Where'd You Go, Bernadette is an often humorous, sometimes heart-wrenching story of a girl's love for her mother. Told primarily through a collection of emails, faxes, letters, and other documents, the story's gaps are filled in by the insights of 15-year-old Bee. Bee's mother, Bernadette, was an architect who'd gained a following for her eco-buildings before the idea was popularized. By the time Bee was born prematurely, in need of several surgeries, Bernadette had suffered multiple miscarriages and had a bizarre experience that she allowed to end her architecture career. Now Bernadette is resigned to a life avoiding cooking, avoiding fixing up their decrepit house, avoiding "gnats," (a term she gives to neighbors and parents of children from Bee's school who bother her), avoiding most everything. Meanwhile, Bernadette's husband, Elgin, is an upper-echelon computer guru who is revered for his abilities (and for a TED Talk he had given), and known for his eccentricities. On the eve of a family trip to Antarctica to celebrate Bee's stellar grades, a lot of craziness ensues, with the result that Bernadette disappears. Will Bee ever find out what happened to her mother?
Showing posts with label miscarriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miscarriage. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2020
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (2012) 330 pages
Where'd You Go, Bernadette is an often humorous, sometimes heart-wrenching story of a girl's love for her mother. Told primarily through a collection of emails, faxes, letters, and other documents, the story's gaps are filled in by the insights of 15-year-old Bee. Bee's mother, Bernadette, was an architect who'd gained a following for her eco-buildings before the idea was popularized. By the time Bee was born prematurely, in need of several surgeries, Bernadette had suffered multiple miscarriages and had a bizarre experience that she allowed to end her architecture career. Now Bernadette is resigned to a life avoiding cooking, avoiding fixing up their decrepit house, avoiding "gnats," (a term she gives to neighbors and parents of children from Bee's school who bother her), avoiding most everything. Meanwhile, Bernadette's husband, Elgin, is an upper-echelon computer guru who is revered for his abilities (and for a TED Talk he had given), and known for his eccentricities. On the eve of a family trip to Antarctica to celebrate Bee's stellar grades, a lot of craziness ensues, with the result that Bernadette disappears. Will Bee ever find out what happened to her mother?
Where'd You Go, Bernadette is an often humorous, sometimes heart-wrenching story of a girl's love for her mother. Told primarily through a collection of emails, faxes, letters, and other documents, the story's gaps are filled in by the insights of 15-year-old Bee. Bee's mother, Bernadette, was an architect who'd gained a following for her eco-buildings before the idea was popularized. By the time Bee was born prematurely, in need of several surgeries, Bernadette had suffered multiple miscarriages and had a bizarre experience that she allowed to end her architecture career. Now Bernadette is resigned to a life avoiding cooking, avoiding fixing up their decrepit house, avoiding "gnats," (a term she gives to neighbors and parents of children from Bee's school who bother her), avoiding most everything. Meanwhile, Bernadette's husband, Elgin, is an upper-echelon computer guru who is revered for his abilities (and for a TED Talk he had given), and known for his eccentricities. On the eve of a family trip to Antarctica to celebrate Bee's stellar grades, a lot of craziness ensues, with the result that Bernadette disappears. Will Bee ever find out what happened to her mother?
Friday, November 10, 2017
It's Okay To Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too): A Memoir
It's Okay To Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too): A Memoir by Nora McInerny Purmort, 274 pages.Purmort, who has written for the Huffington Post, Elle.com, and Cosmopolitan.com, among others, tells a devastatingly sad story in a devastatingly funny way. She is hilarious in recounting her life, despite a miscarriage and the loss of both her father and her husband, all within a matter of weeks. She describes her relationship with Aaron, the man she married after he discovered that he had a brain tumor, in very loving terms. They shared an outlook on life that was a bit absurd and they did their best to enjoy the time that had together, all the while hoping that they would catch a few breaks and have a little bit more time. Especially after their son, Ralph, was born. Purmort is seemingly aware of every one of her own flaws, but she does her best to forgive herself for them and use those faults as grist for her humor mill. She takes a perverse pleasure in the skewering of her problems; with alcohol, with her parents, with every relationship she had before her relationship with Aaron, and with every bit of her tall, self-conscious, gawky self. This book is a sad sort of joy to read or to listen to. The audiobook is narrated by the author.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)