The Bees

Product Information

This book introduced me to Sue Monk Kidd's writing. I have all her books now, but Mermaid's Chair and don't need that one. I love her style, her writing and her last 2 books have been amazing. I read this in 2005 and it blew my mind wide opened. Lily Owens' mother died when she was 4 from an accident with a gun and Lily has always felt responsible. Her mothers death left her in the care of her abusive father who she calls T-ray and their housekeeper Rosaleen - Lily's only friend. Fourteen year old Lily was so tired of her father yelling at her, forcing punishment on her almost daily, accusing her of things she didn’t do – so when Rosaleen, her nanny since her mother’s death when she was just four years old, was arrested and beaten by white men – with the police looking on - Lily decided enough was enough. The racial prejudice in South Carolina in the 1960s was oppressive and cruel – Lily couldn’t work out why skin colour made such a difference. Scott, Catherine (11 June 2014). "The Bees by Laline Paull, review: 'ambitious and beautiful' ". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 21 April 2016.

The Bees by Laline Paull | Goodreads

We started walking. If you think the country is quiet, you've never lived in it. Tree frogs alone make you wish for earplugs." This is an utterly unique, gripping novel whose heady mix of dystopia, naturalism and feminist concern will no doubt draw debate. Built on a daring concept, this is a sophisticatedly executed debut novel. In addition to the human traits she gives her bug protagonists, Paull vividly and accurately lays out the hierarchy of the honeybee colonies — their dangers, joys, devotion to the queen. These complex societies provide fertile ground for exploring daring themes such as religious fervour, police states, gender politics, the very real threat posed by predators (known as 'The Myriad') and perhaps, most relevant, the toxic pesticides sprayed on crops that decimate the hive's population... continued Fascinating… engrossing… Paull’s clear fascination with her source material brings humanity and warmth to a depiction of the remarkable social world of bees, which is no small achievement. Incest Is Relative: Flora's daughter mates with a bee who is technically her uncle. It's a bit complicated, but the short version is that insect reproduction is bizarre at times, and the circumstances of her birth might mean she's not actually closely related to him at the genetic level. Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive's survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen's inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous.Undying Loyalty: All bees in the hive have eternal loyalty to their hive and the Queen, because if they don't they won't be around for much longer.

The Bees by Laline Paull review – ‘a richly evocative feast

A gripping and provocative debut novel by a stunning new talent, California imagines a frighteningly realistic near future, in which clashes between mankind's dark nature and deep-seated resilience force us to question how far we will go to protect the ones we love. Ahhh! *gasp* *choke* *stammer* I can barely find the words to say how much I loved this book. Honestly, The Secret Life of Bees has to be one of the best books I've read in a while. I just want to give it several A+'s and a kiss! Floral Theme Naming: Bees of a certain kin, or type, all share the same name. The priestesses are all Sage, the landing board guards are all Thistle, etc. The sanitation workers, being the lowest type of kin, don't get a specific flower name, but are all called the generic Flora. Drones are named after trees. As Flora experiences life in the Hive from different perspectives - Sanitation worker, Nursery worker, forager - she begins to realise that all is not right with the Hive, and that the wasps, spiders and other vermin of the Myriad may not be the only enemy.The Secret Life of Bees is a fictional story set in 1964 South Carolina. Lily Owens lives with her abusive father, T.Ray, and she is haunted by the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. One day, Lily finds herself in legal trouble after a racist encounter, and she goes on the run with Rosaleen. Will Lily find a place where she is loved and accepted? What will happen when her new host discovers the truth? Living Aphrodisiac: The Queen gives off an addictive scent that gives off feelings of love and caring. I can see how this book will provoke lots of discussion about its "Interesting topic" (There are classroom questions in my copy!) but it's just shallow, empty and overrated to the max. The story has been done several times and to a much better result - think Harper Lee and Mark Twain. But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all - daring to challenge the Queen's fertility - enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society - and lead her to unthinkable deeds.

Bee fiction (35 books) - Goodreads Bee fiction (35 books) - Goodreads

But the book does have some saving graces. First, the writing is incredible. Voice, pacing, transition, and word choice are all stellar. On a micro level, Ms Kidd is magnificent. For instance, despite the predictability of telling such a tale from the young girl's point of view, I thought the decision worked here. Lily herself is absolutely charming. She is completely honest with the reader, often to her own detriment. If the story had been written from anyone else's point of view, Lily would have been pathetic: abused motherless little girl who harbors way too much guilt and angst. This book could have gone off the deep end real easy. But Lily is a survivor and an optimist, and her naive faith drives this book. I loved Lily, I have been struggling to actually like a protagonist in a novel for a long while, so was pleased when I took to Lily immediately. I think that it was a real honest, true voice of a fourteen year old, you could feel the wide-eyed wonder, the naivity and the angst without it being irritating. I loved how she grew and learned; gained courage and wisdom; without the morals of the story beating you over the head. I absolutely loved August and Rosaleen. To be honest, I loved them all. I was even rooting for Zach and Lily to hook up - it made me feel like a teenage reader again, in parts. Brainwashed: Part and parcel of living in a Hive Mind, but specifically true of the Queen's Love, a scent which overrides all other thought and emotion and replaces it with love for the Queen and the need to serve the Hive.Laser-Guided Amnesia: Flora's mind is wiped after she fails her second test, reducing her to the level of her kin on the surface. But something of herself lingers under the surface and her mind is restored after hearing the hive mind.

The Bees by Laline Paull review – a fantasy with a sting in

Lily and her father, she calls him T. Ray, live on a peach farm just outside Sylvan, South Carolina, population 3100, where there are Baptist churches and peach stands. Her life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. Deborah Fontanel Owens, her mother, died on December 3, 1954, the day Lily became four-years-old. Laline Paull was born in London, UK. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants. She won a scholarship to the University of Oxford. [9] Genetic Memory: After a moment of uncertainty all bees know their place in society and the roles they must preform. Each chapter starts off with some facts about bees. Did you know that in certain areas bees produce purple honey? A Good Way to Die: In the end, Flora finally passes away from an old age, but in the end, she saw her daughter survive and grow up to become the new queen, her fellow floras now serve as her maids, no longer oppressed by higher castes, and the Hive continues to live on. As such, she has no regrets and happily passes away in peace.Straub, Emma (23 May 2014). "Sunday Book Review: Hive Mentality: The Bees by Laline Paull". The New York Times . Retrieved 21 April 2016. The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of a 14-year-old white girl, Lily Melissa Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. Sanctuary was granted to Lily and Rosaleen when they found themselves at the garish, bright pink home of beekeeping sisters, May, June and August, whom Lily called the Calendar Ladies. As Lily worked with August and the bees, and Rosaleen in the kitchen with May, Lily found herself confused and lost. Would she ever find peace? She was a white girl living among coloured women – her heart felt soft with love toward these women, but the white population of the town didn’t understand. Would Lily ever find out what happened to her mother all those years ago? Dystopia meets the Discovery Channel in this audacious debut novel...while Flora 717 may not be the next Katniss Everdeen, she symbolizes the power that knowledge has to engender change, even in nature. Here they find the home of the three Boatwright sisters - August, June and May. They run a beekeeping business and take on the two runaways.