Fiction
2000 DoubleDay
Read in June 2000
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
Eliza Naumann, a seemingly unremarkable nine-year-old, expects never to fit into her gifted family: her autodidact father, Saul, absorbed in his study of Jewish mysticism; her brother, Aaron, the vessel of his father's spiritual ambitions; and her brilliant but distant lawyer-mom, Miriam. But when Eliza sweeps her school and district spelling bees in quick succession, Saul takes it as a sign that she is destined for greatness. In this altered reality, Saul inducts her into his hallowed study and lavishes upon her the attention previously reserved for Aaron, who in his displacement embarks upon a lone quest for spiritual fulfillment. When Miriam's secret life triggers a familial explosion, it is Eliza who must order the chaos.
Myla Goldberg's keen eye for detail brings Eliza's journey to three-dimensional life. As she rises from classroom obscurity to the blinding lights and outsized expectations of the National Bee, Eliza's small pains and large joys are finely wrought and deeply felt.
Not merely a coming-of-age story, Goldberg's first novel delicately examines the unraveling fabric of one family. The outcome of this tale is as startling and unconventional as her prose, which wields its metaphors sharply and rings with maturity. The work of a lyrical and gifted storyteller, Bee Season marks the arrival of an extraordinarily talented new writer.
My Original Thoughts (2000):
Interesting novel! Definitely engrossing. Eccentric family. Compelling. Strange ending. So much pain--almost unbearable. This is not just a story about a spelling bee.
My Current Thoughts:
I only have a vague recollection about this novel, but I remember that I read it with an online book group and really liked it. I might have watched the movie, but I honestly don't remember! I haven't read anything else by this author. Any recommendations?
I think I'd like to read it, but then you add "So much pain--almost unbearable." I'm not ready for that at this time, but I will keep Bee Season in mind. Perfect timing to review your memories of the book, Les.
ReplyDeleteJenclair, it's odd that I don't remember why I wrote that line, but I do remember a heaviness to this story.
DeleteI remember liking this one way back when. There seen like quite a few bee-themed books these days, in fact, I have a couple on my Kindle I'm sure that came out on 2020 or 2021.
ReplyDeleteIt's an oldie, isn't it Diane. :) I searched my list on Goodreads and found a couple of bee-themed books that I added a few years ago -- The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell and The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin.
DeleteI don't remember much about the book either, but I do remember really liking it.
ReplyDeleteHelen, it's not one that I saved (I probably purged it for our big move to Oregon), so I must not have loved it enough to want to read it a second time, in spite of the high rating.
DeleteI remember reading Bee Season at that time as well, and in fact I remember the plot and the increasingly bizarre ending. However, it's worth noting for your other commenter that the word "bee" here means spelling bee, and has nothing to do with the insects at all. It's a good book for this week with the very impressive winner of this year's national spelling bee.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae, I don't remember the ending and really don't remember much about the specifics of the novel. It is quite a coincidence that my scheduled post appeared the same week of the national spelling bee! And, yes. What an impressive winner!
DeleteI liked but I didn't love this book. I found it to be a painful read, with so many characters with terrible troubles.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I honestly don't remember the specifics, but I know the family was quite unusual.
DeleteI love books about eccentric families, and I like the premise...but when you added the part about "unbearable pain" I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Too many challenges this past couple of years. I still need happy. But I will definitely keep this in mind!
ReplyDeleteLaurel, as I recall, it's not a happy, feel good type of book. My current read (Still Me by Jojo Moyes) is much lighter and entertaining. The proverbial beach read!
DeleteI really don't know if I've read this one or not but it sounds so familiar. I think I would enjoy parts of this so may have to look into this one.
ReplyDeleteIt was certainly popular when it came out, Iliana.
DeleteI'm not familiar with it. I just wanted to say I like how to go over your older posts. I do something a bit similar with #ThrowbackThursday hosted here for this mont: https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2021/07/01/tcls-throwbackthursday-and-linkparty-17-july-1-august-5-2021/
ReplyDeleteMy last post is https://wordsandpeace.com/2021/07/08/throwback-thursday-june-2011/
Hi, Emma. Thanks for commenting. I'll pop over to your blog and check out your Throwback Thursdays!
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