Book Review: Where'd You Go Bernadette
Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
Goodreads Summary:
Bernadette Fox has vanished.
When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.
My Review:
1/5 Stars
Simply put -- I was not a fan. The book is written in the format of emails, faxes, handwritten notes, and then occasionally from the daughters point of view. Because of this some of what should have been the most important portion of the story were just small recaps between 2 people. There was also an excessive amount of unimportant information, which made it hard to stay interested.
The story didn't come together till 275 pages in, and I'm surprised I lasted that long. The ending finished well creating a loving moment between Bernadette and Bee, but I don't feel it was enough to make up for the rest of the book.
It took me a week to get through it because I was so disinterested, hopefully the movie coming out in August will be better. Overall, personally I didn't think the book was worth the read :(
Goodreads Summary:Bernadette Fox has vanished.
When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.
My Review:
1/5 Stars
Simply put -- I was not a fan. The book is written in the format of emails, faxes, handwritten notes, and then occasionally from the daughters point of view. Because of this some of what should have been the most important portion of the story were just small recaps between 2 people. There was also an excessive amount of unimportant information, which made it hard to stay interested.
The story didn't come together till 275 pages in, and I'm surprised I lasted that long. The ending finished well creating a loving moment between Bernadette and Bee, but I don't feel it was enough to make up for the rest of the book.
It took me a week to get through it because I was so disinterested, hopefully the movie coming out in August will be better. Overall, personally I didn't think the book was worth the read :(
Bummer! Sorry you didn't care for this one. That's always a sad day for a bookworm. I do plan to read this one because the film adaptation piqued my interest. Hope your next read is WAY better. :)
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