AudioBook Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, narrated by Kathleen Wilhoite
on Sheila Ash (India), Unknown, 34 days ago
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Where'd You Go, BernadettebyMaria SempleMy rating:4 of 5 starsBefore Christmas I attended a short online course at City Lit, London on
Epistolary novels. One of the extracts the tutor used was from this
novel. I'd never heard of it, never heard of the author, never watched
all the TV shows she has written (eg Arrested Development). A comic novel about a mad cap
family based in Seattle, father works at Microsoft, mum a washed up
architect frustrated by the parochrial housewives, mothers and assorted
figures trying to get her to be part of the community at Galler Street
School where her only child, gifted daughter Bea goes to school. Sitting
somewhere on the spectrum , Bea has written up the various communiques
to and from her mother, antagonistic neighbour Audrey in a fight over
brambles and a run over foot, her remote based PA Manjula in India,
another Galler Street parent Soo-lin who becomes her husband's admin,
the schoolteacher. These open the book. As I read the first few pages I
was pleasantly surprised by the flow, indeed the speed of the text, it
flew off the page. It is most definitely not a book I would normally
have picked up but I borrowed it from our library and wow! One of the
best reads in a long time. Not a great book, but a superb read. The
audible narration by Kathleen Wilhoite is 5*, she nailed it, her
narration captures the character of Bea. Check out herinterviewwhere she talk about what it is like to record an audiobook. I was
amazed this was her first one, she had met Maria Semple at writing
class!If you want a great read to become immersed in, to laugh,
smile and giggle at and lift the spirits during a winter's day as grey
as Seattle, then pick up this book now!View all my reviewsashramblings
