The Book:
Man,
this book is funny. I can see the situations playing out in my head as the author,
Maria Semple, writes them out. I really enjoyed reading about Bernadette and how
she got to the point that she did. This book is written as a series of notes,
emails, letters, and discussions that have been compiled to give you a picture
of the events that led up to Bernadette going missing. As a mom myself, I
identify with the part of you that gets lost when raising children. Here is
Bernadette, an amazing architect, whose life is suddenly filled and taken over for
caring for her daughter. Now I’m not saying that it’s bad to be focused on
raising children, goodness no, but rather that I understand how those personal
projects and interests get set aside while you are raising children. I think
this is something that happens a lot and can be a struggle to bring those back
to the surface and still work at being a mother.
I
also liked in this story how Bernadette relates to the other moms at her
daughter’s prestigious school. Sometimes it seems like you are the odd parent
out and the “gnats”, as Bernadette calls them, are merrily going along to a
tune you don’t know. I have run into a few “gnats” myself who’s concerns and
problems and ideas sometimes come out of nowhere and don’t make sense to me. Like
who decided I needed to shape my children’s lunch into characters? I look at
some of these “Pinterest moms”, as I call them, and shake my head. I mean, good
for you for doing that, but I definitely don’t feel compelled to do it. I’ve
been known to not only not create characters for my kid’s lunch, I’ve even
phoned it in by tossing a lunchable in their backpacks!
I
think this book is really good. It’s a fast read and has a lot of humorous
parts in it.
The Movie:
Alright,
I was so excited when I heard this was going to be made into a movie because I
wanted to see the designs that are described in the book come to life. They do
a great job of showcasing all the little side projects Bernadette does in her
home. It’s definitely run-down and crazy as is described in the book, but then
she’ll walk into a room and the doorway has a bunch of artfully designed
pencils going around the top. It’s full of these little artistic moments where
you can see she started a project and then let it slide.
I also liked Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of Bernadette. She comes off as slightly screwy but in a real understandable way. Emma Nelson, who plays her daughter Bee, is perfect. She’s fierce in her mother’s defense and so sweet at the same time. Kristen Wiig plays the crazy next-door neighbor who sadly has less of a role in the movie than the book, but still does a great job.
The Verdict:
The
movie wins! While I really liked this book, it does have a real annoying
subplot where SPOILERS! the husband has an affair. This is completely removed
from the movie, as he is just a work-acholic like in the book. This omission also
has the effect of not destroying the family and creating a more stable ending
for all the characters.
Another
main difference between book and movie is the book has Audrey, the next-door
neighbor, offer help to Bernadette and as a way to repair their dysfunctional
relationship. I did like this aspect, as the neighbor unnecessarily causes
drama where there isn’t any, but in the movie, it’s a much better character arc
to have Bernadette seek out help from her neighbor. This shows more personal
growth and an acknowledgment of her actions towards her neighbor.
Overall,
read the book, but definitely enjoy watching the movie!
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