Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

32 reviews

sauvageloup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

a really beautiful read with a lot of poignancy.
pacing felt a little slow in a couple of places but that was part of the charm.
loved the mix of depicting the time periods racism, lily dealing with the loss of her mother, the goings on with August, may and June, and the beautiful descriptions of them and the surroundings and the bees.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

schorlett's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Grief

Minor: Bullying, Blood, and Pregnancy

laurajenkins's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Lots of idolatry, which made parts of it difficult to read. Spiritual abuse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

houseofatreides's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Secret Life of Bees goes over the harsh life of Lily Owens with her father T.Ray, who is a abusive and manipulative father who has never cared for her.

Lilys mother died when she was 4. Due to Lily accidentally shooting her mother with gun during a fight her parents had after they dropped the gun. Lily, one of her cherished possessions is a Black Madonna picture w Tirbuorn, S.C written on it. On her birthday(July 4) she and her Nanny Rosalee. Go into Town so Rosaleen can register to vote. After the running into 3 racists and the cops siding with them, Lily frees Rosaleen and they head to Tiburon. There they meet August,June, and May three sisters who live in a bright pink house and are bee farmers. The story follows the sisters trials during that hot summer of 1964 and as Lily herself comes out of her shell and finds the healing she needs.

the book overall is a story of hope and perseverance and of finding your inner self and where you belong and how to love forward amid tragedy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Death of parent

itsy719's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Vomit

carnivalchimera's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My favorite book I've ever read

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent

shull3464's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment

a_alves00's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

michaelion's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Teenage me would've loved this.

I think the movie warped my  little baby brain, so then I ended up liking stuff like The Help and Hairspray, which I absolutely was obsessed with. But the focus on women, bees, connections to mothers and ancestry and selfs... Like ancestry lives within you and also you are your own mother... That white lady kinda popped off writing this. She kinda had a point to make. She kinda dotted her i's and crossed her t's. She kinda had her cake and ate it too. She kinda gobbled ate right the fuck up left no crumbs. She kinda did her thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Misogyny, Vomit, and War

uss_mary_shelley's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've owned this book since 2014 and only just read it. It was a warm story with a lot of heart. I liked how bees were used throughout to tell us more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Police brutality

Minor: Vomit