Rating: 
Summary: Not a Dysfunctional Family Story
Review: I read Bee Season and it stayed with me for a long time afterward. It is not the story of a dysfunctional family. Sol, the father, is wise enough to learn from his mistakes as well as those of his father. To me, Sol had a deep and loving relation with his children. Of course, it was flawed. Otherwise why write about it. But when he realized how he had shut out his son to spend time with his daughter, he understood that he would have to be the one to put things right. Miriam, the mother, was always isolated and distant. But even when her 'secret' is revealed, Sol understands what she was doing. Ultimately, I saw each character as trying to find G-d in his/her own way. Some of the characters succeed while others fail. While I agree that nine is too young for Elly to understand everything she reads (for some reason I thought she was 11), I was amused by the critic with the 'gifted children'. Come on, let's just accept Elly as a prodigy. While Elly's gift may not be realistic, teenage Aaron's misery is so real that it hurts to remember it. His choices reflect his search for acceptance. These children have no friends: Aaron realizes it, Elly is oblivious to it. I gave this book to a friend who wanted to know more about the characters at the end. However, I felt the end of the book was satisfying. For good or bad, things were as they should be. Readers who think that they are reading about a spelling bee winner will probably be disappointed although the scenes of the spelling bees are funny, sad and realistic. It is the letters in words that are important not the words themselves. This would make a good book club book because it is a book that lends itself to many interpretations depending on one's background, understanding of mysticism and religious views.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-written worthwhile read
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. I earmarked many pages where Ms. Goldberg's words were put together beautifully. The characters seemed too unbelievable to me, however. Like other reviewers, I never really "got" the mother. Granted, she was crazy, but I just didn't grasp her. Another reviewer indicated that, on the outside, this looked like a normal family. What was normal about any of these four people? They had not one friend among them, until Chali came along, and his intentions were always suspect to me. I liked Eliza, but I don't think she could have gone that far with her Dad's books at her age. And I liked Saul, for some reason -- the reason being that at least he tried to communicate with everyone. I sensed that he cared, even though he was misguided. Overall, I really liked the book, but the parts were greater than the sum.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I started reading this book on a plane, fully intending to take a nice, big nap during the flight. Well, I read this all the way through instead. It's impossible not to love little Eliza and root for her as she finds small celebrity with her unique spelling ability. As for the rest of her family - love them or hate them - they are intensely developed characters whose lives bump into and bounce off each others' with devastating consequences. And as a former spelling bee junkie, I was touched by the way Myla Goldberg vividly paints the angst and thrill of those events. Let's put it this way: if you read the quotes at the book's opening, and you know who Rebecca Sealfon is, you have to read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: extremely disappointing
Review: this book was on my list of books to read for a while and after i finally got it, it was horrible. it was a chore to read and the characters weren't very likeable. the story wasn't developed and didn't seem very logical. i wasn't sure what the author was trying to address in the story, whether it was family dynamics or religion. the end result didn't accomplish either, she started to introduce things but never finished. i just found this to be a very rough draft of a book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, not to be missed
Review: A strong story of a family's unraveling, centering on the father, two children, and mysterious mother. An unpredictable, respectful, and provocative novel hitting on family, loneliness, madness, and religion. Breathtaking for a first-time novelist.
Rating:
Summary: Deeply symbolic and beautiful!
Review: Secrets buried deep beneath the shiny veneer of a model family have a way of working their way to the surface to the utmost detriment of the family structure. Such is the case with Eliza Naumann's family. Eliza, a largely indifferent young girl, barely skims through her life, when suddenly she's thrust almost unwillingly into the spotlight of the world via her adept spelling skills. Her quick rise to "stardom" sets into motion a series of events that have repercussions for her brother Aaron, her doting father Saul, and most of all, her mother, Merriam. And caught in the middle is Eliza, innocent and unable to do anything to save the crumbling structure of her family. As we experience each member's innermost dialogue, we sit haplessly by and watch as they all fly off in different directions, not necessarily to the benefit of their well-being. Using symbolism and sensitivity, Myla Goldberg depicts the effects of life on a family foundation built on modern-day faultlines. Deeply moving and poetic, "Bee Season" brings about an emotional reaction felt clear to the core of one's soul.
Rating:
Summary: Read it one year ago and it's still with me
Review: It's been a while since I read it, so I won't get into the details of the story. I loved it though. Goldberg is an author to watch for in the future. The most memorable part of the book for me was the climax of the mother's story. Without spoiling the ending, I'll just say it's a chapter right out of a Stephen Millhauser book; a chapter of stunning imagination and detail.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT what I was expecting
Review: The premise of this book was so much more interesting than the reality of it. I would have loved a closely observed take on the culture of child prodigies and the world of spelling bees, but when the book veered off into Jewish mysticism, I lost interest, finding the whole angle pretty preposterous. Kids will go far to meet their parents' expectations, but it was impossible for me to believe in a young girl's ability to immerse herself in these texts so deeply. This book took itself too seriously and included not a hint of humor or enjoyment for any of the characters, or the reader.
Rating:
Summary: The cup of dysfunction runneth over.
Review: I agree with many of the reviewers that Bee Season is a fine effort for a first novel. I began to have difficulty with the plausibility of the plot as the book progressed. It seems beyond comprehension that a husband could be unaware that his wife whom he believes to be a high powered attorney, has spent the past ten years unemployed and deep in the throws of mental illness. We have all heard about people leading double lives but this was just too far fetched. The level of dysfunction heaped upon this one family pushes the limits of day time television (lets see we have a mentally ill kleptomaniac mother, a self-absorbed and obviously out of touch with reality father, a bullied son who becomes a Hare Krishna, and poor little Eliza the invisible child with a penchant for spelling who flips for Jewish mysticism and transmutation!) Don't get me wrong there were many things about this novel I enjoyed, and I believe the author possesses immense talent. I look forward to her !next effort.
Rating:
Summary: starts off great, ends up implausable Oprah book
Review: The first chapters of 'Bee Season' read like Salinger. Which is refreshing and even brilliant. But soon the book becomes a surprisingly poorly written soap opera. The charm of Eliza's spelling bees, how she reacts to her success, disappears altogether. It's replaced by utter nonsense. Oprah should love it. I think Goldberg should have stayed with her 'Franny & Zooey' theme, and let the next year's National Bee provide all the drama and spirituality the first one did, but instead, she disintigrates into a Lifetime tv movie.
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