A review by aliciareads
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Was going to give this four stars until the last 60ish pages where suddenly all the characters turn into the worst versions of themselves.
I get that you're going to act out as a 13/14 year old if your mom just up and vanishes but Semple paints Bee as more of a child in the beginning of this book so the switch to teen angst seemed very abrupt to me. Not to mention Elgie's handle on the situation is just....scary
 

I did read this all in one day though so there is some entertainment there! I don't know if since this book is about upper-class, white suburbanites that the racist remarks in this book are there as a sort of commentary but I think that could have been a little more emphasized if that were the case. I'm not saying you have to spell it out for me but I was left wondering and maybe that's simply because this was written in 2012. 
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