As soon as I saw the movie trailer for Where’d You Go, Bernadette last spring I added it to my TBR list. It sat there for a while and I finally added this book to my Book of the Month box in July. I finished reading it a couple of weeks ago…just in time to see the movie tonight!!
Short & Sweet Summary
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple is a mother-daughter love story that is heartwarming, quirky and funny. The mother in this story, Bernadette, is a socially awkward, agoraphobic, genius who has been living a very mundane life in Seattle that is smothering her and bringing her to the brink of a meltdown. Planning a trip to Antartica as a reward for her daughter’s grades seems to send her over the edge. One disaster follows another for Bernadette when she disappears, leaving her daughter to put together the pieces and find her. The book is made up of Bee’s research weaving together emails, invoices, and school memos to find her mother.
What I Loved:
I loved so much about this book!!! I loved the way the first part is epistolary, made up of correspondence from the quirky characters. I loved the humor found in this charming story. I loved the relationship between Bee and Bernadette. And I especially loved the satisfying ending that left me smiling!!
Favorite Quote:
(from Paul Jellinek’s letter to Bernadette dated December 14):
People like you must create. If you don’t create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society.
Rating:
4/5 Stars I liked it….a lot!!
There’s a Movie!!!
I love watching movies adaptations of books. I almost always like the book better, but when it’s done well, I love watching books that I’ve read brought to life on a screen. Tonight my husband and I are going on a date and watching Where’d You Go, Bernadette. I can’t wait!!!
Keith asked me what I was expecting, my response was that it was just going to be a fun movie. I’m not expecting a blockbuster or an award-winning movie. And, let’s be realistic, neither should you. But I do think it’s going to be a really fun date night movie.
Here’s the trailer for the movie in case you haven’t seen it yet-
Have you read Where’d You Go, Bernadette? Are you planning to see the movie? I’d love to hear your thoughts on both!!