AT THE WATER'S EDGE by Sarah Gruen

I loved this book. The only other Sara Gruen book I have read is "Water for Elephants" which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book was an eyeopener regarding circus life but what stuck with me of course was the elephant in the story. I have since discovered that Sara Gruen's passion is writing about animals and I believe all her other books reflect that. "At the Water's Edge" however, seemed to have bypassed her animal obsession and instead delivered a great story with believable characters, a look into the world of the privileged and stark and heart wrenching realities of World Ward II. Sara Gruen's style of writing made this book very real to me and even though the ending was predictable and neatly sewn up, I felt like clapping when I came to the last page. After all, who doesn't love a happy ending, especially when our heroine more than deserves it? This book goes deeper than a romance novel as it brings together people who have emerged from painful life experiences to see past their own tragedies and dare to forge a life together that would reflect what is truly important. The story is narrated by a young female socialite, Maddy, who is married to a privileged Ellis, who has evaded war service on account of his colour blindness. When they disgrace themselves and their close friend Hank in a social gathering, the couple find themselves without a home and in disfavour with Ellis' family. Together they embark on a trip to Scotland during World Ward II, in search of the Loch Ness monster, the discovery of which could reinstate Ellis into his family's good graces. There, instead of finding the sea monster, they discover a monster of a different kind. At first glance the plot of this story seems trivial and lacking plausibility but as the story unfolds, it becomes not only plausible but very real and highly captivating.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd

This is a charming book that deserves attention. Set in the 60's against the backdrop of racial struggle in American south, this book reminded me of "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. The main focus of the story, however, is a 14 year old girl's quest to reconnect with her mother who she accidentally shot dead at the age of 4 during a family dispute. Having been raised by a harsh and unyielding father who harbours resentment towards his dead wife and punishes his daughter because of it, Lily yearns for love from her mother. She is convinced that learning all about her will connect her with this love and grant her forgiveness for taking her life. When racial tension reaches it's peak one summer afternoon involving Rosaleen, the black servant who has served as a surrogate mother to Lily, an opportunity presents itself for Lily to embark on a journey of freedom. Running away from home, Lily and Rosaleen find refuge in the home of three beekeeping sisters where the mystery of her mother unfolds and where Lily finds the nurturing that she has missed out on since her mother's death. This is an engaging story of prejudice, forgiveness, discovery and acceptance, cleverly paralleled with complicated and fascinating life of bees. If you like honey, you will crave it the entire span of the book!