Join me and the Gather Book Club, Tuesday, 12/2 from 9-9:30PM ET to discuss the final chapters of the NYT Bestseller The Secret Life of Bees . Anyone can join. This Tuesday we'll meet to discuss chapters twelve through the end of the book.
The discussion takes place in the comment field below. I'll be your host and will include the discussion questions in the comment field throughout our chat.
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About the Book:
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees is the moving tale of Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping.
Read Transcripts of the last two Book discussions to catch up:
Nov 17
The Secret Life of Bees - Live Chat Transcript! by Princess Spanky Pants (The Real, Original, Heather T)
Nov 25
Discuss "The Secret Life of Bees" - Join the Book Club, Tuesday 11/25 @ 9PM ET by Christine Zibas
Discussion Questions:
- Were you pleased or disappointed with the way Lily and T. Ray left off their relationship?
- Do you think that Lily had an unrealistic image of her mother, Deborah?
- Which character in the book did you most relate to?
- Why do you think the book is called "The Secret Life of Bees"?
Gather will randomly draw one person who participates in our chat between 9-9:30PM ET on 12/2 to receive 200 Bonus Gather Points TM!
I look forward to chatting with you!
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Comments: 178
I was neither, their final confrontation was predictable and in tune with the rest of their relationship. Quick, violent and unresolved seemed to be their theme and it was played out in the end.
Yes. Lily had a bit of Hero worship going on concerning her mother.
The view Lily had of her mother was tunneled and came about due to a total lack of communication not only with her father but everyone one else on the farm and in her town. How else should she be expected to view her Mom when not a soul ever spoke of her as she actually was. Lily made a mother for herself within her mind, it was her only option.
None. The characters were each very one dimensional and "forced" in my opinion and I did not find myself relating to any of them.
I agree with Kerry.. She done what she could to get by until hearing the truth which changed her forever
I liked Rosaleen alot.. she was so sweet and knew when to be serious and when to let loose!
well Im not sure if their is a right or wrong answer.. I may have missed something but I think its because the ladies introduced Lily to beekeeping and knew the past of the mother so they had alot to offer!
Welcome to the last discussion of the book The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. Tonight we'll be discussing chapters twelve through the end of the book.
I think it ended as well as could be expected, I did expect or want a warm fuzzy reunion with these characters.
I was really neither, but it made me sad that T. Ray was so violent. He turned the pain of losing Lily's mom into such violent anger and couldn't get over it.
will be posted about every 7 minutes, but please post your answers however long it takes
Question #1. Were you pleased or disappointed with the way Lily and T.Ray left off their relationship?
Of course she did, she was very young when she lost her Mother and she was growing up in an abusive home. It is not a surprise that she put her Mom on a pedestal, most of us do when we are very young and inexperienced in life.
For me, it was more about Lily finding a "family" that loved her and where she could be who she truly was.
I think that while parts of T. Ray's response to Lily felt sincere, a lot of it felt forced, and not at all like a natural interaction. To clarify that a bit, I meant it seemed like the author had a hard time getting that part out, and forced it, instead of taking her time with it.
T. Ray spent a lot of time and anger trying to find Lily, and after just a bit of anger and words, left her behind.
One of the reasons I liked this book is the play on the characters. I think as a woman I could relate to all of the woman. I don't see myself relating to one more than the other as I don't think any one character was fully developed. I think the way the characters were protrayed let us relate to each as we would each part of our own personalties.
#1: I was pleased for the most part tho I did hope that T.Ray would change and treat Lily like a daughter he cared for.
" Question 1-
I think that while parts of T. Ray's response to Lily felt sincere, a lot of it felt forced, and not at all like a natural interaction. To clarify that a bit, I meant it seemed like the author had a hard time getting that part out, and forced it, instead of taking her time with it.
T. Ray spent a lot of time and anger trying to find Lily, and after just a bit of anger and words, left her behind. "
I agree with everything you said, it did seem like he gave up too easy. I sort of expected a part II, something like T-Ray's revenge, LOL
As for her father, I guess that he realized he couldn't be the sort of father that Lily needed. The Boatwright sisters could provide the family she needed and give her love and understanding.
Do you think that Lily had an unrealistic image of her mother, Deborah?
Unrealistic? yes and no. How else was she supposed to imagine her mom when she never knew her and wasn't allowed to ask about her?
I love this question, I wish I had a better answer than what I am about to give.
I think it's the secret life of Bee's because we are all like worker bee's, busy in the pursuit of our lives and the care of our families and communities. The secret's are what remains in the hive, away from view. Only the bee's know.
I think Lily didn't quite grasp all of who her mother was, but she relied on learning about her from a few small memories and some small items found.
As a child, she romanticized who her mother was, and felt extreme guilt about what she thought had happened the day her mother came back for her.
Through out the book, I think her image changes of her mother. She alternates between love, adoration, anger, and even small bouts of hate.
Yes I think she did, as we all tend to at that age~
I did not feel a strong connection to any of the characters. I felt that overall, some of the secondary characters were not fully developed, while the main ones were.. well, a product of their times. They were far different than I think I am as a person, and I can't relate to any of their experiences.
I know this was not a literary masterpiece but I found it portrayed some very real emotions and complex thoughts in a simple and straight forward way.
I re-read it so I could participate in this chat and found that it is a novel that I really enjoy.
The book title, to me, has a few reasons, I think. First and most obvious it refers to the bees as animals, which are a focal point in the book. More complexly, though, I think that through out the book, Lily's observations of the way the bees live have direct connotations to her own life, and how she is moving through it, with deep secrets in her own past that she's trying to both hide from, and discover the truth about.
Christine, I saw T. Rays act as a loving gesture as well. You just said it a heck of a lot better than I. LOL