• Where'd You Go, Bernadette

  • A Novel
  • By: Maria Semple
  • Narrated by: Kathleen Wilhoite
  • Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (17,172 ratings)

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Where'd You Go, Bernadette  By  cover art

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

By: Maria Semple
Narrated by: Kathleen Wilhoite
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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

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What listeners say about Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,884
  • 4 Stars
    5,199
  • 3 Stars
    2,083
  • 2 Stars
    617
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    9,807
  • 4 Stars
    3,368
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    456
  • 1 Stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    7,752
  • 4 Stars
    4,646
  • 3 Stars
    2,000
  • 2 Stars
    619
  • 1 Stars
    362

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator is distracting

I was so excited to listen to this book. I love the book itself. However the narrator is ... unique. I don't mean that in a good way. Whoever chose this narrator made a huge mistake. She sounds like a voice actor who is playing a carton child. Definitely not what I expected.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One Big Problem

Loved the book overall. It was very fun and engaging. BUT the main character “B” is supposed to be 15 in the book. She acts more like an 8 year old girl. The voice is The narrator gives her is very juvenile also. Apparently the author and the narrator have never had a 15 year old girl. This made the story for me seem completely unrealistic.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Uneventful

All build up to the last chapter... not worth the listen.
So much context and build up.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Only kept listening waiting for it to get good

While there are parts of this story that are interesting and quirky, I really just kept listening because I was waiting for a twist or something to happen to bring it all together. While the title implies an intriguing mystery, sadly the many random f-bombs were the only real surprises. The endless back and forth “emails” were ridiculous - no one communicates that way over email but there was no other way to tell the story from so many different POVs. It was hundred mini monologues strung together to make a story, leaving the characters as islands with very little actual interaction.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A surprise!

The book is wonderful, but I sincerely believe as a work from this reader. I watched the movie and it was awful. SO. The movie was great the book was good, but the interpretation was THE. BEST!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • AS
  • 09-20-22

Perfect combination of all things good

A great plot with the right amount of substance, humor, drama and emotions. The laugh-out-loud and the couple of tears were made even easier by the exceptional narration. This is a book to go back to several times.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

All over the place

I think the ending was rushed and generally this book was not great. Dropped a lot of Microsoft jargon and Seattle jargon if you’re into that. You never know who is the bad guy, the characters are just all sort of unlikeable

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great narrator!

Her singing voice was stunning, and she was amazing at all the characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible

The most captivating and hilarious book that I’ve listened to in a long time. A story line that will keep you guessing while laughing at the absurdity and humanity of the characters.

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