· A QUEEN'S READING ROOM PICK 2023

· OVER 125 WEEKS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST

· MADE INTO AN AWARD-WINNING MOVE STARRING QUEEN LATIFAH, DAKOTA FANNING, ALICIA KEYS, SOPHIE OKONEDO AND JENNIFER HUDSON

· AN ACCLAIMED STAGE MUSICAL

Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was four years old. Now, at fourteen, she yearns for forgiveness and a mother's love. Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh and unforgiving father, she has only one friend, Rosaleen, a black servant.

When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily chooses to flee with her. Fugitives from justice, the pair follow a trail left by the woman who died ten years before. Finding sanctuary in the home of three beekeeping sisters, Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world as about the mystery surrounding her mother.

'A wonderful book, by turns sad, full of incident and shot through with grown-up magic reminiscent of Joanne Harris' Daily Telegraph

'Charming, funny, moving' The Times

'Wonderfully written, powerful, poignant... read it' Joanna Trollope

What readers are saying about The Secret Life of Bees:

'One of the most poignant and heart tugging books I have ever read' ? ? ? ? ?

'Emotional and heart-breaking, yet full of hope and love. I laughed and cried equally through the book. This wonderful book will stay with me for a long time to come' ? ? ? ? ?

'One of the best books I've read in a while. Touching, well-written, beautiful, full of expression, insightful' ? ? ? ? ?

'A beautifully written masterpiece. I loved the writing, the descriptions, the humour sprinkled through the story. There was sadness and love, hope and forgiveness. I highly recommend this book' ? ? ? ? ?

• We started tracking this book on July 12, 2011.
• This book was £4.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 82 times in the past 5,196 days.
• The current price of this book is £0.99 last checked 21 hours ago.
• The lowest price to date was £0.99 last reached on October 1, 2025.
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• The highest price to date was £5.99 last reached on March 1, 2020.
• This book has been £5.99 6 times since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

• Literature & FictionWorld LiteratureUnited StatesBlack & African AmericanWomen's Fiction
• Literature & FictionHistorical FictionAfrican
• Literature & FictionGenre FictionMetaphysical

• Publication Date: February 3, 2011
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 333 Pages
• File Size: 41 KB