Review: The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Title: The Secret Life of Bees
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Genre: Historical Fiction/Southern Fiction
Publication Date: 8th November 2001
Time: 9hrs 54mins
Narrator: Jenna Lamia
Book Source: own audio

Synopsis: 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 black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.

My Thoughts:

I'm a latecomer to this little treasure and not sure I can add anything new with my review but I can't not share my thoughts. It's a heart-achy read with Lily's sad family circumstances and the racial tension but The Secret Life Of Bees embodies the strength of the female spirit ... it's warm with compassion, honesty and wisdom. 

I adored all the characters, well except for that oxygen bandit T-Ray, Lily's abusive father. Lily is both wise beyond her years and naive, completely honest with the reader and utterly charming.  August Boatright was another favourite character, I loved that she was Lily's safe harbour. 

Jenna Lamia is one of my favourite narrators, she nails the distinct voices of 14 year old Lily, her nanny Rosaleen and the Boatright sisters. Jenna Lamia also narrates other favourites; Beth Hoffman's Saving Ceecee Honeycut and the heart warming Looking For Me.

The Secret Life Of Bees is beautifully written, gorgeous imagery, endearing characters, it's just ... enchanting. 

Connect with Sue Monk Kidd

Website

Twitter

Facebook

The Story of Sassy Sweetwater by Vera Jane Cook ~ Review & Giveaway

Genre: Southern Fiction/General Fiction
Publication Date: 20th January 2012
Pages: 289
Book Source: Premier Virtual Author Book Tours

Synopsis: After thirteen years on the run Violet McLaughlin returns to Carter’s Crossing, South Carolina, in 1962, with her young daughter, Sassy. The Crossing is right outside of Beaufort and the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement will forever leave its scars on the young and impressionable girl. As Sassy stands before the imposing white farmhouse for the first time, with no knowledge of her history but that the McLaughlin's are her kin, Sassy begins a journey that will tear her apart before it heals her. Growing up among secrets that will forever damage her relationship with her mother, she attempts to make sense of her past. But will her passion for art and her love for Thomas Tierney be enough to sustain her future? Will the puzzles she must solve to discover who she is be worth the journey?

My Thoughts:

I really do love Southern fiction, there's just something about it that speaks to my soul.

The Story of Sassy Sweetwater is a darker story than say Beth Hoffman's Looking For Me, but equally atmospheric. The bigotry and unrest of the Civil Rights movement, the beauty of the McLaughlin's grand home and the surrounding landscape drops you right in the south with all its charm, prejudice and quirky characters.

I think it was the prettiest day I'd ever seen. Mama used to say that some days are downright friendly and that nature was just like a person, either snarling at you like a fierce wind, crapping on you like a storm, or loving you up like the sun.

But be prepared, this dysfunctional family, their heartaches and tragedies sometimes makes for difficult reading. The appalling in-family violence and sexual abuse affected generations of the McLaughlin family and Uncle Liam and Granddaddy Seamus made my skin crawl ... "Uncle Liam was weird as false teeth in a pickle jar." I have to confess I cheered a little when Grandma Edna finally took matters into her own capable hands.

Grandma Edna seemed quite the intimidating character initially, especially from 13 year old Sassy's perspective but I quickly grew fond of the stern matriarch with her soft heart. Dudley and Thomas weren't far behind. 

Sassy's journey is a tumultuous one and I didn't always like her but she's a survivor. And take heart, it may seem like I'm giving something away but believe me you need hope that this girl shaped by the rough hand she was dealt eventually finds true happiness.

Follow tour schedule

Connect with Vera Jane Cook

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Giveaway:

One ebook copy of The Story of Sassy Sweetwater. So that makes it International! Just leave a relevant comment or question along with your email address.

Extra Entries: 

+ 2 tweet giveaway and leave a link

Giveaway ends 2nd August and winner will be announced on my blog. 

Good luck everyone!

Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman

Genre: General Fiction
Publication Date: 28th May 2013
Pages: 354 - 12hrs 14mins
Book Source: Own audio purchase
Narrator: Jenna Lamia

Synopsis: Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

My Thoughts:

It's times like this I wish I was a writer so I could eloquently express just how Beth's writing makes me feel, how it touches, comforts and warms the heart. 

I adored Saving CeeCee Honeycut, and I shouldn't be surprised that Beth has outdone herself with Looking For Me but how is it possible for me, all the way over here in Australia to feel like I belong in the south, in Teddi's circle of friends? 

Whenever I teased Oliva and called her a junkaholic, she'd lift her chin and fire back, "And you are a furniture slut. I swear, you just about drop your panties for any old walnut chest that comes your way."

Then we'd both laugh at the truth of it. 

Beth Hoffman has a gift, for storytelling, for emotionally engaging readers and tugging on their heartstrings. The beauty of Looking For Me lies in it's honesty and simplicity. I laughed, I cried, I loved and I didn't want to leave. 

I love this piece of wisdom from Teddi's mum - "Never tie your happiness to the tail of someone else's kite." 

Turning toward the window, I looked into the morning sky, so blue and bright with the promise of a new day. I wanted to rip it down and throw it away. I wanted black clouds, thunder, and unforgiving winds.

I wanted the world to hurt like I did. 

Let you in on a little secret, I purchased this for my kindle and then I just had to hear it, so a couple of chapters in I purchased the audiobook, I'm greedy like that lol. Jenna Lamia's narration is nothing short of brilliant ... she is Teddi Overman and I fell completely in love with this delightful, authentic girl. 

Recommend: 110% YES ... Looking For Me is pure delight! 

Connect with Beth

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Genre: General Fiction

Copyright: 2010

Length: 10 hrs, 4 mins or 306 pages

Book Source: Own Purchase

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell.

In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah's perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons, to Tootie's all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones, to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

Review:
I found this book just delightful, like being wrapped in a warm blanket or relaxing in a garden swing on a warm spring day with the fragrance of jasmine or honeysuckle in the air. Beautifully narrated, the vivid imagery is a balm to the senses, it's a warm, tender, funny story that tugged at my heartstrings.

"A cool breeze lifted the hem of my nightgown. The birds began to chirp and sing and the first sparks of sunlight brought the dew drops to life.... When my fingers touched the back door, something inside me shifted - I could actually feel it. I knew Mrs. Odell was right. I felt the flutter of a page turn deep within me as a chapter in my Life Book came to a close."

As CeeCee comes to terms with her traumatic past and the death of her mother, the reader accompanies her as she heals and discovers her sense of self, enveloped by the love of some colourful southern women. The charm of this book is not just in the cast of quirky characters, but the ambience created by the southern setting, the beautiful descriptions of gardens, homes, mouth-watering food, the strong female friendships, pearls of wisdom and giggle worthy moments. I fell in love with many of the characters, Aunt Tootie, Oletta, Mrs Odell and Oletta's hilarious Aunt Sapphire. The "black boomerang of karma" and slug saga cracked me up as did many of the antics of the eccentric Ms Goodpepper and horrid Ms Hobb.

Despite the sad beginning this isn't a sad story, it's an uplifting story infused with humour, a story of love and friendship and new beginnings. It evoked such a myriad of feelings in me, I cried and laughed and cringed and cheered. What more can I say, I was completely captivated by this wonderful debut novel, I highly recommend it in audio format and I look forward to more from Beth Hoffman.

Visit Beth Hoffman's website to find out more about the author and her work. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is available from audible.com or  Amazon or The Book Depository (free international postage)

The Help by Kathryn Stockettt

Copyright: 2009

Pages: 464

Genre: General fiction

Book Source: Own audio

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed. - book cover

My Thoughts: 

I listened to The Help on audio and have to say it was one of my favourites of the year. Voices are captured brilliantly by 3 different narrators and I was completely captivated for 18 hours. Whilst I love reading, it is a rare experience with audio to have such an emotional connection to a story and the characters, almost like I was part of the experience, a participant rather than an observer. It transported me to a time and place and shared experiences with me that I had little knowledge of, and I found myself in turn, outraged, amused and saddened. The Help tells the story of a white woman, secretly compiling an account of the real-life experiences of coloured women working for white families, in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 60's.

Skeeter Phelan is a forward thinking, highly educated young white woman and aspiring author, who believes there is more to life than bridge, Junior League and the shallow prejudices shared by many of her peers.  A 'bathroom initiative' to further segregate coloured maids in their employers' homes spurs Skeeter to tell the story that needs to be told.

As Skeeter explains "Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

Aibileen and Minny are maids employed by Skeeter's 'friends'. Together they form an unlikely trio, sharing a common bond & cause as they attempt to bring the help's stories to publication. I loved Minny's outspoken character and found myself sympathising with her emotional outbursts that frequently got her fired. Aibileen is wise and kind, she's raised and loved 17 white children throughout her life and Mae Mobely is no exception. Aibileen's relationship with this little girl is touching and heartbreaking as she attempts to impart values of love, tolerance and acceptance to her young charge.

 "You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

"I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain't a color, disease ain't the negro side of town. I want to stop that moment from coming--and it come in ever white child's life -- when they start to think that colored folks ain't as good as whites"

The Help is a story of hope, of love and friendship, of inequality and injustices, it's a story of courage, the courage to do what is right in the face of adversity & ostracism. It's a poignant, funny and enlightening read that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Visit Kathryn Stockett's website to find out more about this wonderful new voice in fiction.