Secret Life of Bees wasn't a towering literary achievment. It was a really easy read, it wasn't all that original, and it was kind of predictable. That's why I couldn't give it 5 stars, even though, for some reason, I toyed with the idea.

Those qualms aside, I REALLY enjoyed this book, it has a tremendous heart to it. The strength of the book is the relationships(platonic or otherwise), and Kidd provides some pleasant, poetic insights on human nature. I walked away from it with a nice feeling. It's a very safe read for a book club or a high school english class.