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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
bought this at the airport bookstore and finished it before our flight landed, and loved every page. a delight.
I thought at first this book was going to be a more fun version of "Reconstructing Amelia", with less loathsome main characters. But it turned out to be so much better than that. Bee searches for her mother, who disappears before their Antarctica trip. The book says it tells the story from Bee's perspective, but really I think it tells it from many perspectives, as Bee collects letters, e-mails, and various other documents to tell the story of what seemed to have happened and what really happened. I enjoyed how characters were portrayed through different perspectives, and how characters actually changed in this book, and tried to make up for things they have done. People in this book were real, and flawed, and struggling, and just trying to get along in life the best way they could. Highly enjoyable.
I wish I'd read this instead of listening to the audiobook (even though the reader did a beautiful job singing O' Holy Night). It would have been easier to follow the format of the documents that the book is a compilation of.
Getting to know more and more about Bernadette through Bee's eyes was entertaining and the author did a great job of showcasing her bond and loyalty to her mother. Overall it's a story about a family going through a crisis woven into the environment of a rich society in Seattle. You've got your usual jealous preppy socialite, smart/talented kid, recluse mom and too-busy rich dad.
Soo-Lin pissed me the eff off though.
Getting to know more and more about Bernadette through Bee's eyes was entertaining and the author did a great job of showcasing her bond and loyalty to her mother. Overall it's a story about a family going through a crisis woven into the environment of a rich society in Seattle. You've got your usual jealous preppy socialite, smart/talented kid, recluse mom and too-busy rich dad.
Soo-Lin pissed me the eff off though.
I wish I could give this a 2.5. Parts of this book I enjoyed, but overall it was just okay.
This book was lent to me from a friend. I'd heard some buzz about it and at the time the movie was out, so I figured I'd hold onto it until I had some time in-between bookclub reads. I thought it'd be a quick one, but it took longer to get through than I thought it would.
I had a hard time getting into it. It's told in a series of letters, emails, and private conversations among different characters, each revealing a different part of the overall story. It felt kind of jumpy and I couldn't find the flow. I realized that reminded me of Wes Anderson's movies, with a kind of dry humor and a touch of the ridiculous. Ironically, even though I can't stand Wes Anderson films, reading this with that style in mind helped me find the flow. I started to get into the middle section of the book as we dove deeper into some characters' pasts and the connections among them became more clear.
The book is broken up into seven parts, and I found the last one to be a real slog. At some point I was just reading the words. I found the ending to be really weak and I didn't empathize with the main character at all. I think we were supposed to be on her team in the end, as she rationalized her actions in a letter to her daughter, but I just wasn't. I didn't care.
I'm not sure who I'd recommend this book to. I guess Wes Anderson fans, although that connection may have just been my coping mechanism. I may try to watch the film, this could be a rare case where the film is better than the book.
This book was lent to me from a friend. I'd heard some buzz about it and at the time the movie was out, so I figured I'd hold onto it until I had some time in-between bookclub reads. I thought it'd be a quick one, but it took longer to get through than I thought it would.
I had a hard time getting into it. It's told in a series of letters, emails, and private conversations among different characters, each revealing a different part of the overall story. It felt kind of jumpy and I couldn't find the flow. I realized that reminded me of Wes Anderson's movies, with a kind of dry humor and a touch of the ridiculous. Ironically, even though I can't stand Wes Anderson films, reading this with that style in mind helped me find the flow. I started to get into the middle section of the book as we dove deeper into some characters' pasts and the connections among them became more clear.
The book is broken up into seven parts, and I found the last one to be a real slog. At some point I was just reading the words. I found the ending to be really weak and I didn't empathize with the main character at all. I think we were supposed to be on her team in the end, as she rationalized her actions in a letter to her daughter, but I just wasn't. I didn't care.
I'm not sure who I'd recommend this book to. I guess Wes Anderson fans, although that connection may have just been my coping mechanism. I may try to watch the film, this could be a rare case where the film is better than the book.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a contemporary mystery novel that concerns Bernadette Fox who lives with her husband, Engie, and their daughter, Bee. Bernadette is quite the subject of gossip in the community she lives in, and when she disappears, everyone... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk/2020/01/whered-you-go-bernadette-book-review/
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun read, especially despite its serious topics.