Book Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Man, I love reading books, and I especially love Amazon recommendations based on previous books that I've read.

That's how I came across Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
{via}
Here's the Amazon summary:
"Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle--and people in general--has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.

To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence--creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world."

It sounded a bit strange, but based on the almost 5 star ranking from over 2,000 reviews, I thought I'd give it a whirl. And, it was $4.99 on my Kindle through Amazon.

The writing in this book is different but engaging, and the way the story is told/unfolds is creative. It takes a long while to get to what I thought was the heart of the plot (Bernadette disappearing), so I kept reading thinking "Where is this going?"

I ranked this book a 3 out of 5. I liked the uniqueness of the writing, but I had trouble connecting with the characters, many of which had some outlandish actions that just didn't seem totally "real" to me.
That being said, it WAS unique and I read the book pretty quickly because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. So, it kept me intrigued. After reading it, I'm still thinking about it, which is probably also a good sign.

All in all, I liked the book. Did I LOVE it? No....but I did like that it made me think while I read, rather than just follow along with a story. I'm not sure that will make sense unless you read the book, so I recommend that you do :)

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5 comments:

  1. I felt the same way- it was hard for me to get into. By the end, I really liked it though!

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  2. I've seen this book on some "To Read in 2014" lists lately, and been curious about it! Thanks for sharing, Jenn! I will be referring to your book link next time I am ready to start a new one:)

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  3. I have this on my to-read list. Thanks for your insight.

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  4. I thoroughly enjoyed how the book was laid out. In letters, notes, etc. It makes me feel connected to what's really happening. Though in the part when Bernadette's background is slowly being revealed, I got lost with all the designer stories. Found my way back in once that part was done.

    xx,
    Jen
    http://thecasualwanderer.blogspot.com/2014/07/message-in-bottle-best-attitude.html

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  5. This book has been on my to-read list forever, and I've even gotten it from the library. But I've never actually read it. I want to just to finally get it done, but at least your review makes it sound interesting and worth picking up again. Even if it's not fabulous.

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