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A review by thrifty_librarian
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
3.0
Eliza, an average fifth-grader, wins her school spelling bee, to her and every else’s surprise. As she goes on to more serious spelling competitions, her family members begin to question their own choices. Her 16-year-old brother considers converting from Judaism to another religion; her insomniac mother begins making strange trips to other neighborhoods; and her academic father reveals what’s really in all the books in his library. Eliza herself tries to figure out what she wants out of spelling and where she fits in her family.
I hated the narration. A lot. It was third-person omniscient, in present tense throughout, despite the fact that it moves in time. (“ Kaitlin read this book last week, and is thinking, ‘Huh, why does cousin Ali make me read this book?’ Now next Tuesday I am having a snack and thinking about seeing Despicable Me 2 last weekend. I am sitting in the top row, watching the minions…’)
I loved Miriam, the unstable mother, who was the only fully formed and understandable character, despite her mental illness. I found the brother’s story implausible and thought his mind worked more like a child’s. The father was OK but pointless.
I wish this book had been written from the mother’s perspective and touched on every member of the family, but without going into the details of their childhoods. With each character given equal weight, the story became overwrought with each character’s version of “but what does it all mean?” resulting in no cogent story at all. And, seriously, who questions his life because his kid sister can spell ‘neighbor’?
I would give this book 2.5 stars, though I dislike it more now that I've read my own review :-)
I hated the narration. A lot. It was third-person omniscient, in present tense throughout, despite the fact that it moves in time. (“ Kaitlin read this book last week, and is thinking, ‘Huh, why does cousin Ali make me read this book?’ Now next Tuesday I am having a snack and thinking about seeing Despicable Me 2 last weekend. I am sitting in the top row, watching the minions…’)
I loved Miriam, the unstable mother, who was the only fully formed and understandable character, despite her mental illness. I found the brother’s story implausible and thought his mind worked more like a child’s. The father was OK but pointless.
I wish this book had been written from the mother’s perspective and touched on every member of the family, but without going into the details of their childhoods. With each character given equal weight, the story became overwrought with each character’s version of “but what does it all mean?” resulting in no cogent story at all. And, seriously, who questions his life because his kid sister can spell ‘neighbor’?
I would give this book 2.5 stars, though I dislike it more now that I've read my own review :-)