book club choice
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Our book club chose this book. We all thoroughly enjoyed the story. It will make for interesting discussions. There are many colourful characters in the book and I think everyone can find someone to relate to.
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short and sweet. A good read.
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It's a coming of age story set in the southern U.S. at the time of the civil rights movement. The protagonist is a thoughtful young 14 yr old girl who lives a tragedy when she is just a baby. The story is about how she comes to terms with that tragedy. The characters that surround her are larger than life I find, but the story is realistic. It isn't a sugar coated disney type story if that' what you're looking for, and most of the story is about what the girl thinks and how she reacts to what's happening around her. In other words, Alot of the story goes on in the girl's head. For that reason, it does lag a bit towards the end. You keep anticipating the end, and when it finally does come, it doesn't disapoint! There's also a film made that's based on the story.
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Just as good when read a second time
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I loved this book the first time I read it years ago. Recently I reread it and enjoyed it even more so, mostly because now I'm a beekeeper.
This is the story of Lily who was raised by an abusive father who told Lily she killed her own mother. Lily eventually flees her home accompanied by her childhood nurse and comes across a beekeeping family that her mother had contact with.
This book is a delightful read. The characters are well described and very believeable, as is Lily's internal pain and uncertainty. The black history is very interesting as well as the beekeeping facts which are moderately sprinkled throughout the story.
This book is a keeper. I'll read it again and again.
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Busy bees, buzzing with life...
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This is a simple, unpretentious read, yet very pleasant.
1964, rural South Carolina. Many different themes are explored through the voice of Lily, a white 14 year-old with a heavy weight in her heart, the loss of her mother. What's worse, she believes she has accidentally killed her -it all happened when Lily was only 4- and since then all she earnestly wishes for is a forgiveness that never comes. She is brought up by a black nanny/servant, Rosaleen, and her father, a distant, harsh man who does nothing to make Lily feel loved. After a racial episode which gets Rosaleen into jail and hospital, Lily manages to escape with her and they become fugitives. They eventually get to Tiburon, a city that Lily feels has a strong connection with her mother's past.
They end up at the house of three black sisters, August, June and May Boatwright who, after a few reservations, agree for them to stay for a while in exchange of help around the house and with the bees. The sisters are beekeepers and August introduces Lily to the fascinating world of bees. Busy, wonderful, honey-making bees. After a few days, Lily makes the acquaintance of Zach, a black young man who also helps with all the bees-related work and a friendship ensues. Life at the Boatwright's seems a balm for Lily's wounded soul and Rosaleen too, finds the perfect niche and becomes very close to one of the sisters, May. Life seems trouble-free despite their hiding their true identities and with many racial contrasts in the background at the time.
The author digs into multiple concepts, love, race, loss, hate, friendship, forgiveness, self-discovery and acceptance. The narrative is uncomplicated and charming. On the whole, this book did not entirely blow me away (my "true" rating, 3 stars) but it was inspirational, one of those feel-good ones (hence, the 4 stars). And learning more than one bit about bees didn't hurt either, very interesting. Epigraphs from various books about bees and honey-making are quoted at the beginning of each chapter. A nice touch.
I believe that this book is also suitable for readers 14+.
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I thouroughly enjoyed the journey I took with Lily Owens
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Lily is 14 the summer her world changes. She lost her mother at four in a terrible accident that she can't remember more than as a blur. Her father T Ray is a hard and manipulating man who shows no love for his daughter. Lily has been raised by Rosaleen, a black woman has been Lily's surrogate mother. Bees are a focal part of Lily's young life. She hears them in the walls at night and her father laughs at her but Lily knows they are there. One day in town Rosaleen insults 3 racists and Lily knows it is finally time to leave and go in search of the mother she lost so long ago. Her journey takes her to the town of Tiburon. A name her mother wrote on the back of a picture of a black madonna. There Lily and Rosaleen are taken in by 3 black sisters, May, June and August. The sisters are beekeepers. So begins the summer of Lily finding herself and what really happened to her mother. This is a wonderful story of life. About mothers and daughters and relationships with women who become our true mothers. I really enjoyed this book. It brought back memories of the soul searching that is involved with the loss of one's mother. It takes time but with time peace can be found.
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