The Secret Life of Bees Audiobook By Sue Monk Kidd cover art

The Secret Life of Bees

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The Secret Life of Bees

By: Sue Monk Kidd
Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
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About this listen

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
Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Feel-Good South Carolina
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What listeners say about The Secret Life of Bees

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    6,083
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    1,383
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Like honey, this novel is a kind of soul food.

A very sweet empowering tale. The naration is decent. Definitely worthwile.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My second listen of this book

I'm always interested to read stories that include "oppressed peoples" (being one of them myself.) I especially like stories set in the south during the civil rights era.

Between the writing and the narration, this book is the best of the best.

The main character (Lily) is written so well--it's hard to pull off funny yet vulnerable, so you still feel for the character--but the author does.

One of my rare 5 star reads.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story

A very good story and read very well. Another reading that made the book come thru in 3D. Left you thinking there must be more to the story. Maybe?

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Must Read!

Perfectly told! The author makes me want to read every book they ever wrote! You won't be disappointed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mesmerizing listen

Can’t say enough about how engaged one becomes in this story, that really is not much more than a ‘movie of the week’ caliber plot, and yet...Jenna Lamia’s performance adds layer upon layer of texture, drawing the listener into a ‘don’t want it to end’ listening journey. Very. Well. Done.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life Changing

Sue Monk Kidd has a gift of painting vivid pictures of experience and with accurate comparisons of human and bee social
behavior. She captures the complexity of life by smoothly transitioning through the multiple story lines of a young, motherless, abused white girl that is coming of age at the height of the civil rights movement.
I could not stop listening to the book, switching the Bluetooth from my home, to the garage, and into my car. Now that it is over, I am wrestling with the notion to start back at the beginning so I can mark all the places where I was brought to tears by relating and feeling understood by the characters. It is a masterpiece. I am so grateful to own this piece of art.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

Loved it. Beautiful story. Uplifting spirit in the main character Lily. At times I had to remember she was a young girl.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

lovely story

Well-written, heart-warming and sometimes very funny. Excellent performances. The story will draw you in. highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing! Must Read!

the narrator is incredible, & the story pulls at all of those hidden places and beautifully brings them to light in a way that totally changes your outlook.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful narration!

The book is 5stars anyway, but the performance by this reader is one of the best that I’ve heard on Audible. Absolutely a favorite!

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