I just read the entire book in about 10 hours. It's seriously laugh-out-loud funny and also incredibly painful at the same time because the main character Bernadette Fox, a 50-ish female architect, has so many annoying, obsessive, frenetic characteristics that remind me exactly of me! She's manic and judgmental goes on rants, but also feels emotions so deeply she's paralyzed by them.
And she makes little design observations like this:
The compound pharmacy was cavernous, wood-paneled, and home to a few poorly-stocked shelves. In the middle sat a brocade sofa, over which hung a Chihuly chandelier. The place made no sense at all, so I was already pretty much a wreck.
And this one, that made me laugh so loud I woke up my son: So why didn't I switch schools? The other good schools I could have sent Bee to...well, to get to them I'd have to drive past a Buca di Beppo. I hated my life enough without having to drive past a Buca di Beppo four times a day.
Seriously, we've all adjusted our commutes to avoid certain heinous buildings on days we just cannot face them, right? Walked into rooms that made so little design sense that we felt an immediate need to be out of them? And ranted repeatedly about poor intersection design and tasteless landscaping to our beloved partners who are exhausted by us?
This book is hilarious and wonderful. And the main character is a genius architect! She's a convincing architect, too, which most of us know is not common in the world of architecture characters. Here is the author, Maria Semple, explaining in her own words why she made the protagonist an architect: I have no architectural training but I went through a long period where I liked to fix up houses. Plus I’m a house snob. Nobody can point out what’s wrong with a house quicker than I. It’s not something I’m proud of, incidentally. But the slight ugliness of the attitude fit perfectly with the character of Bernadette. I knew I’d have something to write to if I made her an architect.
Bold mine, because I think "slight ugliness of...attitude" gets to the root of something about us, but Bernadette also deeply cares about the world around her and *that* is what drives her dissatisfaction with it. We can all relate to that, yes?
Read this book, it will make you laugh. Or if you've already read it, tell us what you thought!
Donna Sink
Feb 4, 18 11:04 pm
I'm being more stalker-ish about this than I have ever been about anything. Mother's Day 2018!
Donna Sink
Feb 6, 18 7:49 pm
IMO the shoes are wrong.
Marc Miller
Feb 4, 18 11:11 pm
You'll need to select a suitably accessible box wine so everyone can purchase and enjoy.
midlander
Aug 19, 19 11:14 am
I'm just starting it but absolutely thrilled to find someone with a sympathetic view of architecture. Even if it's maybe just affected for the character, it seems too thoroughly described to be something the author doesn't herself sympathize with. this passage really made my day (because I'm always ashamed to admit as an architect both Craftsman Style and FL Wright just turn me off like moldy bread)
"You are getting sleepy, when you wake up you will want to live only in a Craftsman house, the year won’t matter to you, all that will matter is that the walls will be thick, the windows tiny, the rooms dark, the ceilings low, and it will be poorly situated on the lot."
Archinect Book Club time! Let's read Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.
I just read the entire book in about 10 hours. It's seriously laugh-out-loud funny and also incredibly painful at the same time because the main character Bernadette Fox, a 50-ish female architect, has so many annoying, obsessive, frenetic characteristics that remind me exactly of me! She's manic and judgmental goes on rants, but also feels emotions so deeply she's paralyzed by them.
And she makes little design observations like this:
The compound pharmacy was cavernous, wood-paneled, and home to a few poorly-stocked shelves. In the middle sat a brocade sofa, over which hung a Chihuly chandelier. The place made no sense at all, so I was already pretty much a wreck.
And this one, that made me laugh so loud I woke up my son:
So why didn't I switch schools? The other good schools I could have sent Bee to...well, to get to them I'd have to drive past a Buca di Beppo. I hated my life enough without having to drive past a Buca di Beppo four times a day.
Seriously, we've all adjusted our commutes to avoid certain heinous buildings on days we just cannot face them, right? Walked into rooms that made so little design sense that we felt an immediate need to be out of them? And ranted repeatedly about poor intersection design and tasteless landscaping to our beloved partners who are exhausted by us?
This book is hilarious and wonderful. And the main character is a genius architect! She's a convincing architect, too, which most of us know is not common in the world of architecture characters. Here is the author, Maria Semple, explaining in her own words why she made the protagonist an architect: I have no architectural training but I went through a long period where I liked to fix up houses. Plus I’m a house snob. Nobody can point out what’s wrong with a house quicker than I. It’s not something I’m proud of, incidentally. But the slight ugliness of the attitude fit perfectly with the character of Bernadette. I knew I’d have something to write to if I made her an architect.
Bold mine, because I think "slight ugliness of...attitude" gets to the root of something about us, but Bernadette also deeply cares about the world around her and *that* is what drives her dissatisfaction with it. We can all relate to that, yes?
Read this book, it will make you laugh. Or if you've already read it, tell us what you thought!
IMO the shoes are wrong.
You'll need to select a suitably accessible box wine so everyone can purchase and enjoy.
I'm just starting it but absolutely thrilled to find someone with a sympathetic view of architecture. Even if it's maybe just affected for the character, it seems too thoroughly described to be something the author doesn't herself sympathize with. this passage really made my day (because I'm always ashamed to admit as an architect both Craftsman Style and FL Wright just turn me off like moldy bread)
"You are getting sleepy, when you wake up you will want to live only in a Craftsman house, the year won’t matter to you, all that will matter is that the walls will be thick, the windows tiny, the rooms dark, the ceilings low, and it will be poorly situated on the lot."