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2.5 stars
At first I did not like the characters in this book, but as the story progressed and their backgrounds unfolded, I grew to find the very characters that annoyed me at first to be endearing - Bernadette particularly. More than that I will not say in order to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed the format which involved letters, emails, and other ephemera, linked together from the point of view of the daughter, Bee. It's a quick read with much to say about mother/daughter bonds, the nature of genius and the
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Adult book. This was really well done. I enjoyed the format, as well as the story. At times I felt a little disconnected from the characters because it felt a little campy, but that was part of what I liked about it at other times. For example, when Bee was having a serious conversation in the car with her parents, and then she just stopped and played her flute the rest of the way home. Overall though, I really enjoyed this one.
I don't know how a book can make me laugh at the same time have only two characters on the whole that I actually liked: Bee and as an extension, Bernadette.
Seeing Bernadette through Bee's eyes makes me like her more than I may have otherwise. This young girl loves her mother, and it is clear to see that Bernadette felt the same.
Elgin (EB) seems to believe everything everyone else says about Bernadette, and this is a women he has supposedly been in love with for years. I disliked him more than ...more
Seeing Bernadette through Bee's eyes makes me like her more than I may have otherwise. This young girl loves her mother, and it is clear to see that Bernadette felt the same.
Elgin (EB) seems to believe everything everyone else says about Bernadette, and this is a women he has supposedly been in love with for years. I disliked him more than ...more
It took me nearly half the book to really get into it and even then I had to go back and re-read a significant section of the book to understand what was really going on. I think discovering that she was a knitter is what hooked me. I knew fairly early what was going on with the "virtual assistant", and I loved the way it all came together in the end. Great book!
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I found parts of this book very funny, but it wasn't consistent. I liked the format, although the last letter was way too long, and I wanted to get it over with by that point. At least every character seems to have some redeeming personal qualities by tne end.
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This book was just ok to me. I loved the development of the story and characters through about the 1st 1/2 of the book, but then it fell into nothingness for me. I hate when books start off good and get me hooked, only to feel rushed to wrap up at the end, and that is how I felt with this one. It just didn't flow. Not a horrible read, but not one I would be quick to recommend either.
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Such a fun. fun book. Maria Semple can write and really does a great job with an almost impossible genre. Chick Lit, humor, contemporary issues. Bernadette received a MacArthur, her husband Elgie Branch had the 4th most watched Ted Talk. Right there it is kind of funny, right? She nails helicopter parents and spoiled brilliant children to a T.
Rating Clarification: 2.5 stars
Jun 05, 2014
Lina
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Oct 15, 2014
Cindy
added it
Nov 16, 2014
Mizlit
marked it as to-read
Jan 10, 2016
Elise
marked it as to-read
Jan 28, 2016
Danaf0920
is currently reading it
Dec 30, 2016
Star77
marked it as to-read
