Bookshelf, Library Bag, or Donation Box

In Bookshelf, Library Bag or Donation Box, our Tators give their verdict on the books they read, whether they're keepers for the shelves, one you borrow from your local library, or just give to your local used bookstore. 

Courtesy of Goodreads

Where'd You Go, Bernadette By Maria Semple is a story about a daughter, Bee, who must piece together the mystery of her mother, Bernadette, when she suddenly disappears through emails, memos and other assorted correspondence. Bee starts finding out her mother is not at all who she thought.

I loved this book. There might have been some bias because Bernadette suffers from a bit of social anxiety as do I. So, a lot of the things she said and thought whenever she was out of public I have been guilty of thinking or saying myself. That being said, this was so smartly written. I was afraid of being put off by the fact that the majority of the story was told through letters, office memos, and faxes since the last book I read in this format was The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and that book turned out to be painfully boring for me. The rest of the story is told through the eyes of Bee, Bernadette's fourteen year old daughter, who was remarkably mature for her age.

The story was really funny. Not side splitting humor, but that snide snarky humor that we've all been guilty of at least once. Bernadette's dealings with the "gnats" or the mothers of the other kids at Galer Street School had me chuckling in the oh-my-god-did-she-really-say-that-I'm-so-envious-I-wish-I-could-say-that. The insanity of her next door neighbor had me a little in fear since my oldest is about to start kindergarten in the fall and I know these kinds of mothers exist.

The Verdict

Bookshelf: Easily. I didn't find anything I didn't like about this book. It was well written, engaging, the characters interesting, even the "gnats." I read it in one day. It's a fun read that has really great dialogue, and I am now putting Maria Semple on my "Authors To Watch For" list.


*Paperback edition was provided by Goodreads in a giveaway.