Bee Season

[February 2006]

**********
Bee Season
Myla Goldberg

number of voters: 8
percentage of voters who finished the book: 100
highest rating: 8
lowest rating: 3
average “before” rating: 5.7
average “after” rating: 5.875
number of voters who changed their vote after discussion: 2
total points change in before/after votes: +1.5
Angie’s by-far-most-favorite quote from the book: “…Brown Braid’s boobs are incontrovertible proof that it’s really, truly over.”

A lot can be said for a book about which a lot can be said. Having said that, we sure had a lot to say about Bee Season by Myla Goldberg. But, what can I say? How can I sum up all that was said?

For starters, most of us enjoyed how the book started. A nice, sweet story about a nice, sweet girl who, unbeknownst to all, can spell. S-P-E-L-L. Spell. Isn’t that nice? And sweet?

The strange thing is, as the book got more and more strange, our opinions began to differ. For some, it was a little too sad, a little too lonely, a little too strange. Some lost interest. Others couldn’t put it down. Maybe we were unable to relate to any characters. But then, maybe it opened a window into our own lives, our own families. Strange, indeed.

Above all, it was surprisingly well written, with a surprise ending to boot. Maybe it wasn’t the best book we’ve ever read. But it wasn’t the worst. In the end, it was the ending that spoke the loudest. And it made for an interesting discussion, this nice, sweet girl with her unique skills and, to put it mildly, obscure family.

And in my book, any book that can make me look at the story of my life with a little less drama and a little more happy ending, well that, my friends… is just divine.
D-I-V-Y-N-E.
Divine.

Ding.