Sue Monk Kidd 3 Book Set

This three-book collection brings together novels by Sue Monk Kidd: The Invention of Wings, The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair. Each story follows a woman at a turning point, shaped by family ties, difficult choices and the consequences that follow.

From an eleventh-birthday gift that sparks immediate conflict, to a teenager’s search for forgiveness and a mother’s love, and a married woman returning to the island of her childhood after news about her mother, the set spans different stages of life and personal upheaval. The narratives move between home, community and faith, as the central characters confront what they believe, what they want, and what they cannot ignore.

Included titles

• The Invention of Wings
• The Secret Life of Bees
• The Mermaid Chair

Key details

• Three-book collection set
• Author: Sue Monk Kidd
• Includes three novels with individual storylines

Synopses

The Invention of Wings

Sarah Grimké, the middle daughter, is labelled “difficult” by her mother and “remarkable” by her father. On her eleventh birthday, Hetty “Handful” Grimké is taken from the slave quarters she shares with her mother and presented to Sarah, wrapped in lavender ribbons, as a gift. Sarah knows she cannot accept, and understands that what she does next will bring trouble.

The Secret Life of Bees

Lily believes she accidentally killed her mother when she was four. Now fourteen, she longs for forgiveness and a mother’s love while living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh father. Her closest companion is Rosaleen, a black servant, and when racial tension erupts and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily decides to run away with her.

The Mermaid Chair

Jessie Sullivan, in her forties and married for half her life, believes she is happy, with a home, a dependable husband and a teenage daughter. After shocking news about her mother, she returns to the island where she grew up. There, she becomes drawn to Brother Thomas, a Benedictine monk close to taking his final vows.