Where'd You Go, Bernadette

A Novel

By: Maria Semple

Narrated by: Kathleen Wilhoite

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's 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.

©2012 Maria Semple (P)2012 Hachette Audio

A good story for understanding cognitive biases

Would you listen to Where'd You Go, Bernadette again? Why?

Probably not, just because there are so many books out there.

What did you like best about this story?

Every person in the book had flaws and likable traits. She is good at exploring how most people will react to any situation differently from others and the stories behind why.

What about Kathleen Wilhoite’s performance did you like?

Her voice is unique, pleasant, and flowed well with the story line.

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

There were some very funny parts, but none that made me laugh out loud.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this. it was suspenseful and kept me interested the whole way through. I was a little mad at the husband.

Edgy, funny, thoroughly entertaining

Would you listen to Where'd You Go, Bernadette again? Why?

Yes, the performance was as good as the story

What did you like best about this story?

Each character was developed so you saw multiple sides and behaviors, which is how all people really are.

Which character – as performed by Kathleen Wilhoite – was your favorite?

Bee

If you could take any character from Where'd You Go, Bernadette out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Bee, so bright and happy.

Brilliantly written and performed!

I enjoyed this book so much, I carried my phone around my home and office so I could keep listening!

Enjoyable

I thoroughly enjoyed this title. The reader was original and brought the characters to life.

Kind of funny story with annoying narration

Because of the rave reviews and the movie coming out I bought this audiobook. It was an easy listen and mostly enjoyable. Sometimes it seemed like a YA book and other times like a wanna be satire on Seattle, Microsoft and all that entails.
All in all it was cute but not more than that.

The performance was spectacular!

Such a wonderful, well thought out original read. And an A + performance to boot. I recommend this book and then some. You won’t be disappointed.

I couldn’t stop listening

Funny and emotionally rich. My kind of novel. Excellent performance. I will look for this narrator again. If you like this, listen to Cold Comfort Farm.

One of my top 10 listens of the year!

Any additional comments?

Like other reviewers said, there is something about this book that makes you feel like a glowing review somehow doesn't do it justice and can't adequately explain why this book is so entertaining and sweet.

Bernadette is a stifled artist who redirects her genius energy with some odd behavior. Elgin is her genius husband who works a little too much and misses some important goings on in his family. Bee is their daughter, a mix of the two--also genius, humorous and insightful. So, how is it that Bernadette goes missing? Well, that's where this book gets really entertaining.

The story is told through emails, letters and documents compiled into a book by Bee and it's a fun read. All of the characters are well written and Kathleen Wilhoitte does a great job of giving them each a distinct voice. It does take a little time to get used to, as she tends to be a little overexcited as Bee and their neighbor, but I really came to enjoy it by the end. You somehow end up loving and sympathizing with every character, even through their mistakes.

I was sad when this one ended!

A little bizarre, but great fun

The gorgeous cover of this book drew me in, but it was the unique plot that kept me hooked. Bernadette Fox is a certified genius in this novel, and author Maria Semple just might be too - in addition to keeping this story fresh and funny, she also has writing credits for the ridiculously wonderful show Arrested Development. Win-win!

And while it took me some time to warm up to Kathleen Wilhoite's performance - I feared her precocious reading of 15-year-old Bee would last all nine hours - I did get there, and was floored by her beautiful singing voice, which made a surprising (but delightful) appearance late in the story.

Wilholte Should Win a Grammy

Not since Jim Dial (Harry Potter series) have I enjoyed a narrator so much. Wilholte is great with nuance. I particularly enjoyed her voice as a PTSD counselor. While singing the entire first verse of "Oh Holy Night" was overkill, it did not affect my opinion of her overall performance.
This novel was a gem-- fun, funny and different. Loved it. I will look for more from Semple.