If you find your book club has been reading too many books that leave you emotionally wrung out and intellectually challenged, its a nice change of pace. Told through the eyes of bernadette s 15 year old daughter, bee, the reader can see disaster coming long before either bernadette or bee. Thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced here. The plot revolves around an agoraphobic architect and mother named bernadette fox, who goes missing prior to a family trip to antarctica.
Whered you go, bernadette book club kit lawrence public. Whered you go, ber nadette by maria semple 330 pages. Whered you go bernadette was huge news back when it was first published in 20. The story is cleverly told from the perspective of bernadettes daughter. Jan 21, 20 im hosting this months neighborhood book club meeting, which means, among other things, that i got to choose the book. 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. I decided on whered you go bernadette by maria semple, because id seen that a lot of my favorite book bloggers really enjoyed it. I did not love this book but might have to revisit. Dec 04, 2020 welcome back to bears, beets, book club if you dont understand the name of this illustrious book club, you need to bone up on your office references. The tightly constructed whered you go, bernadette is written in many formatsemails, letters, f. When her notorious, hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled, and agoraphobic mother goes missing, teenage bee begins a trip that takes her to the ends of the earth to find her. As it turns out, maria semple is both a good writer and a funny writer, but she prefers to be the latter. Julys selection was whered you go, bernadette by maria semple. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple babe book club.
If you havent read this book, heres why you should. I hope 20 is off to a great start for all of you and that you are enjoying whered you go, bernadette. She has days as frazzled as my daughters, riding range over her small crazy boys. A seattle teenage girl tells the story of how and why her eccentric mother, who has alienated everybody around her, including her microsoft geek of a husband, ends up lost in antarctica. Whered you go, bernadette book whatcom county library. Telling a story of a 50yearold womans personal crisis through the voice of a 14yearold would have been problematic had it not been for the injections of the emails and reports written by grownups. Februarys book club selection is whered you go, bernadette by maria semple.
But the book s entertainment value does an impressive job disguising its logistical challenge to anyone looking to adapt it for the screen. A new growing crop of podcast conversation clubs on and offline can connect you with other eager fans, book clubstyle. To her microsoftguru husband, shes a fearlessly opinionated partner. Cant wait to debrief after listening to the latest episode of your favorite audio series. Whered you go, bernadette is a comedic novel centered around bernadette, an agoraphobic architect who goes missing shortly before a family trip. Whered you go bernadette by maria semple rare birds book club.
Wild things book club new readers the purple door book club middle grade ya discussion group. Whered you go, bernadette this book is funny and heartfelt and honest, and i recommend it to anyone looking for a casual, comfortable holiday read. The book is narrated by her 15 year old daughter bee, and is told mainly through documents emails, memos, etc as we try to figure out exactly where bernadette has. Book club discussions are great conversations based on a common book that everyone has read. Chicago turabian author date citation style guide semple, maria. Whered you go bernadette was the first book i had to read with my book club and although it wasnt horrible, it wasnt close to my favourite thing ive read this past year. Read free book excerpt from whered you go, bernadette by maria semple, page 1 of 2. I laughed so uncontrollably in the plane that some passengers complained. You can also buy it in mass market paperback for fairly cheap. A bestseller praised by numerous critics as one of the best books of the year, whered you go, bernadette is a fastpaced comic novel with a complex narrative structure. This time, were discussing whered you go, bernadette by maria semple. I was asked to speak at jillians book club, and of course i said yes.
Of course you can say that about every book ever published, but that goes double here. It was one of those rare books that everyone could agree on. I am delighted that john byrne and his team at the magazine have invited me to be the guest blogger this week. When her talented, troubled, and agoraphobic mother goes missing, teenage bee begins a trip that takes her to. Whered you go, bernadette book jackson county library. Successful groups select good books, have interesting discu. Because weve never done a book club before, i have been unsure about the best way to execute the end discussion. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple goodreads. May 18, 20 if whered you go, bernadette succeeds, its because of its compelling, funfilled story, something i owe entirely to my many years in the writers room. Its good for anyone who wants to disappear for a little while. Whered you go, bernadette is a brilliantly conceived tale of suburbia, and how the minor setbacks of everyday can turn into major disasters.
Mar 16, 2021 whered you go, bernadette a novel book. Whered you go, bernadette, published in 2012, is the second novel by maria semple, a former television writer who worked on shows such as mad about you and arrested development. To her microsoftguru husband, she is fearlessly opinionated and neurotic. Successful book clubs select great books, have compelling discussions, and create community. Heres how you can start a fun and engaging book club. The characters in whered you go, bernadette may be in real emotional pain, but semple has the wit and perspective and imagination to make their story hilarious. Delve deeper into the books making the charts, and get tips for keeping your reading group engaged. Whered you go, bernadette book saint paul public library.
Whered you go bernadette has much talk about antarctica, the coldest, windiest, driest desert continent on earth. A bestseller praised by numerous critics as one of the best books of the year, whered you go, bernadette is a fastpaced comic novel with a complex narrative. Whered you go, bernadette appleton public library wi. Bernadette definitely does not fit the mold of the typical microsoft executives wife. Maria semple is very funny and her observations are spoton see for example the first sentence of her recent book today will be different. Brilliant, hilarious, endlessly inventive, and compulsively readable, whered you go, bernadette grabs you by the collar and never lets go. With busy schedules and the immense list of new books released every single day, its hard. A lot of book clubs prefer to read books easily found at the library, and, by now, your library should have plenty of copies. And im going to let you in on a little secret about life. These four celebrity book clubs are surprisingly goodand certainly worth a look. Whered you go, bernadette the books the book club abc tv. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple 4 doughgirl5562.
It is narrated by her 15yearold daughter bee branch, and is told in a series of documents emails, memos, transcripts, etc. In this regard, it reminds me a bit of rachael joyces the unlikely pilgrimage of harold frye. Maria semples whered you go, bernadette is a clever novel, full of welldrawn characters and powered by a compelling mystery, all of which suggests that it could be made into a strong movie. Whered you go bernadette book club questions and recipe. Semple is not only a masterful juggler, and an astute social critic, she is a magician. The great news is that whered you go, bernadette was released in 2012, but is still timely and relevant. Maria semple whered you go, bernadette audiobook free. See more ideas about whered you go bernadette, book club parties, book club food.
The girl on the train by paula hawkinsfollow grab on twitter. Whered you go, bernadette is a 2012 epistolary comedy novel written by maria semple. One way to include all members is to write questions on an index card for e. Reading guide for whered you go, bernadette by maria semple.
Adult book club district of columbia public library. Citation formats are based on standards as of july 2010. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. For one, she wears a fishing vest all the time, never participates in any continue reading whered you go bernadette. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. The freerange hilarity of whered you go, bernadette begins with bee branchs report card from galer street school in seattle, a place where compassion, academics and global connectitude join together to create. Find resources for your book club, whether it meets in your living room or across cyberspace. Oct 24, 2014 i love book club discussion questions. Openended questions help ignite discussions involving the whole group. My sister, the serial killer at the risk of sounding like a middle school english teacher. What did you think of maria semples unique story form for whered you go, bernadette. Tina lives in the uk and works as a business journalist for the medical technology industry. I finished it and was left with the feeling that i wont not recommend the book, but i wouldnt recommend it either of course unless it fit what someone may be looking for.
Quirky style i enjoyed the unique format of the storytelling in this book. Whered you go, bernadette hardcover book discussion. Bernadette fox is notorious, but to to 15yearold bee, she is a best friend and, simply, mom. It all began when bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward. If you ve read this book i want to discuss it with you. A misanthropic matriarch leaves her eccentric family in crisis when she mysteriously disappears in this whipsmart and divinely funny novel that inspired the movie starring cate blanchett new york times. Whered you go, bernadette is really, really funny, and not in the usual way that suggests the author is trying to be funny to cover up their deficiencies in plot or styling. Whered you go, bernadette is, at its core, a story about a woman who disappears, both literally and figuratively.
Whered you go, bernadette book douglas county libraries. It is narrated by her 15yearold daughter bee branch, and is told in a series of documents emails, memos, transcripts. And i am even more delighted that they have embraced the book clubreading group concept that i have been passionate about for. These are the questions for whered you go, bernadette by from the little and brown website. I finally decided i would pose my questions to the most avid reader i know someone who also happens to. Semples storytelling is always front and center, in sharp focus. Whered you go, bernadette is a laugh out loud satire on the thin line between genius and insanity, status obsessed social climbers, and seattle hipsterism. Posts about whered you go bernadette written by nicolepistotnik.
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