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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A testament to how well the author captures the annoying, neurotic, and not so subtly racist "white progressive folks" of Seattle, I almost put this book down because the characters were so grating. Goat I didn't because the plot took some truly wild turns that kept my on the edge of my seat.
A nice light read. I felt like the ending wasn't very satisfying, though. Ok, but I wanted more of a pretty bow on things.
This is one of the quirkiest books I've ever read but I liked it! It was a fun, quick read with unexpected twists and turns. Read it for book club and glad we did.
Maybe a 3.75. A very quick, enjoyable read. Perfect for summer reading. Don't think I laughed as much as other peopke, but I found the relationship between Bee and Bernadette interesting
Quirky characters, unorthodox narrative structure, and the pull of Antarctica (one of my favorite places on Earth) made this an easy, interesting read. I was a little disappointed in how one of the characters turned in the middle of the story, and felt there was one story line left dangling, but overall I liked the ending.
Semple's Today Will Be Different reflects a cleaner and smarter writing style and sense of humor. I never quite liked this book while reading it, yet also couldn't put it down. Overblown and over the top in terms of character, scattered at best in terms of plot, and absolutely unsympathetic and unrealistic in portrayal of mental health...but breezy, cute and tidy, and "feel good."
I enjoyed this book so much. It was like a seven layer cake, it just kept revealing itself, layer after layer. So funny and so smart and so much going on it's almost impossible to describe. At one point early in the book the situation seemed pretty dismal but then another layer presented itself and there were so many more to go. Just delightful--even though the end, the very last page was a tiny bit hinky--and that's a reference to the book. One of the best reads I've had in a long time.
mysterious
slow-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
Bernadette Fox is an award winning architect turned anxiety ridden stay-at-home mom. After a traumatic event, Bernadette stays out of the spotlight only leaving her home when necessary. She's even hired a virtualpersonal assistant for 75 cents an hour. Her husband, Elgen Branch is supportive and works at Microsoft on a special project. Her daughter, Bea, is highly intelligent and is Mom's best friend. Bernadette gets looked down upon because she isn't a PTO Mom at Bea's private school, Gaylor Street. Bea gets straight A's on her report card and has the perfect idea for a reward- a family trip to Antarctica! This makes Bernadette very anxious-she asks her personal assistant to help plan the trip. Things start going south when a fellow Gaylor Street Parent accuses Bernadette to be at the root of trouble and Elgen hires a psychiatrist to enroll Bernadette in a treatment center program. Bernadette disappears out the bathroom window in the midst of her intervention and is nowhere to be found. This begins the saga of Where'd You Go Bernadette. Found this novel to be hilarious.