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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
quirky read with a lot of interesting characters but very little plot imo. ending felt rushed and not truly an ending (some loose ends which i am curious about). I’m not mad about this being a 2 star bc I did enjoy it at parts and chose to keep reading but overall did not enjoy it enough to justify any more stars
Bernadette Fox is a DELICIOUS character; she's oh so judgemental and critical of the world around her, in particular, the Seattle elite but anyone could fall under her rader: the tattoo-wearing hippies at the Mexican restaurant, the slow drivers at the 5 (yes 5) way intersection, and the 5-way intersections themselves, the Seattlites with their happy-joy-bliss about Seattle being such a "great place", the volunteer Moms at her daughter's school where she refuses to volunteer or even get out of the car to drop her off, and so much more. Honestly, I adored her. Not to mention a few times (only a few) where I totally agreed with her on-going disapprovals of society. It's too funny to read how she is afraid of Canadians, and how she subjects her husband and daughter to live in the dilapidated giant house on the hill which they refuse to repair.
So much to love in this book. The character development was superb. This was my first book by Maria Semple and I shall be reading the rest of her work too.
What I loved most about this novel was how it drew me in by the story-telling in the brilliant form of email exchange!!! It's so brilliant. The story is told from the POV of a 14-year old girl but the emails tell a whole lot of the story as well.
I would describe the writing as funny, entertaining, poignant, real, nostalgic, sweet, smart, poetic prose at times and totally addictive. This is one talented writer!
Extremely well-written, extremely delightful story, extremely addictive once you get into it but in a good way (yes, yes I know, too many exact adverbs!).
And what can I say? I now know more about Antartica than I ever cared to know, but I'm okay with that. Bernadette was worth it.
I read this book on my Kindle, free thanks to the wonderful library. What should I read next if I totally LOVED this one?
So much to love in this book. The character development was superb. This was my first book by Maria Semple and I shall be reading the rest of her work too.
What I loved most about this novel was how it drew me in by the story-telling in the brilliant form of email exchange!!! It's so brilliant. The story is told from the POV of a 14-year old girl but the emails tell a whole lot of the story as well.
I would describe the writing as funny, entertaining, poignant, real, nostalgic, sweet, smart, poetic prose at times and totally addictive. This is one talented writer!
Extremely well-written, extremely delightful story, extremely addictive once you get into it but in a good way (yes, yes I know, too many exact adverbs!).
And what can I say? I now know more about Antartica than I ever cared to know, but I'm okay with that. Bernadette was worth it.
I read this book on my Kindle, free thanks to the wonderful library. What should I read next if I totally LOVED this one?
About this book: The first half is hilarious. Bernadette is adorable, eccentric, naive, sassy, intelligent, ironic, and funny. However, the dark humor diminishes in the dialogues during the second half. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it took away some of the shine from the reading experience. That said, I'm glad to have read Bernadette's story, which has been sitting on my bookshelf since 2014.
Extremely readable and entertaining epistolary story of a creative genius who goes astray. Funny and somewhat satirical, although there is a warm and genuine depiction of her daughter. Excellent use of Seattle and Antarctic settings.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 - I felt very kept on my toes by this book. It’s well-written and fun and beautifully engaging. I think Bernadette would enjoy reading it, which (given her unconventional taste and utter disinterest in the non-creative) feels the truest measure of its quality.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
I found the mother character to be hateful and never emotionally grounded. I think at some points I was supposed to feel bad for her or understand her and I just did not. I also could not ever buy into the “genius” thing. She seemed simply insane instead. She was never happy unless she had a project and at the end just had another project. Nothing was ever solved. She will revert back to her unhealthy self as soon as this latest building is finished.
Even more frustrating at the end the mother said she doesn’t know where she would be without the father and will forgive him but I didn’t catch where she found out about the secretaries baby. Which means after the ending of the book they still have to deal with that trauma and if the father even wants to get back together. Even if they did where would they live? He thrives in Seattle and she hates it. Also, they both have good jobs in different cities. If they could maintain friendship it might work? What would the poor secretary will do?
I feel like this book was a waste of time. No one learned anything and the entire story didn’t even play out. You are just left with a story of crazy people and a feeling of uncertainty.
No matter what, the ride just didn’t seem worth it and was annoying at times.
Even more frustrating at the end the mother said she doesn’t know where she would be without the father and will forgive him but I didn’t catch where she found out about the secretaries baby. Which means after the ending of the book they still have to deal with that trauma and if the father even wants to get back together. Even if they did where would they live? He thrives in Seattle and she hates it. Also, they both have good jobs in different cities. If they could maintain friendship it might work? What would the poor secretary will do?
I feel like this book was a waste of time. No one learned anything and the entire story didn’t even play out. You are just left with a story of crazy people and a feeling of uncertainty.
No matter what, the ride just didn’t seem worth it and was annoying at times.