Elizabeth Graver's first novel, Unravelling, was hailed on publication as "exceptional" (The New York Times Book Review), "a pleasure" (The New Yor...
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reviews
Mar 06, 2010
Leigh
rated it: 
The Honey Thief is a cute little book, one of those easy and fresh books that would have made a great summer read. Our omniscient narrator switches between three perspectives: that of eleven year old Eva, her mother Miriam, and the beekeeper Burl. When Eva's shoplifting starts to become habit, Miriam whisks her away to the countryside, hoping that a change of scenery will prevent Eva from making such bad choices. Eva resents being left alone in the big country farmhouse while Miriam is at work,
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Jun 09, 2009
Greta
rated it:
This novel was a bitter-sweet and easy read. Nothing remarkably original or earth-shatteringly profound, but honest and beautifully drawn as a portrait of a [by definition:] complex mother-daughter relationship.
The character of Burl was actually the one whom I found most intriguing, particularly because it's not clear what shape his future will take, if he has in his grasp the possibility of a future of something more than alone-ness [not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but clearl More...
The character of Burl was actually the one whom I found most intriguing, particularly because it's not clear what shape his future will take, if he has in his grasp the possibility of a future of something more than alone-ness [not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but clearl More...
Mar 08, 2010
Stacy
rated it: 
Eva, how you remind me of myself, taking off down the road wanting to escape. Escape from what? Not sure, but the road looked tempting.
The NY Times Book Review said, simply, "Exceptional", and I have to agree. This book was as light as the golden hue of honey, and as heavy as a warm jar filled with the amber liquid.
I was immediately drawn in over the first ten pages and could not place this book down. Eva, 11 years old, born and raised in NYC. She bottles ever More...
The NY Times Book Review said, simply, "Exceptional", and I have to agree. This book was as light as the golden hue of honey, and as heavy as a warm jar filled with the amber liquid.
I was immediately drawn in over the first ten pages and could not place this book down. Eva, 11 years old, born and raised in NYC. She bottles ever More...
Jan 25, 2009
Bonnie Jeanne
rated it: 
Rarely am I captivated by a mother/daughter story, and this book is one of the exceptions. I don't know if it is because the book features bees and honey, themes that have been favorites since reading one sentence about Yemeni honey in Motoring With Mohammed years ago, or because Elizabeth Graver is so skilled at telling a mother/daughter story without being overly sentimental. The sticky sweet honey is the only thing sticky sweet in the story. [return][return]This is also a story of mental illn
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Oct 17, 2009
Marguerite
rated it:
A beautiful little book about family, memory and the destructive power of secrets. Eva, whose father died when she was young, starts shoplifting when she hits adolescence, and her mother, Miriam, decides the best course is to leave New York for someplace smaller and quieter. Eva befriends a bachelor beekeeper in her new home, and is drawn to the reliably ordered domesticity of the bees. But she longs for her old life, and for certainty. Miriam finds old questions replaced by new, just as troubli
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Apr 16, 2011
Paula
rated it:
This was a 4 star book for me until the end. It left too many loose ends & there were too many things left unaddressed. Was Eva sick or not? Sure as hell seemed that way to me, but then Burl seems to try & convince Miriam that she's not (which is exactly what she'd want to hear.) The masterbation scene was totally unnecessary. The dinner with the guy Miriam's dating was pointless. The way Miriam told Eva the truth about her dad's death was awful, and not realistic. I don't need a neat & t
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Jul 20, 2011
Kathleen
rated it:
This is one of those books that I enjoyed while reading, but then didn't really care for the ending all that much. I finished it 3 days ago and just this morning was thinking about it and couldn't even recall the ending. To me the method of how a story is wrapped up is as important of how the story is told during the meatier parts. I had this book in my book stash and don't remember buying it, but as it is 12 years old and had the name and date of the bookstore where purchased I realized I've
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Feb 07, 2012
Linda
rated it:
This is not my review (I copied it from the inside cover of the actual book).
So this is a contemporary novel about a widow and her 11 yr old child.
The summer that eleven-year old Eva is picked up on her fourth shoplifting charge, her mother: Miriam, decides that the only solution is to move from Manhattan to a quiet town in upstate New York. There, she tells, Eva, they can have a "normal" life. But what Miriam doesn't tell her daughter, or anyone else, is that Elsa stealing More...
So this is a contemporary novel about a widow and her 11 yr old child.
The summer that eleven-year old Eva is picked up on her fourth shoplifting charge, her mother: Miriam, decides that the only solution is to move from Manhattan to a quiet town in upstate New York. There, she tells, Eva, they can have a "normal" life. But what Miriam doesn't tell her daughter, or anyone else, is that Elsa stealing More...
Jul 22, 2011
Helen
rated it: 
I was not very fond of this book. I should clarify that I read it with the goal of reviewing for my middle school library, it was one of the ones I brought home this summer. I thought it was hard to relate to Eva, the 11 year-old in question and that I knew way too much about some of the other characters. Definitely frank, sometimes uncomfortably so, not a book for younger grades. I think I might have liked it more if I hadn't been thinking of the conversations with the 8th graders at school aft
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Jan 13, 2010
Cindy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 18, 2010
This book started out very slowly. I find myself having trouble picking it up for a while. It wasn't until about page 140 that I actually started wanting to read it. Having said that, the second half of the book makes up for the time lost and I was captivated for the rest of the novel. The story is about a young girl, Eva, on the verge of her teenage years who is very distanced from her mother. Miriam, her mother, is concerned about Eva's behavior. Her daughter had been caught several times shop
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Jan 24, 2008
Robert
rated it:
Elizabeth Graver, The Honey Thief (Hyperion, 1999)
There is quite a difference between the novel where nothing happens at all and the minimal novel, where small things happen, but due to the lack of bigger things happening around them, the small things take on a significance they would not otherwise normally have. There are far too many examples of the former type to list; Elizabeth Graver's fine novel The Honey Thief is an excellent example of the latter.
Sick of New York City More...
There is quite a difference between the novel where nothing happens at all and the minimal novel, where small things happen, but due to the lack of bigger things happening around them, the small things take on a significance they would not otherwise normally have. There are far too many examples of the former type to list; Elizabeth Graver's fine novel The Honey Thief is an excellent example of the latter.
Sick of New York City More...
Jan 02, 2008
Cynthia
rated it:
I felt that this book was just alright, I would like to give this book a 2 1/2. Nothing really awful to saw about it, yet nothing really great to say about it either. When the plot of a novel is slow (like this one), I expect greater character development and emotions. Instead I just felt passive towards all the characters.
I did not understand Burl's role in this book. Was he supposed to bring them (mother-daughter) closer together, help Eva with her stealing, teach her life lessons More...
I did not understand Burl's role in this book. Was he supposed to bring them (mother-daughter) closer together, help Eva with her stealing, teach her life lessons More...
Jul 28, 2011
Mirah
rated it:
This book was a very quick read so thankfully the author got right down the business. No page was wasted with unneccesary information, every page revealed something about the characters or their histories. I was drawn in from the very beginning and was engrossed in trying to determine what happened with Eva's father, why she began stealing, why her mother seemed standoffish from Eva, and the real story about Burl. I liked how the author revealed the truths about the characters one layer at a
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Jul 25, 2009
Kris
rated it:
Not a bad book but not a great one either. Story about a Mother & daughter who leave NYC for rural New York life. We find out through flash backs that the girl, Eva, her father was mentally ill and the stress that causes her mother worrying that her daughter might be afflicted with the same illness. Toss in a grumpy but kindly bee keeper and you have the makings for a quick, pretty good summer read.
Jul 25, 2009
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
rated it:
A mom and her daughter
move to the country to
avert the troubled path
the daughter has begun
to travel. There, the
daughter is befriended by
a beekeeper. Some disconcerting
and seemingly unnecessary scenes.
move to the country to
avert the troubled path
the daughter has begun
to travel. There, the
daughter is befriended by
a beekeeper. Some disconcerting
and seemingly unnecessary scenes.
Jul 23, 2011
Debbie
rated it:
I loved this story. I loved reading about the relationships between Eva and her mother and Eva and Burl. I loved the way the bees and their honey making were weaved into the story. I thought it was such a wonderful portrayal of a young girl on the brink of adolescence who is still trying desperately to make sense of her childhood.
Jun 01, 2011
Kammy
rated it:
The characters are realistic and interesting. It has three seperate narrators, whose stories intertwine. I liked that, and the writing style. I didn't care for the abrupt ending, and there were some crude details, including one really embarrassing scene, which seemed unnecessary.
Oct 14, 2011
Krista
rated it:
Great book--learned some interesting things about bees and hives! I thought the author did a great job weaving the story and addressing important issues with teens. The main reason I didn't give higher marks is because of the sexual scenes in the book.
Sep 28, 2009
Diana
rated it:
This book had some beautifully written sections, but overall it was just depressing. A mother and daughter spend the whole book dancing around one another and their real issues, and then an abrupt ending that left me feeling like it was not enough. There was some really nice metaphor, but that did not cut through the constant frisson of the characters in this book.
Jan 25, 2010
Karen
rated it:
I would rate this a 3.5 if I could. Interesting story and characters, but it bounced around a bit--and I would have loved to know more about how the story played out--the end was a bit too abrupt.
Nov 25, 2011
Lorraine
rated it:
I really appreciated the way she told the story from the wife's view as she watched her partner descend into madness for the first time, but not my favorite read.
Mar 22, 2011
Vonnie
rated it:
Coming of age story about a girl and her mother. Her father died, had mental illness. Not up to standards I prefer when reading. The story itself kept me reading.
Nov 28, 2011
Ni
rated it:
I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style of the author. I liked the flow of the chapters. I liked how the story was simple yet complex both simultaneously and consistently. I thought that the book illustrated the differences between the adult and child mind very well... so well, that you could feel the vulnerability and desires of every character. Each character in this book was one that you (as the reader) wanted to sympathize with and relate to on some small level... I found the cli
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Nov 20, 2009
salinthebay
rated it:
Not remarkable as the NYTimes describes it, but some may find it memorable regarding the mother/daughter relationship. Adding the dead, alcoholic father, and the cute dude bee keeper, give it a cute twist!
Mar 19, 2010
Julia
rated it:
What a beautiful book that I just discovered. The characters and their intertwining stories and points of view just transported me.
Jul 20, 2011
I'm putting this one aside right now. I picked it up again last night and tried to read it, but fell asleep sitting straight up! I think that is a sign my brain was not engaged. It is a decent story, but not what I want.
Jan 26, 2011
Linda
rated it:
It brings to the foreground mental illness and depression but this was too depressing for me. No one seemed happy. :-(
Apr 22, 2010
Lauren
rated it:
An enjoyable story about a mother and daughter who "lose" and then "find" each other again after the father's death.
Oct 27, 2010
Kappy
rated it:
The first two thirds of the book rate a "4" and the last third perhaps a "3". I enjoyed reading it.
