Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
by Maria Semple

This book is one of the most fun and original stories I've read in a long time. Since being awarded the MacArthur Genius award for her innovative "green" architecture, Bernadette Fox has become increasingly agoraphobic and anxiety-ridden. Her interactions with the neighbors and other mothers at her daughter's private school are fueled by razor-sharp wit and a devestating social anxiety, often resulting in the sort of comments you'd sometimes like to say outloud but never actually do. When it all becomes too much for Bernadette and she diappears, it's up to her precocious daughter Bee to figure out what happened by trolling through her mom's emails, school correspondence and psychologist and police reports. Every character (from her iconically nerdy husband to the "helicopter moms" at Bee's school) is charmingly unusual and oddly relatable, culpable yet understandable. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? is a refreshingly creative, laugh-out-loud and enchanting read. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Arrested Development tv series on dvd (the author used to write for Arrested Development).] -- recommended by Stephanie E. - Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

[Also available in book-on-cd and Large Print formats.]

[ official Where'd You Go, Bernadette web site ] | [ official Maria Semple web site ]

 This book also appears on the People Magazine's Top 10 Books of 2012 Reader List submitted by BookMan

 This book also appears on the Time Magazine's Top 10 Fiction and Non-Fiction Books of 2012 Reader List submitted by BookMan

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