The Secret Life of Bees

This book's story line, character development, rich imagery and pacing are such a treat! The narrator's vocal ability is superb and she provides added depth in the way she represents the characters and describes the scenes. This is my first GREAT audiobook experience and my enthusiasm for this format has been renewed.

I have no complaints about this book, only praise. It was well written, kept my attention, I was captivated by the characters, and loved the narrator. This is one that will be listened to many times. You will find yourself laughing and crying along with the joys and sorrows of the characters as they grow from their experiences. Buy this book! You will be like me and finding more books by Sue Monk Kidd.

OK, I bought this when it was on sale. I had it in my wish list for a long time but it was low priority. Boy am I glad I got it! Aside from really enjoying Jenna Lamia as a narrator of other audiobooks, I thing she did a really good job here, even if her southern accent was less than authentic.
The story is lovely and heartbreaking. I've wanted to see the movie but now that I've enjoyed the book so much I'm afraid that Hollywoods version will destroy the beauty of it.

This is a great book by itself. Add narrator Jenna Lamia and it's one of my all time favorite audiobooks. I liked Jenna Lamia so much in this book that I bought a bunch more books that she narrated without even having heard of them (with mixed results). She has the perfect voice for this story.

One of the best books I've ever read or listened to! Couldn't turn it off!!!

I love a coming of age, heartwarming story, and this was a very nice one. Lily is a charming, strong willed character that I fell in love with instantly. She breaks away from the terrible life she is left with by her mother's death, and goes in search of her mother's past. It is a very enjoyable story, with some darkness, and humor to balance it nicely.

I recommend it, and bought it for my teenage nieces, who loved it!

This is a great book. It is a wonderful story and I love the way the narrator reads it. The movie is really good, and I saw it first, but the book is so much better - as is usually the case.

After wearing out the paperback version of this book, I finally broke down and purchased the audiobook. Jenna Lamia does a great job of narrating, and really helps the reader to fall even more in love with Lily and the other strong female characters.

The story itself is inspiring and heartwarming. There is sadness and darkness, but Sue Monk Kidd does a great job of interjecting humor and lightheartedness at the perfect times. I've read and listened to this book more times than I can count, and it has never disappointed.

A poignant story of a young girl who finds herself born into a violent, abusive, rascist environment and has the strength, ingenuity and open-mindedness to fashion a beautiful new life for herself encouraged by the secret lives of the bees and their most excellent keepers. The effort was appreciated also as a cultural commentary, lest those of us living in this arguably post-racial society might not remember the hurt, pain and misunderstandings wrought by racism.
The story is well-constructed; the characters are well-developed -- I want to meet August Boatright -- and masterfully narrated. A very enjoyable listen.

Jenna Lamia takes a great book and makes it even better. I have read this book, seen the movie and listened to the audio, but my favorite is the audio version. The textures of the voices Jenna created for each character are so distinct and realistic, I could practically see the faces of each! A real treat!