The Secret Life of Bees, an emotional and powerful novel by Sue Monk Kidd, takes readers on a journey to search for the truth about a lost love.

Lily Owens lives with her angry father and her nanny. Hoping to find out more about her dead mother, she runs away with her nanny and ends up at a pink house owned by three women who keep bees and sell honey. There, Lily learns about African-American culture, religion, and bees.

Set in 1964, the novel explores the hardships of black people at the time of the Civil Rights Movement. The characters seem so real that I could picture each with her particular feelings. However, a slow plot and excessive details were weaknesses. It seemed to take a long time to get to the beekeepers' house. At some points it felt as if Kidd was trying to stretch out the details. For example, when Lily was doing bee patrol, Kidd kept describing how Lily felt around the bees. She repeated the same feelings, just using different words.

One of the main themes is the strength of black women. Even in the 1960s, these women made a name and a living for themselves, despite the hardships they faced. They were looked down upon, beaten up, denied the vote, and forced to struggle every day.

Overall The Secret Life of Bees was very enjoyable. From the heartbreaking moments to the heartwarming ones, it will not disappoint.