bythewood...
.
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"Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was published by W. C. Peters & Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1848. The song was introduced by a local quintette at a concert in Andrews' Eagle Ice Cream Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1847. Foster was said to have written...
" 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 MaryMary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
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 CollegeHistorically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
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 DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
.
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.
Reception
Reception was generally very positive, with some exceptions. Mark Flanagan from
About.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
felt the novel had "universal appeal" but was dominated by female characters. He was disappointed that there was not a stronger, more positive male character. He felt the book at times was "too sweet" like the honey from the bees. However, he did feel it was an "inspirational feminist tale with strong female characters". Although the novel does include the underlying theme of the
civil rights movementThe civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
,
USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
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-Adult Fiction Honor Books:*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon *The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich *Mrs...
". It was also one of
Good Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
s "Read-This" Book club picks, and was nominated for the Orange Prize in England.
External links