Whered You Go Bernadette (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic) - Softcover

Semple, Maria

3.88

571,981 ratings by Goodreads

9781594136313: Whered You Go Bernadette (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1594136319 ISBN 13: 9781594136313

Publisher: Large Print Press, 2013

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

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.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Maria Semple's first novel, This One is Mine, was set in Los Angeles, where she also wrote for television shows including "Arrested Development," "Mad About You," and "Ellen." She escaped from Los Angeles and lives with her family in Seattle, where her second novel takes place.

Review:

"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"

"The characters in "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" may be in real emotional pain, but Semple has the wit and perspective and imagination to make their story hilarious. I tore through this book with heedless pleasure."
--Jonathan Franzen, author of "Freedom"

"There's a lot to like in Semple's charming novel, including the vivacious humor and the lesson that when creative forces like Bernadette stop creating, they become 'a menace to society.' Even more appealing is the mutually adoring mother-daughter relationship at its warm heart."--Heller McAlpin, "NPR"

"A comedic delight..."-- Family Circle

"[A] cracklingly smart family dramedy.... [I was] stunned and transported by this extraordinarily powerful and intelligent novel."--Lev Grossman, Time

"WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTEis a pure pleasure.... Semple's light touch and glittering prose keep things aloft."--Kate Tuttle, "The Boston Globe"

"It was only a matter of time before Maria Semple turned her hilariously wicked, razor-sharp, acid-etched humor loose on Seattle, and set her impeccable laser sights on the heart of Microsoft. At times a tears-to-your-eyes laugher that skewers my own home town (and quite possibly my own mother), WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE is also a compassionate look at family dysfunction, the paralysis of genius, and good old-fashioned parental love. Cleverly constructed and brilliantly executed, Semple has driven this one home with great authority, and has proven, once again, that she ranks among contemporary literature's finest satirists."--Garth Stein, author of "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

"If you read only one book this summer about an agoraphobic mother and her broken promise to take her daughter Bee on a trip to Antarctica, make it this one.... Semple writes like an oversized plume, finding all your tickle spots with ease."--Holley Simmons, Washington Post Express

"A delightfully funny book, that constantly catches one by surprise, WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE combines a shrewdly observed portrait of Seattle-life with, of all things, a mysterious disappearance in Antarctica. A pleasure."--Matthew Kneale, author of "When We Were Romans"

"If you're not taking a vacation this summer, a dive into Semple's comedic melting pot of family dysfunction, hyperactive parenting, and mental unraveling offers a hilarious escape. You'll find yourself rooting for the runaway parent in a narrative that is dark, funny, and completely human."--Tanya Jensen, "Los Angeles Confidential"

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.