This was a sweet "comfort" zone read for me. Love story, England, gardens, bees, blah, blah, blah. All the stuff that makes me happy. And it did make me happy except I didn't buy the ending. The author tried to sell us on the idea that Grace loved Freddie her whole life when clearly that wasn't the case. If she really did, why would she hold onto all those old letters from Rufus? and hide them so she could reread them in private?? It made no sense. Plus the sobbing when she discovered who Jasper was?? Definitely not an over & done with fling! Reachable only by small plane or boat, the island of Tekanasset is cut off from the rest of the country, so that while the Industrial Revolution changed the face of America, it missed Tekanasset altogether, leaving the quaint, Quaker-­inspired buildings and cobbled streets as they had always been, and allowing the island to settle into a sleepy, wistful rhythm where old-fashioned values blended harmoniously with the traditional architecture. The mention of her husband cast a shadow over Grace’s face. “I haven’t told him yet,” she replied quietly. Absolutely. It’s fun writing about women with character; after all, character is what drives my books. Characters have to be interesting, entertaining, and complex. The reader has to believe in them and they have to evolve throughout the story. Grace and Trixie gave me such pleasure.

Then the characters are introduced—each is singularly and fully developed along the way. Each characterization brings the reader deeper into the setting and the tale being told. The main characters, Anabel and Jevan, grow up together but grow apart then together again. Grace and Trixie are very independent women and they love so fiercely. Was it important to you to create two strong women as the main characters?No, this poem was in a bee book I was given. I thought it was very sweet so I put it at the front of the book. I think the bees in my novel would have been fascinated by all the goings-on! Have a honey tasting at you book club meeting. You can find some recipes at http://www.marthastewart.com/275155/sweet-and-savory-honey-recipes. Visit www.honey.com to learn more about honey, find local honey in your area, and more. Set in England in the 1930s and the coast of New England in the 1970's we learn about Grace as both a young girl and women, then as the mother of spirited Trixie, her beloved daughter. As Trixie falls in love with a young British musician who is in America to try and get a record deal, she's is forced to make decisions about her future. Her father Freddie, who has always been distant and conservative takes a passionate disliking to to her first love. She believes he is just strict and cold from the war that disfigured him so many years ago in his native England. Little does she know her boyfriend is a descendant of someone both her father and mother know well. This book begin with Grace Hamblin growing up as a young girl, in England, the daughter of a Beekeeper. This book follows her life as she is growing up - her friendships and first love, and her love for bees. I was very excited to read another book about bees after having read about them in The secret life of bees. However, it turns out that the books have nothing in common other than bees.

Poor Rufus. Each character seems to get a happy ending but him. He dies from a broken heart. Do you think this is something that is truly possible? In 1930's Dorset, young Grace is leading a happy life with her father, the local Beekeeper. When he dies unexpectedly, Grace has to find her place in life. Is it with her childhood friend Freddie, or Rufus, the man she loves from afar?The first couple of chapters introduce the life of Grace with her husband and daughter in an idyllic Tekanasset island. Like any other Santa Montefiore Novel, beekeeper’s daughter also begins with the elaborated narrative of the gorgeous island in the 1970s. From rose adorned clubhouses to the grassy hills for birdwatchers. I am sure this Island is worth your visit even now. Jane is a trained horticulturist, and spent time working and volunteering for Britain’s National Trust at Exmoor’s 1000 year old Dunster Castle. Gaining more insight into the history and mysteries surrounding these ancient places, and having always been intrigued by the supernatural, inspiration came for her fourth novel, The Beekeeper’s Daughter. Only because she was spotted by Lucy. I’m sure she wouldn’t have told you if she thought she had got away with it. I’m afraid she’s a disgrace, my dear, and you should ground her for the rest of the holidays. In my day I would have been beaten for less.” Then Alex—heir to the Saltonstall legacy and son of Cerberus Saltonstall, the wealthy landowner of the foreboding Gothelstone Manor—comes into her life. Alex is arrogant and self-assured, but he cannot stop thinking about the outspoken girl he encounters on the road to Gothelstone. Not only is he bewitched by Annabel’s beauty, he feels drawn to her by something he can’t explain. Alex and Annabel are socially worlds apart, but that doesn’t stop him from demanding her hand in marriage. When Annabel refuses, she is forced into an impossible situation. Jevan believes she has betrayed him, regardless of the fact that her decision saves him from the hangman’s noose.

Sally cut in. “I daresay, but that Suzie Redford can do whatever she likes. There are no boundaries in that family.” All-American Rejects Go All Out For 'Beekeeper's Daughter' Video". MTV . Retrieved 18 February 2012. Oh, she’s a wonderful gardener,” Belle added emphatically. “The gardens of Tekanasset were all very ordinary before she arrived from England and transformed them with her wonderful taste and expertise.”We start in the late 70s with Grace's daughter, Trixie, falling in love for the first time. It allows Grace to reminisce about her first love, in 1938. The two timelines work together well to reveal Grace's past slowly and keep it relevant to the present. It's a little concerning to be persuaded to root for infidelity - it didn't quite sit right with me and its a big reason I couldn't give more stars. I won't say more for fear of spoilers, but there were some really questionable choices made, and I think maybe there just wasn't enough depth to justify it all. Duty is what makes us civilized, Grace. Doing the right thing and not always thinking of ourselves is vital if we don’t want society to fall apart at the seams. The young have no sense of duty, and by the sound of things they don’t have much respect, either. I fear the future is a place with no morals and a distorted sense of what’s important. But I’m not here to preach to you. I’m here to support you.”