SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd
These are wonderful stories. Critics claimed Saving CeeCee Honeycutt to be a cross between The Secret Life of Bees and The Help (by Kathryn Stockett). This time, I agree with them. I loved The Secret Life of Bees! I have not yet read The Help. (I know it's really really good and I need to read it. It's on my list.)
I can say of both Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Secret Life of Bees that they are about a young girl in a bad situation who finds comfort and love from a Southern black woman. They are both engaging and uplifting and thoroughly enjoyable. When you need a good story that's not heavy and will leave you happy, pick up either one of these books.
In The Secret Life of Bees, South Carolinan Lily Melissa Owens has lost her mother and lives in misery with her father. Rosaleen, who cooks and cleans in the house, acts as a stand-in mother for Lily. But, they a forced to flee and go to Rosaleen's relations to live. With these caring women and the new culture she comes to love, Lily begins to heal.
In Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Cecelia Rose Honeycutt has not yet lost her mother to death, but she has lost her to mental illness, forced to be the caretaker for her mother while her father disengages from the family. Eventually, CeeCee goes to live with relatives in Savannah, Georgia. Her Aunt Tootie's cook, Oletta, brings CeeCee love and wisdom and helps her mend the cracks in her heart.
I read the Life of Bees many years ago when it first came out, so I don't remember it with the detailed recall I have of Saving CeeCee, which I just finished today, but I think Secret Life of Bees is a little more serious/darker than Saving CeeCee. But I liked them both. I love books that are great stories and leave me happy!!
I've read all three and they're all great!
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