Kilbourn Public Library Book Club

The book selection for November for the Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank.

Beekeeper Holly McNee Jensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivan's Island, tending her hives and working at the local island library.  Holly calls her mother The Queen Bee because she's a demanding hulk of a woman.  Her mother, a devoted hypochondriac, might be unaware that she's quite ill but that doesn't stop her from tormenting Holly.  Holly's escape is to submerge herself in the lives of the two young boys next door and their widowed father, Archie.

Queen Bee is a classic Lowcountry Tale--warm, wise and hilarious, it roars with humanity and a dropperful of whodunit added for good measure by an unseen hand.  In her twentieth novel, Dorothea Benton Frank brings us back to her beloved island with an unforgettable story where the Lowcountry magic of the natural world collides with the beat of the human heart.

What is it about bees and their ways that is so appealing to Holly?

To what (or whom) does the title refer?  Who is the "Queen Bee" in your life?

What is at the heart of Charlie and Leslie's marital strife?  Do they both try their best to make it work?

Is Archie a good father?  Why does Holly have such a natural maternal way with Tyler and Hunter?

In your opinion, did Archie really love Sharon, or was he just lonely and needed a wife?  Did he have genuine feelings for Holly?

Were you surprised that Suzanne (aka Buster) and Momma got together?  Which character in Queen Bee do you think changed the most?

Have you ever been to the Lowcountry in South Carolina?  If not, has reading Queen Bee made you curious about this beautiful part of the country?

Let us know what you thought of Queen Bee!