This book was one of the first I read using my iPad. “Where’d You Go Bernadette?” was on my reading list for what seemed like forever, and I couldn’t wait to read it.
“Comedy heaven…. This divinely funny, many-faceted novel…leaves convention behind. Instead, it plays to Ms. Semple’s strengths as someone who can practice ventriloquism in many voices, skip over the mundane and utterly refute the notion that mixed-media fiction is bloggy, slack or lazy…. The tightly constructed WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE is written in many formats-e-mails, letters, F.B.I. documents, correspondence with a psychiatrist and even an emergency-room bill for a run-in between Bernadette and Audrey. Yet these pieces are strung together so wittily that Ms. Semple’s storytelling is always front and center, in sharp focus. You could stop and pay attention to how apt each new format is, how rarely she repeats herself and how imaginatively she unveils every bit of information. But you would have to stop laughing first.”— Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Author Maria Semple is also a screenwriter, possibly known for her work on Beverly Hills 90210, Mad About You, and Arrested Development. She has also written a second book, “This One is Mine.”
“Where’d You Go Bernadette?” is the story of a very peculiar woman — though she is annoyed by a lot of the same things you and I probably are (or maybe it’s just me), which makes the book that much more hilarious.
But aside from just being about Bernadette, it’s a story about family, and it also says a bit about our culture. It’s an updated story of the way things are. I’d definitely recommend this book (I bought a copy for my mom, and she agreed that it was hilarious).
As always, I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
- You’d think she was the first lady of France, with her silk scarf flung just so and huge dark glasses.
- One of the main reasons I don’t like leaving the house is because I might find myself face-to-face with a Canadian.
- If you’re so hell-bent on placing blame, I suggest you look in the mirror.
The Bitter Lemon 