Where'd You Go, Bernadette

By: Maria Semple

Narrated by: Kathleen Wilhoite

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Soon to be a major film starring Cate Blanchett

Bernadette Fox is notorious. To Elgie Branch, a Microsoft wunderkind, she's his hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled wife. To fellow mothers at the school gate, she's a menace. To design experts, she's a revolutionary architect. And to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend, and quite simply, mum. Then Bernadette disappears. And Bee must take a trip to the end of the earth to find her.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a compulsively readable, irresistibly written, deeply touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's place in the world.

©2012 Maria Semple (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Didn't grab me at all

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

although the narration performance was good, for me this book was a waste of 10 or so hours. The story line imo was very weak and I found it very difficult to concentrate on listening to it. In fact I found myself drifting way off where the story was so boring. Very disappointing. This is the first book that I haven't enjoyed on Audible.

What do you think your next listen will be?

The room

Have you listened to any of Kathleen Wilhoite’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

absolutely not

Entertaining, did not like narrator

Thought this was mildly entertaining, funny in parts, but really disliked the narrator's voice, especially towards the end of the book where she attempted different accents. It was an ok listen overall. Will be interested to see how the movie compares.

Interesting, funny and a nice guide to Seattle!

What did you like best about this story?

The book is written in great and intellectual way. The characters are interesting. They develop through the story. I didn't expcet the transformations that some of them went through. I like to be surprised like that when reading a book. I like the way the main character is portrayed as having flaws of her own in spite of arguably being the "good guy" in the story. A lot humorous moments through out the book, but also more sad ones, especially those related to the illness of the main character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both perhaps, bust mostly laughter.

Any additional comments?

I absolutely recommend this book, which is written by an intelligent author.

Whacky and Crazy!

Whacky and crazy story.. at times a little disjointed, but all in all a fun listen. I can say that I would rather have downloaded something with a litt more substance.. but hey.. that's how it goes!

Real touching story with just the right amount humor

Kathleen does a wonderful job voice acting all the characters . Taking you through this wonderful story of a dis functional yet all-American family

Funny, mysterious, heartbreaking, thoughtful

What did you love best about Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

The narration. Kathleen Wilhoite adjusts her voice subtly to project the individuality of all the characters - Bee's Dad, the annoying admin, Bernadette, even the bureacratic psychiatrist. In a book that is full of great dialogue, the narrator made it easy to know exactly who was talking at any time - without having to rewind and check. Her narration created the characters for me and made me want to know what would happen to them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It has to be the daughter Bee. She is fiercely protective of her mother and at the same time yearning to explore the world. She is smart, funny and insightful even in the middle of a crisis. When no one else believes that her Mother is still alive - Bee stands by her and commits everything to finding her. She ignores the obvious faults of her mother's personality and just revels in her Mother's company.

Have you listened to any of Kathleen Wilhoite’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book made me laugh all the time. Bernadette's withering assessments of the "nats" are worth reading this book alone. The emails between her and her virtual assistant are delightful. I don't think I cried but I was very moved by Bee's commitment to her Mother and need to find her.

Any additional comments?

Probably the best audiobook I have read. Often, because I listen to short bursts in the car it is hard to keep up with all the strands of a plot and the characters. The narration made all the voices distinctive.

Nice, chilled read

I enjoyed the book overall. Some of the characters’ behaviours triggered my anxiety, and I was hoping for more after the ending.

Terrible narration ruined the entire book

I could not even admire the story line the narration was so annoying and badly read the characters came across as imbeciles

Such annoying narration it ruined the book

The book is composed of fictional letters, emails and diary entries surrounding the titular character, a severely agoraphobic middle-aged woman. It takes a humorous approach that is utterly destroyed by the children's tv style performance by the reader. The childs voice is particularly grating, and takes most of the liability of the character away.

just could not finish it

Good performance, but I just could not finish listening to it. It was supposed to be funny, but I did not even smile once.