First things first, what letter grade would you give this book and why. 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. The book clubs at both maple and portage will continue to meet via online meeting technology, zoom, at its scheduled monthly time. I hope 20 is off to a great start for all of you and that you are enjoying whered you go, bernadette. The ymca of greater kalamazoo now has two separate book clubs. The tightly constructed whered you go, bernadette is written in many formats emails, letters, f. Bee branch is the daughter of an executive at microsoft and her mother is a former awardwinning architect. Our summary page for whered you go bernadette by maria semple includes book club discussion questions, author website. Who would you love to see play each character in the movie.
Book discussion questions books fiction historical fiction book discussion questions. Tina lives in the uk and works as a business journalist for the medical technology industry. Whered you go, bernadette is a 2012 epistolary comedy novel written by maria semple. 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. A lot of book clubs prefer to read books easily found at the library, and, by now, your library should have plenty of copies. If you ve read this book i want to discuss it with you. Whered you go bernadette is a novel by author maria semple. 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.
It is narrated by her 15yearold daughter bee branch, and is told in a series of documents emails, memos, transcripts, etc. The audio book club wonders whered you go, bernadette. The ny times the guardian goodreads book companion bernadette fox has vanished. I created a site called the women take over, where we celebrate all things feminism and feature inspirational women and men. Aug 07, 2012 the tightly constructed whered you go, bernadette is written in many formats emails, letters, f. The structure of the bookusing letters, emails, and memosadds an interesting twist as i try to sort out the characters. Oct 24, 2014 i love book club discussion questions. The members of real simples online no obligation book club discuss maria semples epistolary novel. How did you like the setup of the book being told through bees point of view as well as letters, emails, and memos from bees investigation. Whered you go bernadette coauthored with whitney torres. Located around the south pole, antarctica covers an area of 5. Screwball satire with a warm heart in bernadette in former television writer maria semples second novel, whered you go, bernadette, 15.
The characters are not likable in the beginning or understandable, especially bernadette. It is told in a series of documents emails, memos, transcripts, etc. Its part epistolary with the letters and the documents bee discovers telling part of the story. Hope your wife enjoys reading the book and yes, there is an audio book and it comes in a kindle version of the book whered you go, bernadette. Whered you go bernadette book club questions and recipe.
Use these book club discussion questions on the night circus to lead your reading group into the intricacies of morgensterns novel. The whered you go, bernadette community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Ive read it twice and you really connect with the characters as you go along through the book. Apr 11, 2014 the audio book club wonders whered you go, bernadette. Do you think bernadette is a little crazy, a bit of a genius, a frazzled mom and wife, a great mom or just misunderstood. Plot summary bee branch, whose real name is balakrishna branch, is in her last year at galer street school in seattle. Aug 02, 20 thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced here. You can add more questions to the list as well as any insights you gained while reading. Whered you go, bernadette is a sassy pageturner, filled with sardonic commentary on parenting, progressive schools, seattle, the life of the privileged, and more. Be frank with me by julia claiborne johnson book club.
Visit our audio book club archive page for a complete list of the more than 70 books we. Here are some questions for book clubs to use when reading, whered you go, bernadette. I wouldve given up on it if not for a reading buddy who pushed me to stick it out. Whered you go, bernadette is a 2012 comedy novel written by maria semple. To her microsoftguru husband, shes a fearlessly opinionated partner. Did you like the book immediately or did it take you some time to become committed. Do you feel bernadettes disappearance was unique, or do all women, in a sense, disappear into motherhood and marriage. I absolutely love audio books, like having someone read you a bedtime story. Where d you go bernadette is a novel by author maria semple.
Whered you go, bernadette is, at its core, a story about a woman who disappears, both literally and figuratively. I enjoyed the unique format of the storytelling in this book. What was your favorite scene in whered you go, bernadette. Lets get the discussion going in the comments below. Quirky style i enjoyed the unique format of the storytelling in this book. Where d you go bernadette by maria semple book club. Whered you go, bernadette, a maria semple novel the. It stars cate blanchett, billy crudup, kristen wiig, judy greer, and laurence fishburne whered you go, bernadette was released on august 16, 2019, by. Word of mouth is one of the most important market factors determining the popularity of a book. Because weve never done a book club before, i have been unsure about the best way to execute the end discussion.
Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple, paperback. As our readers may know, our first book is maria semples mixedmedia, comedic novel whered you go bernadette. Thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced. Where d you go bernadette has much talk about antarctica, the coldest, windiest, driest desert continent on earth. Check out tips, advice, and all the ways the library can help support your group. Published in 2012, where d you go, bernadette is a fictional novel made into a major motion picture august 2019.
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. Published in 2012, whered you go, bernadette is a fictional novel made into a major motion picture august 2019. If youve read this book i want to discuss it with you. These are the questions for whered you go, bernadette by from the little and brown website. The great news is that whered you go, bernadette was released in 2012, but is still timely and relevant. What light does it shed on the bond between bernadette and bee. See more ideas about whered you go bernadette, book club food, book club menu. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous bee branch is a 15year old trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of her mother. Suggested book and reading club discussion questions for whered you go bernadette. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. Reading guide for whered you go, bernadette by maria semple. Aug 19, 2019 the great news is that whered you go, bernadette was released in 2012, but is still timely and relevant. Its good for anyone who wants to disappear for a little while.
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. These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. Julys selection was whered you go, bernadette by maria semple. 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. Semple pictured is a tv comedy writer, and the pleasures of whered you go, bernadette are the pleasures of the best american tv. These questions will help jumpstart the discussion. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple is a book about a family living in seattle, washington. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. 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. Well be doing a recap and discussion with the author, maria semple, in january so stay tuned for excited book club developments.
Bernadette is wife to elgin elgie, and their daughter bee is a young teen just out of middle school. Jonathan franzen, author of freedombrilliant, hilarious, endlessly inventive, and compulsively readable, whered you go, bernadette grabs you by the collar and. Dec 27, 20 1 aside from a supercute cover, maria semples whered you go, bernadette. It is narrated by her 15yearold daughter bee branch. 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, 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. The night circus by erin morgenstern book club discussion. Discussion questions for whered you go bernadette are listed. Is there anything unique about this book such as writing style, structure, or subject matter. Thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced here. Whered you go, bernadette is told from the point of view of a daughter trying to find her missing mother. See more ideas about whered you go bernadette, book club parties and book club books. This discussion guide can be used for any audience that reads the book.
Whered you go, bernadette, a maria semple novel the new. Of course you can say that about every book ever published, but that goes double here. If you havent read this book, heres why you should. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from bees perspective. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple goodreads. The characters in whered you go, bernadette may be in real emotional pain, but semple has the wit and perspective and imagination to make their story hilarious. Maria semples whered you go, bernadette is a dazzling satire about the perils of hyperactive modern parenting, what technology does to the family, and a quirky daughters search for her beloved, brilliant. Whered you go bernadette book club guide and discussion.
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. The new york times february book club pick litlovers guide to killers of the flower moon david granns. Reading guide for whered you go, bernadette by maria semple discussion guide for book clubs. 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 has much talk about antarctica, the coldest, windiest, driest desert continent on earth.
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