Shouldn't that be "The secret Lives of bees"? Anyway, like the sweet smell of honey to a bee, this book drew me in. A beautifully written story of a young girl trying to make sense of her life while surviving physical beatings from her father and longing for her late mother.

Set during the civil rights period in America, the novel reminds us the stupidity of prejudice and the importance of parental nurturing. Sue Monk Kidd's writing style is fluid and sweet, I licked it up off the pages without using a drizzle. Relaxed, casually poetic.

I loved reading the book and highly recommend it, although, it did start to go a bit long at the 200 page mark -- pushing the little secret shtick just a bit farther than necessary and causing me to lose a bit of the magic. Still, overall a good reminder of the power of the dangerously beautiful human spirit and the importance of love.

Some quotes from the book:

"Standing there, I loved myself and I hated myself. That's what the black Mary did to me, made me feel my glory and my shame at the same time."

"We waited till his taillights turned to specks no bigger than lightning bugs before we spoke or even moved. I was trying not to think how sad and lost we really were... But still, I felt painfully alive, like every cell in my body had a little flame inside it, burning so brightly it hurt."

Read more Book Reviews by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony.