NNCC selection for August, now that I know one of the main characters names is August it seems especially appropriate. I finished this book in a single cross country flight, I could not put it down. Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the story of Lily Owens. Her life has been full of tragedy and starved for love. When Lily was 4 she accidentally shot and killed her mother under questionable circumstances. Her father is an abusive and cruel man who withhold his love and generally makes her life miserable, one day he is especially cruel and shatters Lilly's dream of her mother, causing her to flee. She does not escape on her own, Lilly breaks her black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen out of jail and they leave town together. The only thing clue Lilly has to her mother is a picture of a black Madonna with the town Tiburon, SC written on the back. When they reach Tiburon date guides her to August Boatwright and her two sisters May and June. It is here that "Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna."
The writing drew me in, and it reminded me of how quickly I read The Help. Strange as this may sound, but despite the great descriptions I could not picture the peach farm or the pink house, but the women, they are clearly defined on my minds eye. Full vibrant characters that made me love them, and I was sad to come to the end and have to say goodbye.
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