I loved this book. In fact, it only took me 3 days to read it, which is good for me these days. And I managed to get some housework done too! :p

The story is set in 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act. Lily lives in South Carolina, an area where racism is still high on the agenda. Rosaleen, who was chosen by Lily’s father to come in from his orchard to take care of Lily after her mother died, is black. She goes to register to vote, as allowed by the newly signed Act, and that is where her troubles begin…

Lily only has a few reminders of her mother. One of these is a picture of the Virgin Mary - only she’s black - an unthinkable image in the town where Lily lives. On the back of the picture is the name of a town, Tiburon, and it is to here that Lily and Rosaleen flee. Once there, Lily goes into a store and sees her black Madonna - on a honey jar label.

The storekeeper tells her where the honey is produced, and that is how she comes to find the Boatwright sisters. Here, Lily has to come to terms with the past and learn to move on. She does this with the help of the sisters… and some honey bees.