Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel

I loved this book. It engaged me throughout and I hated to put it down. It is a comedy of manners, a parody of political correctness, a satire of the computer world of Microsoft and a laugh-out-loud look at Seattle. It is a wonder of a book and I can't say enough positive things about it. It is about Bernadette Branch, a Macarther Fellow in the past, her husband Elgie, a Microsoft Guru, and their daughter Bee, fifteen going on forty. Bernadette won her award for architecture but now her family lives in a former children's prison that is falling apart. Blackberry brambles are growing through the floor, there are rooms closed off because the floors are all mud and it is a general third world residence. The Branches, by the way, are quite rich so this is a true paradox. At one time Bernadette hoped to fix the place up but her plans never came to fruition. Bee goes to Galer School, a private school, and Bernadette hates the mothers of the children there. She calls them 'gnats'. She and Audrey, the mother of a psychopathic son, are especially at war. When one of Bernadette and Audrey's conflicts ends up in a tragedy worse than they had anticipated, everything escalates. Bee has been getting straight A's and she was told she could have anything she wanted if she finished middle school with perfect grades. She wants a trip to Antarctica and so the family plans this. Additionally, she has been accepted to Choate, an elite boarding school in the northeast. Bernadette had a terrible experience with her architecture in L.A. which caused the family to move to Seattle. Since then she has not done anything professional. She avoids people and, most of the time, lives in her airstream trailer which is on their property. Elgie is hardly ever home. He is a guru at Microsoft and a legend in the computer world, Bernadette is different but is she crazy? Bee doesn't think so. Her mother is her best friend. The gnats hate her and think she has a screw loose. You will have to read this book yourself to decide. It is an amazing feat of writing, composed of narrative, emails, faxes, and documents. All of these are composed in a way that tell the story of what leads to Bernadette's disappearance. This is one of the best books I've read this year and a unique and wonderful reading experience. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

At first, i wasn't so sure that I would be able to finish Marie Semple's novel "Where'd You Go, Bernadette". The style of storytelling, through letters/emails/short chapters, was a bit confusing. I felt like the narration was inconsistent. It turns out that the narration was told through the eyes of Bernadette's teenage daughter as she is trying to piece together the mystery of the disappearance of her mother occurring just days prior to a planned family vacation to the arctic. I think what bothered me in the beginning, was although it was supposed to be told through Bee's (the daughters) eyes, Bee seemed to have access to an awful lot of information that she could not possibly know, like emails between the dean at her school and other parents. It seemed implausible. It was eventually explained, but I am not sure that I buy into the explanation. However, within the first fifty pages of the book, I forgave it's short comings. because it was such a fun read. Semple has created vibrate characters and has given them sharp, witty dialogue. She places them in hilarious scenarios and gives them clear motives. The book has so much that is overwhelmingly entertaining, that I can overlook the bits that don't seem to gel. At the heart of the story is the mystery of Bernadette. It's not really so much about her disappearance, but that Bernadette as a person is a mystery. Semple does a great job at dropping little hints about Bernadette all the way through her novel and when I finally had a clear picture of the character it made the whole story come full circle. I love the pacing and the reveal. Semple does a great job at making the places in the story, such as Seattle, their own characters. Seattle, Bee's private prep school and the family home are all as colorful and important as the people in the novel. Places are very specific and important to the core of this story. It's not a story that could happen just anywhere and I love how it's rooted. Although heartwarming and dealing with some very serious issues, Semple's story is ultimately highly entertaining. It's wickedly funny and I laughed out loud many times. Great read. Please check out my blog for more reviews and musings!

A great lighthearted read that had me laughing at some moments and relating to others. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable. A good choice to take along while traveling.

The Bernadette character is so relatable, and all of the characters brings a new kind of pace to the story. Thoroughly enjoyed it beyond expectations. Easy to read and didn't feel drabby - the plot unravelling was well timed

Bernadette's handwriting letter for Bee (final) made me cry. Bernadette & Bee might represent the author's experience. So each character is vivid in description ( Email, Document, and Report.. etc) )as if they were actually existing. It might be magnificent adventure for the family that involved destruction and recreation. Bee was hurt. But she could be stronger in Antarctica going through her adventure to search her selfish mother. Highly recommended.

Loved this sweet book and the delightful characters in it. Although a fairly light read, I stumbled across half a dozen words I had to look up. An intelligently written book that will make you laugh out loud.

Eu estou apaixonada por esse livro, me identifiquei muito com a bernadette fox, e estou muito ansiosa pro filme que vai ter a cate blanchett

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