Book Review - Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
BOOK REVIEW
WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE? - MARIA SEMPLE
BOOK RATING : 5/5!
1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette is told from the point of view of a daughter trying to find her missing mother. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from Bee's perspective? What light does it shed on the bond between Bernadette and Bee?
-Well if the story was told from Bernadette's perspective then we'd have all the answers. With Bee, there's more mystery and it also shows how dedicated Bee is to her mother even when everyone else thinks she was either nuts or suicidal.
2. What are you rthoughts on Bernadette's character? Has she become unhinged or has she always been a little crazy? What, if anything, do you think sent her over the edge? Have you ever had a moment in your own life that utterly changed you, or made you call into question your own sanity?
Well we've all had moments that made us question our sanity. With Bernadette it wasn't that she was crazy. She was a little eccentric sure, but the fact that she was an artist cooped up in a boring town is what drove her a little nuts. Still, all the things that she did that other people thought were crazy...I actually admired. Like the signpost thing. I thought that was hilarious. Audrey deserved it the little gnat!
3. When Bernadette relocates from Los Angeles to Seattle, she must cope with being a transplant in a new city. Have you ever moved, or even stayed put but switched jobs, and had to adjust to an entirely different culture? What was it like?
Well I can definitely say that I have had the feeling of being all alone in a new enviornment. I grew up in the hi-desert and all of a sudden I had to move to Riverside where I knew virtually no one but my family and for awhile I certainly felt like an outcast but recently I've started to make new friends and I don't feel as terrified of the big city as I used to be
4. The idea of going to Antartica becomes too much for an already frazzled Bernadette to bear, but the trip itself, surprisingly, turns out to be exactly what she needs to get back on track. How do other characters in the novel experience their own break-through? Which character is more transformed?
Well actually the majority of the characters in the story do complete 180's by the end of the book but I have to say the most shocking one was Audrey Griffin's character. She went from an uppity troublemaker out to get Bernadette, to someone willing to risk everything to help Bernadette escape. Elgie went through an extreme tranformation too but not as much as Audrey. I was so shocked!
5. How are Audrey Griffin and Bernadette Fox more alike than they realize?
I guess they both have their eccentric qualities and both will do whatever it takes to protect their children. Audrey was willing to actually assault someone to protect her son so there's a lot of devotion there. I guess deep down they understood each other in that way.
6. Bernadette often behaves as if she is an outsider. Do you think she is? If so, do you think her feelings of being an outsider are self-imposed, or is she truly different from the other members of her community? Do you ever feel like an outsider?
I do believe that Bernadette was an outsider in Seattle. I mean, she grew up in a completely different environment and stuff like that shows in your demeanor. Most people in certain communities shun those who don't say or do things the way they do. I'm not sure why that is but I've noticed it myself. Whenever I dared to enter a different environment in school than the one I would usually be involved in I'd get these pity looks. I guess in a way, Bernadette's feelings in Seattle is how most teens feel in High School.
7. The book has a very playful structure. Do you think it works? Why do you think the author chose it rather than a more straightforward, traditional structure? Think about other books with unusual structures and how their formats influenced your reading experience?
I actually love the writing style that Semple uses. I have always liked books that don't go for the tradtional formatting of chapters. With this book the letters and faxes sort of draw you into Bernadette's personality even though it's in Bee's perspective. We get to see every angle in a way that most of the characters can't till the end. It's always important to make a novel as interesting as possible and Semple definitely achieved that.
8. What do you think of Bernadette and Elgie's marriage? Is it dysfunctional? Is there real love there? How has their marriage changed over time? Think about romantic relationships you've been in that have evolved, positively or negatively, and why.
I actually don't see what they have as dysfunctional. There really is true love there and I think the only thing that made them waver were the actions made by others in Seattle especially that of Audrey and Soo-Lin. If not for those two, Elgie would have never swayed from Bernadette at all and I think that in the end of the story Bernadette comes home to him and forgives him for his indiscretion becuse I can tell by the tears she got reading his note, that she forgave him. I don't really want to talk about my past relationships because the only one that I've had that actually meant something changed in such a drastic way that I don't want to even put words to it. Let's just say I want what Elgie and Bernadette have...that's for sure.
9. Where'd You Go, Bernadette is, at it's core a story about a woman who disappears, both literally and figuratively. Were you able to relate to the book? How and why? Do you feel Bernadette's disappearance was unique, or do all women, in a sense, disappear into motherhood and marraige?
I don't think that women do that at all...atleast not the kind who don't willingly submit to being a housewife. You can be a mother and wife and still have a career and have an ability to achieve your dreams. I think that it's absurd that Bernadette just stopped creating because she was worried that she would lose Bee in the process. She didn't need to do that. She could have had Bee and her visions at the same time. Without creating, she truly became opressed by herself, not by others. In some ways I can relate, but mostly I just wanted to shake the woman and tell her to take Bee and Elgie and move back to L.A. where they belong!
I'm so glad that I read this book. It was hilarious! I can actually see it as a movie. Helena Bonahm Carter would totally be Berandette in my casting. I don't really know about the others but Helena would be the perfect Bernadette. She plays eccentric very well! If anyone else is in the mood to laugh, pick up this novel because it's guaranteed to tickle your funny bone!
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Book Info --> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13526165-where-d-you-go-bernadette
About the author --> https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1588088.Maria_Semple