Published in 2012, where d you go, bernadette is a fictional novel made into a major motion picture august 2019. Word of mouth is one of the most important market factors determining the popularity of a book. A bestseller praised by numerous critics as one of the best books of the year, whered you go, bernadette is a fastpaced comic novel with a complex narrative. Julys selection was whered you go, bernadette by maria semple.
A delightfully funny book, that constantly catches one by surprise, whered you go, bernadette combines a shrewdly observed portrait of seattle life with, of all things, a mysterious disappearance in antarctica. A novel topics for discussion maria semple this study guide consists of approximately 32 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of whered you go, bernadette. First things first, what letter grade would you give this book and why. If you ve read this book i want to discuss it with you. Where d you go bernadette is a novel by author maria semple. Whered you go bernadette book club questions and recipe. These are the questions for whered you go, bernadette by from the little and brown website. Whered you go, bernadette is a 2012 comedy novel written by maria semple. I wouldve given up on it if not for a reading buddy who pushed me to stick it out. Tina lives in the uk and works as a business journalist for the medical technology industry.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced here. Our summary page for whered you go bernadette by maria semple includes book club discussion questions, author website. Plot summary bee branch, whose real name is balakrishna branch, is in her last year at galer street school in seattle. What light does it shed on the bond between bernadette and bee. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. I was surprised at how faithful they were to the book, and the subplots that were excised made a lot of sense to me. This discussion guide can be used for any audience that reads the book. Whered you go, bernadette is told from the point of view of a daughter trying to find her missing mother. Where d you go bernadette tells a humorous, yet emotional tale about 15 year old bees mother, bernadette, and her disappearance. You can add more questions to the list as well as any insights you gained while reading. Apr 02, 20 where d you go bernadette is incredibly well written, through both the narrative stance, the slow reveal of the characters backgrounds and the perfect resolution to the story. Whered you go, bernadette is, at its core, a story about a woman who disappears, both literally and figuratively. Maria loves living in seattle thank you for asking where she teaches writing, studies poetry and tries, with mixed results, to stay off the internet. Where d you go bernadette by maria semple book club.
The question and answer section for whered you go, bernadette is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Discussion questions for whered you go bernadette are listed. Whered you go, bernadette book summary and study guide. Ive read it twice and you really connect with the characters as you go along through the book. While causing readers to guffaw out loud frequently, it also manages to tug at our hearts in a backhanded, subtle manner as it contemplates questions of identity and unwavering trust. Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers. A lot of book clubs prefer to read books easily found at the library, and, by now, your library should have plenty of copies. It is told in a series of documents emails, memos, transcripts, etc. Published in 2012, whered you go, bernadette is a fictional novel made into a major motion picture august 2019. These questions will help jumpstart the discussion. Oct 24, 2014 i love book club discussion questions.
If you havent read this book, heres why you should. The story follows the main character, bee branch, as she pieces together emails, letters and other documents to try to find her mother, bernadette fox, who has gone missing. Bernadette is wife to elgin elgie, and their daughter bee is a young teen just out of middle school. Whered you go, bernadette is a sassy pageturner, filled with sardonic commentary on parenting, progressive schools, seattle, the life of the privileged, and more. The plot revolves around an agoraphobic architect and mother named bernadette fox, who goes missing prior to a family trip to antarctica. Whered you go, bernadette essay topics supersummary. The great news is that whered you go, bernadette was released in 2012, but is still timely and relevant. Whered you go, bernadette hardcover book discussion. Its good for anyone who wants to disappear for a little while. You may not funny understand why bernadette did what she did but there are a lot of great passages and a few moments where someone you didnt like got what was coming to them.
Whered you go, bernadette is told from the point of. Whered you go, bernadette, published in 2012, is the second novel by maria semple, a former television writer who worked on shows such as mad about you and arrested development. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from bees perspective. Whered you go, bernadette, a maria semple novel the new. Aug 02, 20 thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced here.
So many novels that people consider funny these days seem to be trying to be the next bridgette jones and i am tired of that nowpredictable bumbling, fumbling. Reading guide for whered you go, bernadette by maria semple. It stars cate blanchett, billy crudup, kristen wiig, judy greer, and laurence fishburne. Aug 29, 2014 i hope 20 is off to a great start for all of you and that you are enjoying whered you go, bernadette. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple goodreads. May contain mild spoilers whered you go, bernadette by maria semple is a book about a family living in seattle, washington. Of course you can say that about every book ever published, but that goes double here. Check out tips, advice, and all the ways the library can help support your group. What was your favorite scene in whered you go, bernadette.
A lot of book clubs prefer to read books easily found at the. Bee branch is the daughter of an executive at microsoft and her mother is a former awardwinning architect. Reviews and discussion questions for whered you go bernadette are listed along with links to key places and things relevant to the story. I laughed so uncontrollably in the plane that some passengers complained. Whered you go, bernadette semple discussion questions. Do you feel bernadettes disappearance was unique, or do all women, in a sense, disappear into motherhood and marriage. Compare and contrast elgin branchs project, samantha 2, with manjula, bernadettes virtual assistant. Its part epistolary with the letters and the documents bee discovers telling part of the story. Where d you go bernardette, by maria semple is simple a riot of a book. A seattle teenage girl tells the story of how and why her eccentric mother, who has alienated everybody around her, including her microsoft geek of a husband, ends up lost in antarctica. To her microsoftguru husband, shes a fearlessly opinionated partner.
The members of real simples online noobligation book club discuss maria semples epistolary novel. Semples background is in television comedy and this is a very funny book in places. In this regard, it reminds me a bit of rachael joyces the unlikely pilgrimage of harold frye. It is narrated by her 15yearold daughter bee branch. That said, this just doesnt work as a movieone of the great joys of the book is the epistle structure, and the fact that theres some actual mystery to bernadette s disappearance. A sparkling talent makes her fiction debut with this infectious novel that combines the charming pluck of eloise, the poignant psychological quirks of the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime and the pageturning spirit of whered you go, bernadette. Here are some questions for book clubs to use when reading, whered you go, bernadette. Bernadettes husband, elgie, has taken a job in seattle with microsoft and bernadettes world has become smaller and smaller.
Aug 07, 2012 the tightly constructed whered you go, bernadette is written in many formats emails, letters, f. Quirky style i enjoyed the unique format of the storytelling in this book. What do beeber bifocal andor the twenty mile house reveal about bernadette as a character. Whered you go, bernadette is a 2019 american mystery comedydrama film directed by richard linklater from a screenplay by linklater, holly gent, and vince palmo, based on the novel of the same name by maria semple. The novel begins with short, humorous emails between bernadette, and various recipients including mothers from her daughter, bees school, and her online personal assistant. The structure of the bookusing letters, emails, and memosadds an interesting twist as i try to sort out the characters. The tightly constructed whered you go, bernadette is written in many formatsemails, letters, f. Because weve never done a book club before, i have been unsure about the best way to execute the end discussion.