Sample

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

By: Maria Semple
Narrated by: Kathleen Wilhoite
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.15

Buy for $18.15

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

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 an irresistibly written, deeply touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's place in the world.

2013, Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, Short-listed

2013, IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Long-listed

©2012 Maria Semple (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

I love the extraordinarily well-drawn characters, the plot, the tender, lovely relationship, the humour, and the courage to do daring things (Nina Stibbe)

What listeners say about Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    66
  • 4 Stars
    62
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    85
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    58
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    26
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Excrutiatingly painful

What would have made Where'd You Go, Bernadette better?

Nothing.

Has Where'd You Go, Bernadette turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes, it has totally put me off "bubblegum" literature / chic lit.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kathleen Wilhoite?

Anyone other than her.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No.

Any additional comments?

The story line contains no substance and far removed from reality, the narrator’s voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard and Bernadette’s continual and long winded rants about everything wrong in her privileged world are unbearable. I abandoned the book three times before returning to it with the hope that it would get better. It didn’t.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful