Picture of author.

Elizabeth Graver

Author of The Honey Thief

6+ Works 926 Members 38 Reviews 2 Favorited

About the Author

Includes the name: Elizabeth Graver

Image credit: Adrienne Mathiowetz photography

Works by Elizabeth Graver

The Honey Thief (1999) 303 copies
The End of the Point (2013) 231 copies
Unravelling (1997) 163 copies
Kantika (2023) 103 copies
Awake (2004) 95 copies
Have You Seen Me? (1991) 31 copies

Associated Works

The Best American Short Stories 2001 (2001) — Contributor — 543 copies
The Best American Essays 1998 (1998) — Contributor — 191 copies
The Best American Short Stories 1991 (1991) — Contributor — 184 copies
Prize Stories 2001: The O. Henry Awards (2001) — Contributor — 123 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Graver, Elizabeth
Birthdate
1964-07-02
Gender
female
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Los Angeles, California, USA
Places of residence
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Education
Wesleyan University (BA|1986)
Washington University in St. Louis (MFA|1999)
Occupations
Novelist
Professor
Organizations
Boston College
Awards and honors
Guggenheim Fellowship (1999)
Drue Heinz Literature Prize (1991)
Edward Lewis Wallant Award (2023)
National Jewish Book Award (2024)
Agent
Henry Dunow
Short biography
Elizabeth Graver's fifth novel, Kantika, was inspired by her grandmother Rebecca, who was born into a Sephardic Jewish family in Istanbul and whose shape-shifting life journey took her to Spain, Cuba and New York. Kantika was named a Best Historical Fiction Book and Notable Book of 2023 by The New York Times and a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Lilith and Libby.  German and Turkish editions are forthcoming.  Elizabeth's fourth novel, The End of the Point, was long-listed for the 2013 National Book Award in Fiction and selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her other novels are Awake, The Honey Thief, and Unravelling. Her story collection, Have You Seen Me?, won the 1991 Drue Heinz Literature Prize. Her work has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, and Best American Essays.  She teaches at Boston College.

Members

Reviews

Basically the life story of one woman, Rebecca Cohen - a Sephardic Jew who speaks the language of Ladino, who is growing up in Istanbul as the Ottoman Empire is collapsing. The family heads back to Spain and is living in Barcelona. Rebecca's oldest sister marries and leaves for America. Her father and mother feel she needs to be married and she is married to a man with some mental defects. They have two sons. The husband is gone often.

After the first husband's death, Rebecca returns to live with her parents; her mother taking care of the boys while she works as a seamstress. As troubles start in Spain (the Spanish Revolution), the family feels she need to remarry. Rebecca's childhood friend who also left for America has now died and the father is left with a disabled daughter. Rebecca leaves for Cuba where he meets and marries Sam. When she arrives in New York, she finds the daughter is severely disabled and needy although very bright.

Much of the story tells of Rebecca and Sam's life in New York, her seamstress business, Rebecca's work with Luna, the daughter, and the arrival of her two boys from Spain. The story ends with Rebecca singing at a Jewish Community Center in the Bronx (the word "kantika" means song in their ethnic language. The boys are grown, Luna has grown and has developed a life of her own.

The story is based on the family of the author and there are family pictures included. A good read, believable characters, details that are touching.
… (more)
½
 
Flagged
maryreinert | 5 other reviews | Mar 8, 2024 |
Reason read: JBC GR
This was a very moving book. It is set in the ears before WWII and WWII and involves a multi-generational Shepartic family as they move from Turkey, Spain, Cuba, and US. It's mostly about women, about displacement, ritual, and family. Published 2023. I found the story very moving. It is based on the author's grandmother's life. I listened to the audio version and really enjoyed listening to the languages in the book and the singing. The reader did a wonderful job. The reader was Gail Shalan.… (more)
½
 
Flagged
Kristelh | 5 other reviews | Dec 28, 2023 |
Month of November 2022 - The Thief Books

The Honey Thief by Elizabeth Graver (1999; 2000 ed.) 264 pages.

Setting: Ithaca, New York

2.5 stars rounded up. I simply didn’t find the story very interesting and was left with an incomplete feeling at the end.

This is about an 11-year-old girl, Eva, who was trying to cope in life from losing her father when she was only 6-years old. He had psychological problems and was bipolar, and he had committed suicide. It was possible she may have inherited this gene as well. After stealing a few jars of honey and getting caught, this little girl befriends the single 42-year-old man, a beekeeper named Burl, and begins to spend her days down at his house, while her mother worked, learning about bees.

I have to say, I was just a little creeped out that the author set the little girls age so young. Thank God this was written by a woman because, at times, I wasn’t so sure where the story was going. Seriously, with today being different times, and with child sex trafficking a big issue in the news, this story just didn’t set well with me.

But, it never lead to that. It really didn’t lead to anything, not even a love interest between Eva’s mom, Miriam, and the beekeeper.
… (more)
 
Flagged
MissysBookshelf | 11 other reviews | Aug 27, 2023 |
A dazzling Sephardic multigenerational saga that moves from Istanbul to Barcelona, Havana, and New York, exploring displacement, endurance, and family as home.
 
Flagged
HandelmanLibraryTINR | 5 other reviews | May 17, 2023 |

Lists

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Statistics

Works
6
Also by
6
Members
926
Popularity
#27,712
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
38
ISBNs
31
Languages
1
Favorited
2

Charts & Graphs