Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she’s a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she’s a disgrace; to design mavens, she’s a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to … Antarctica. But Bernadette’s intensifying allergy to Seattle–and people in general–has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence–creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter’s role in an absurd world.
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Hilarious and warm…
This is one of the best books I have read in awhile. A real page turner with very different characters and a very different story line. A few of the players were a little over the top which would be my only negative report. I would just say “Read It”.
To enjoy Where’d You Go, Bernadette, be prepared to suspend belief on all levels (character, plot and point of view). A lot of this is very funny and very clever. However, I found the format (serial e-mails) to be more effective in Semple’s shorter piece, the story “Dear Mountain Room Parents,” which is included at the end of the book. I first …
I fell for this book and this writer hook, line and sinker. The writing funny, the main character irascible yet irresistible — a wonderful read.
This is a wonderful book, I enjoyed each page as I believe there’s a little of Bernadette in all of us.
A bit weird, but I enjoyed it.
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time! Highly recommend it.
This is one of my favorite books. I love the humor!
I totally related with this one in a crazy off the wall way. This mom is no saint, but she sure is funny. One of my all time favorite reads.
Adult satire at it’s finest. Maria Semple the queen of dysfunction hits it out of the park with this one!