Bee Season: A Novel

<p>Eliza Naumann, a seemingly unremarkable nine-year-old, expects never tofit into her gifted family: her autodidact father, Saul, absorbed inhis study of Jewish mysticism; her brother, Aaron, the vessel of hisfather's spiritual ambitions; and her brilliant but distant lawyer-mom,Miriam. But when Eliza sweeps her school and district spelling bees inquick succession, Saul takes it as a sign that she is destined forgreatness. In this altered reality, Saul inducts her into his hallowedstudy and lavishes upon her the attention previously reserved forAaron, who in his displacement embarks upon a lone quest for spiritualfulfillment. When Miriam's secret life triggers a familial explosion,it is Eliza who must order the chaos.</p><P>Myla Goldberg's keen eye for detail brings Eliza's journey tothree-dimensional life. As she rises from classroom obscurity to theblinding lights and outsized expectations of the National Bee, Eliza'ssmall pains and large joys are finely wrought and deeply felt.</p><P>Not merely a coming-of-age story, Goldberg's first novel delicatelyexamines the unraveling fabric of one family. The outcome of this taleis as startling and unconventional as her prose, which wields itsmetaphors sharply and rings with maturity. The work of a lyrical andgifted storyteller, <I>Bee Season</I> marks the arrival of anextraordinarily talented new writer.</p><HR><p>"<I>Bee Season</I> is a profound delight, an amazement, a beauty, andis, I hope, a book of the longest of seasons."<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="/author/detail/3762">JANE HAMILTON</A>, AUTHOR OF <I><A HREF="/product/detail/16235">A MAP OF THE WORLD</A></I>AND <I>THE BOOK OF RUTH</I></p><P>"Myla Goldberg's <I>Bee Season</I> is a bittersweet coming-of-age inwhich wise little Eliza Naumann's quirky passion for spelling b

"Myla Goldberg's "Bee Season" is a bittersweet coming-of-age in which wise little Eliza Naumann's quirky passion for spelling bees unites and divides her family while revealing universal truths about the often crippling pain of love".--Martha McPhee, author of "Bright Angel Time".

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.

Myla Goldberg lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, Jason Little.