Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The "Romance"

How did you feel about Lily's relationship with Zach? Personally I found it unnecessary to the plot.... I wondered what the appeal for Zach was in the relationship, especially as it would be dangerous for him. Lily would not be the easiest person to get on with, I would imagine!

Monday, April 27, 2009

The ending

So as not to spoil the ending for those who are still going, I will post the question in the comments page....

Bees as a motif

What do you think is the significance of bees in the story? How do you think the secret life of bees relates to Lily's own life?

Civil Rights

How did you feel about the handling of race issues and the civil rights movement in the book? How did you find the portrayal of Rosaleen? (Personally I found it a bit cliched). Why would she spit on the white men's shoes when she was fully aware of what the consequences could be?

Monday, April 20, 2009

Test for Philippa!

Did it work?

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The wall

I really liked the use of May's wall, especially the ending where Lily reinvents the purpose of the wall.  I thought it was interesting to see the progression through Lily to a meaning other than alleviating grief and sorrow.

Monday, April 6, 2009

So who's read the book?

Has anyone read the book and seen the film?  I haven't seen it yet, did it measure up?  I like the look of the cast.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Black Madonna

I've been reading some of Sue Monk Kidd's interviews about the Secret Life of Bees online and they were mostly along the same lines, but this one struck me as particularly interesting.  The interviewer is from a religious publication or website (not sure which) and the focal point of the interview was the black madonna.  I read the Secret Life of Bees years ago and am halfway through rereading it and, despite the importance of the black madonna, it never struck me as a particularly religious book, so this article put an entirely new slant on the book for me.  I'll be interested to see what I pick up this time around.