THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life Of Bees was recommend to me by a very good friend of mine who said it was a brilliant book and one that I would really enjoy, and I must say that she was more than right. I have enjoyed reading this book so much that I want to read it again and again and again.

It is the story of a young white girl (Lily) and her Negro friend (Rosaleen) who end up an a spot of bother and end up running away from Lily's father, breaking out of jail and numerous other plights. The two are taken in by three Negro bee-keeping sisters who protect them and look after them while they are hiding from Lily's father and the law.

I cannot put my finger on one, single way this book made me feel. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I got angry, I feared for the other characters, I even loved throughout the course of this book. This, I think, is the sign of an impeccably written book.

To be honest with you, the plot was nothing like I expected it to be, even after reading the blurb, but I cannot fault what has been woven into these pages. The Secret Life Of Bees is an enormously powerful book that represents brilliantly the struggle of coloured men and women in the 1960's and the hostility that they faced from white society. I think that the coming together of races and denominations is fantastic and something that should most definitely be encouraged by all.

My favourite character has to be August Boatwright. I feel like I know her now, I feel like she has taken me under her wing and been there for me through trial and struggle. Of course she is only a fictional character, but she has been so beautifully written that she could very well be real. I admire her bravery and her solidness that she shows throughout everything her and her family are forced to go through; including deaths. She takes everything in her stride and freely admits that everyone needs time to be alone and grieve for their own personal problems in their own way. The thing that I found came across strongest about August was her passionately, pastoral heart which leaked through the pages of the novel and seeped into the reader. The fact that she would rather do something like pain the house bright pink because it helped to keep her sister stable, rather than paint it blue because that was what she wanted and that her her favourite colour. I found there really was a lot to admire in August.

I really felt drawn into the complexity of Lily's character. There are so many layers to her that there is something that everybody can relate to in some form or another, the most difficult part for me, when Lily breaks down admitting her feelings of being unlovable.
I felt that throughout the story, Lily grew up and became a woman. At the beginning of the novel, she seemed no more than a child catching bees in a jam jar, but at the end she had grown and matured into a strong, independent woman who was able to stand up to her Father and tell him what he needed to hear, but still deep inside she still had that child-like longing for a Father who loved her. All the way through we see this battle within Lily, between the part of her that remain a child and be held by her mother, and the part of her that wants to grow up and leave her family behind her, making a fresh start for her adult self, and I think it is really interesting how we see this physically through her actions as well as her thoughts and her speech. The main evidence of this battle is when she's alone in the Honey House and on one occasion she begins throwing jars of honey and making the biggest mess she can, an another time she cannot sleep and so begins a mad, cleaning frenzy. Two completely different activities - One more likely to be done by a girl and the other by a woman.

Over all this really is an incredible book and one that I would definitely recommend. I would probably say that it is more suited to older teens and adults but that's not to say it wouldn't make a good read for anyone younger (however there are taboo terms used throughout). As I mentioned before, it is an incredibly powerful book and definitely a story to combat prejudice and racial discrimination.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green

I'm not quite sure how, but it seems that currently I seem unable to pick up a bad book, as once again I have managed to find yet another absolutely exemplary book. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is a book that I have previously heard many a great review on and after seeing it appear on our college book club reading list, I figured I would give it ago and I have no regrets what-so-ever about doing so. I cannot remember the last time that I read an entire book within the space of twenty four hours.

The story is of a young cancer sufferer who believes she will never find love and fears doing so in case she should hurt anyone, however no matter how hard she tries, she cannot stop love carving it's path in her life. This books presents excellently the powerful image that love conquers all. It is a tear-jerking, heart-wrenching story that inspires and forces you to realise just how lucky we really are. One thing that reading this book has done for me is that it has made me look at my own life in a completely different light.

I think my favourite element of this book it Augustus's obsession with metaphors, particularly the cigarette metaphor of holding the killing thing between you're teeth but not giving it the power to kill. I found this really thought provoking and almost empowering to an extent, however it was also a bit scary realising just how much power human really have. I found this metaphor obsession the most charming and attractive thing about Gus and at times I almost found myself falling for him,

The other thing that I found really difficult about this book was the revelation that our life-time hero's may never live up to our expectations and may very well disappoint should we ever meet them in real life, I suppose, in a way, this is Green emphasising the importance to separating fantasy and reality. To make sure that fantasy and dreams keep their magic, they must never cross with the truth and the true reality. I really did feel very hurt when our two main characters got to meet their hero and he dismissed them as a pair of sick children. I found him a very brutal character, however I feel that the way he presented his opinion of cancer was necessary for us to develop the feelings that we do towards Hazel, Gus, Isaac and the other young people.

Throughout the beginning of the book, I expected it to be the story of  Gus supporting Hazel to the end and I never expected Green to turn it around and to juxtapose the characters in such a way that it almost appears as if Hazel is the healthy one, supporting her terminally ill boyfriend. This I think is what makes the story all the more heart-breaking, you manage to steel yourself to the idea that Hazel will die and then all of a sudden, we lose Gus who seemed so well recovered. This just goes to show the unpredictable nature of cancer.

It is a book that not only would I recommend, but I really do feel that it needs to be read. Yes it is a tough read, but it is made bearable by the comic relief Green has used throughout. I believe that it is an important book as well as a gripping page turner. It shows really well how this awful disease effects more than just the sufferer, and it also illustrates ass differing human natures beautifully as well. I beg of you, please add this inspiring and empowering book to you're reading list.