Friday, November 23, 2012

Book Review: Where'd You Go Bernadette



Where'd You go, Bernadette
By Maria Semple


Bernadette and Elgie, have a daughter Bee. They live in Seattle.  He works for Microsoft.    Something happened to Bernadette's spirit after she won a prize for the best architecture of a home. But, tragedy, as a joke a rival tore the house down. Bernadette was devastated.  From there, Bernadette has never been the same.  They moved from California to Seattle.

Bernadette is a stay at home mom. She hires a man on line to help her with her errands. Because she doesn't like to go out of the house.  Bernadette  is angry, and wants revenge, and takes everything to the extreme wearing disguises of large sunglasses and scarves.

Bernadette enters her daughter in a competitive school.  But again, things get complicated.  Her neighbor, Audrey Griffith has a problem, blackberries are overgrowing into their yard. Her neighbor tries to remedy the problem by talking to her at school.  But, instead while waiting for her daughter to get in the car.  She runs over her foot. Then again, Bernadette gets in trouble, a contractor is hired to remedy the blackberries. But, once the bushes are taken out.  This loosens the dirt, and a landslide occurs to the neighbors home while she is hosting a brunch for a fundraiser for the school.

If matters were not bad enough, her neighbor's kid, Audrey Griffith is thought to being dealing drugs, Oxycotin from her mother's medicine cabinet.  The same medicine she was prescribed for her foot when it was run over.  Audrey gives the excuse she forgot to take it out of her son's back pack.

There is more antics of Bernadette and her neighbor, credit card fraud, traumatizing the children in school, traveling, disappearances of parents, teeth removed, a few sexual escapades, commitment of parent in a insane asylum, accusations of parent of child traumatize the school children.

I will tell you this was a fun and quirky read. I had so much fun reading about Bernadette and her travels and disappearance in Anartica. I will tell you it was way over the top. But, that is what made the story so fun and I wanted more. Believe me there is more.

I recommend this one highly.

2 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I'm listening to, and loving, this one right now.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

I am looking forward to this one.. its on the shelf ;)
I wanted to let you know that I have posted the new 2013 WHERE Are You Reading Challenge sign up. I know you have signed up last tear so thought you may want to again! SO much fun!