• The Secret Life of Bees

  • By: Sue Monk Kidd
  • Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
  • Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (7,883 ratings)

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The Secret Life of Bees  By  cover art

The Secret Life of Bees

By: Sue Monk Kidd
Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
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Publisher's summary

Sue Monk Kidd's ravishing debut novel has stolen the hearts of reviewers and readers alike with its strong, assured voice. Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed.

When Lily's fierce-hearted "stand-in mother", Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina - a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. There, they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household.

This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love - a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.

©2003 Sue Monk Kidd (P)2008 Penguin

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What listeners say about The Secret Life of Bees

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Truly beautiful

Such a truly beautiful exploration of the human spirit through the eyes of innocence and vulnerability.

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So happy I picked this title!

So I randomly picked this title. I remember when the movie came out thinking, I wonder if that's a book and sure enough it was! I recognized the cover and thought I would give it a read. loved every minute of it. same narrator from The Help, I like her voice and inflection. highly recommend this coming of age tale.

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Story was great but..

The overall story seemed really unfocused sometimes. This book is still a fantastic book though with plenty of symbolism, if I wasn't in such a rush to read this I would read it again!

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The secret life of bees and little girls

I've read this book and listened. Both were excellent. The narrator does an excellent job with voices and emotion.
5 stars!

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Couldn’t stop

The narrator was amazing. Kept me hanging on every word. The story drew me in and the use of words left the best pictures in my mind.

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Excellent overall

The story is charming and the performance is outstanding! It’s hard to stop listening until the very end.

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absolutely beautiful

An absolutely beautiful story that will leave you crying and aching from both the good and the bad. I finished it in just a few days because I couldn't stop going back to it. The narration is great.

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yay

awesome book! we highly recommend it! Especially for 9th graders and beyond. Thank you!

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Incredible story

I usually am an epic fantasy kind of reader, but I saw some reviews about this book and thought I needed a change. SO glad that I did. This story is wonderful and everyone should read this point. The reader brought the story to life. I am now shopping for fresh honey

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Mess up

In chapter 8, at 18 minutes in, the narrator says "Rosaline, June and May" instead of "August, June and May" when talking about their mother. Just a funny mess up, it didn't ruin the story, since I knew what she meant.

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