Elizabeth Graver
Author of The Honey Thief
About the Author
Image credit: Adrienne Mathiowetz photography
Works by Elizabeth Graver
Associated Works
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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.
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Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 926
- Popularity
- #27,712
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 38
- ISBNs
- 31
- Languages
- 1
- Favorited
- 2
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)