Below you will find some information and a short readers guide to help get you started. Suggested book and reading club discussion questions for whered you go bernadette. Compare and contrast elgin branchs project, samantha 2, with manjula, bernadettes virtual assistant. 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 structure. Here are some questions for book clubs to use when reading, whered you go, bernadette. Aug 07, 2012 the tightly constructed whered you go, bernadette is written in many formats emails, letters, f. These questions will help jumpstart the discussion. Whered you go bernadette book club guide and discussion. Well be doing a recap and discussion with the author, maria semple, in january so stay tuned for excited book club developments. Published in 2012, where d you go, bernadette is a fictional novel made into a major motion picture august 2019.
Whered you go bernadette is ideal for a palette cleanser, in other words, a great book to read when you ve finished a heft historical novel and just want to delve into someone elses life, laugh and not have to think too much. You may pick up a copy of the book at the circulation desk. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion on whered you go, bernadette. Whered you go bernadette book club questions and recipe. We both flew through this book and enjoyed every minute of it. To her microsoftguru husband, shes a fearlessly opinionated partner. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple 4 doughgirl5562. Jonathan franzen, author of freedombrilliant, hilarious, endlessly inventive, and compulsively readable, whered you go, bernadette grabs you by the collar and never lets go. We each wrote our thoughts below, just thinking about what stood out to us when reading the book.
Whered you go, bernadette is a sassy pageturner, filled with sardonic commentary on parenting, progressive schools, seattle, the life of the privileged, and more. What do beeber bifocal andor the twenty mile house reveal about bernadette as a character. Whered you go, bernadette is, at its core, a story about a woman who disappears, both literally and figuratively. This month, dan kois, emily bazelon, and meghan orourke discuss maria semples bestselling comic novel whered you go, bernadette. Compare and contrast elgin branchs project, samantha 2, with manjula, bernadette s virtual assistant. 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. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple book club discussion and menu i usually find myself drawn toward books that are stereotypically emotional, more dramatic or dark.
Video interview with maria semple q and a with maria semple semples exploration of microsoft. Whered you go, bernadette study guide contains a biography of maria semple, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Julys selection was whered you go, bernadette by maria semple. Funny, sweet and a little sad but oh so rewarding to read. Leave any questions you have for her down in the comments by eod friday, january 25. Published in 2012, whered you go, bernadette is a fictional novel made into a major motion picture august 2019. Whered you go, bernadette by maria semple goodreads. Full of heart and countless onlyinhollywood moments, be frank with me is a captivating and unconventional story of an unusual mother and son, and the intrepid young woman who finds herself irresistibly pulled into their unforgettable world. Dec 27, 20 1 aside from a supercute cover, maria semples whered you go, bernadette. It is narrated by her 15yearold daughter bee branch. Author bio book discussion burial rites by hannah kent discussion questions elizabeth graver hannah kent illusion of separateness by simon van booy invisible city. Maria semple, author of whered you go, bernadette, has been gracious enough to agree to answer our questions. If you like whered you go bernadette, you might like the financial lives of the poets by jess walter man at the helm by nina stibbe the family fang by kevin wilson. What light does it shed on the bond between bernadette and bee.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced here. Bernadette and elgin agree to the cruise, although bernadette admits up front that she hates to travel. Of course you can say that about every book ever published, but that goes double here. Quirky style i enjoyed the unique format of the storytelling in this book. 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. Jan 14, 2020 is your book club is looking to dig into the comic mystery of whered you go, bernadette. If you havent read this book, heres why you should. Our summary page for whered you go bernadette by maria semple includes book club discussion questions, author website. 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.
J oin the literary book club on thursday, march 22, at 7. Agnes magnusdottir a land more kind than home a question for you. The book follows an epistolary format, meaning the text is largely composed of letters, emails, and other found documents. Be frank with me by julia claiborne johnson book club. The structure of the book using letters, emails, and memosadds an interesting twist as i try to sort out the characters. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from bees perspective. If you ve read this book i want to discuss it with you. Aug 29, 2014 so now that weve come to the end, i have one last piece of exciting news to share with you. Located around the south pole, antarctica covers an area of 5. Soon to be a major motion picture starring cate blanchett a whipsmart, hysterical dramedy about a family in crisis after the disappearance of its brilliant, misanthropic matriarch.
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 book and discussion questions are suitable for high school students and would work well in a language arts or history class. These are the questions for whered you go, bernadette by from the little and brown website. You can add more questions to the list as well as any insights you gained while reading.
Whered you go, bernadette is a 2012 comedy novel written by maria semple. Therefore, whered you go, bernadette was an unusual choice for me, but im so glad i. 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. For whered you go, bernadette, i provide your book club with a brief summary, a recipe, and discussion questions in that order. Whered you go, bernadette essay topics supersummary. Study questions, project ideas and discussion topics based on important themes running throughout whered you go, bernadette. Ive read it twice and you really connect with the characters as you go along through the book. Word of mouth is one of the most important market factors determining the popularity of a book. Its good for anyone who wants to disappear for a little while. I hope 20 is off to a great start for all of you and that you are enjoying whered you go, bernadette. The members of real simples online noobligation book club discuss maria semples epistolary novel. And if you fall into more than one of the above categories then you will likely laugh out loud. Today well be chatting about our spring book pick, whered you go bernadette, by maria semple. Where d you go bernadette has much talk about antarctica, the coldest, windiest, driest desert continent on earth.
The great news is that whered you go, bernadette was released in 2012, but is still timely and relevant. What was your favorite scene in whered you go, bernadette. Whered you go bernadette coauthored with whitney torres. Its part epistolary with the letters and the documents bee discovers telling part of the story. First things first, what letter grade would you give this book and why. Lets start with the first section part one mom versus the gnats. This discussion guide can be used for any audience that reads the book.
Discussion questions for whered you go bernadette are listed. Monthly book club for whered you go bernadette by maria semple. It stars cate blanchett, billy crudup, kristen wiig, judy greer, and laurence fishburne. Whered you go, bernadette, a maria semple novel the new. Whered you go, bernadette, a maria semple novel the. Therefore, whered you go, bernadette was an unusual choice for me, but im so glad i let myself get pulled in by the whimsical cover. 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. The audio book club wonders whered you go, bernadette slate s critics debate maria semples comic bestseller. Reviews and discussion questions for whered you go bernadette are listed along with links to key places and things relevant to the story. 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. 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. Why did nobody mention the penguins january 21, 20 wordsfor book club, humor, pretentious 33 hello my bookworms, im hosting this months neighborhood book club meeting, which means, among other things, that i got to choose the book. Plot summary bee branch, whose real name is balakrishna branch, is in her last year at galer street school in seattle. When her daughter bee claims a family trip to antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shutin, throws herself into preparations for the trip.
Whered you go, bernadette hardcover book discussion. The tightly constructed whered you go, bernadette is written in many formats emails, letters, f. The henna artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. Whered you go bernadette discussion questions spoiler. If your book club hasnt read whered you go, bernadette, i highly recommend it as a read that is quirky, humorous, and still carries enough weight to facilitate a great discussion. The characters are not likable in the beginning or understandable, especially bernadette. 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.
This book has overthetop humor laced with social commentary. Whered you go, bernadette is told from the point of view of a daughter trying to find her missing mother. 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. Aug 02, 20 thanks to everyone who participated in our virtual book club which i introduced here. Whered you go bernadette is a novel by author maria semple. Whered you go, bernadette semple discussion questions. Great supplemental information for school essays and projects. Whered you go bernadette has much talk about antarctica, the coldest, windiest, driest desert continent on earth. I wouldve given up on it if not for a reading buddy who pushed me to stick it out. As our readers may know, our first book is maria semples mixedmedia, comedic novel whered you go bernadette. Its based upon a bestselling book, directed and adapted by richard linklater boyhood, and starring great actors, chief among them cate.
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