40 pages • 1 hour read
The Secret Life of Bees
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The Secret Life of Bees, a work of fictional realism by Sue Monk Kidd, was published in 2002. Sue Monk Kidd began her writing career as a memoirist; her first three books are spiritual memoirs that track her transition from traditional Christianity to feminist theology. This blend of the Christian contemplative life and the worship of the divine feminine is a key feature in The Secret Life of Bees. The novel was a New York Times best seller, won a 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year Award for its paperback edition, and was nominated for the Orange Broadband Prize in Fiction. The novel was adapted into an off-Broadway play and then into a movie that came out in 2008. Other works by Kidd include The Invention of Wings and The Book of Longings.
Set in 1964 South Carolina, The Secret Life of Bees is a story told in first-person memoir narration by its protagonist, Lily Owens. The book follows the form of a bildungsroman, a story centered around the growth or coming of age of its main character.
Unlock all 40 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
