my take: I saw this title and thought: YES PLEASE. Isn’t that what we hope for in mid-life? I’ll get it together today! I’ll drink 64 ounces of water TODAY! Or the epigraph:
“Today will be different. Today I will be present. Today, anyone I speak to, I will look them in the eye and listen deeply. Today I’ll play a board game with Timby. I’ll initiate sex with Joe. Today I will take pride in my appearance. I’ll shower, get dressed in proper clothes, and change into yoga clothes only for yoga, which today I will actually attend. Today I won’t swear. I won’t talk about money. Today there will be an ease about me. My face will be relaxed, its resting pale a smile. Today I will radiate calm. Kindness and self-control will abound. Today I will buy local. Today I will be my best self, the person I’m capable of being. Today will be different.”
Oh, such good intentions from our beds. We meet Eleanor as she is waking and follow her well-intentioned day through Seattle with far-flung flash-backs to Aspen and New Orleans and meeting Eleanor’s crazy cast of life characters.
Part of it reads like a voice-over … and it includes a small graphic novel in the middle (part of the story line) … which got me thinking … who is this Maria Semple? She majored in English at Barnard College and worked on TV shows such as Mad About You, Arrested Development, 90210.
Funny, snarky, fast-paced, circuitous. Fun female fiction. Julia Roberts will be playing Eleanor in the TV movie version.
my source: LOVED Where’d You Go, Bernadette so when I saw this IN HARDCOVER at Costco…I splurged.
my verdict: A pleasant diversion. Not terribly memorable and NOT AS GREAT AS Bernadette. 3/5 stars
abookchick.com 
I just finished this yesterday and actually rather enjoyed. I don't always love those crazy farcical situations, but combined with the thoughts on modern motherhood (maybe because I'm in the thick of it!), I thought it was great. As usual, hearing a Fresh Air interview with the author about the writing of it improved my opinion. And I'm curious about this TV movie version! (But agreed, not as good as Bernadette.)
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I have gifted Where'd you go Bernadette quite a few times over the past few years. For some reason I think it is the perfect gift for a new momma (along with board books for the new babe) but I may be way off base. So, I am eager to read this one.
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After loving Bernadette and reading the epigraph, I was so excited to read this… but ended up pretty disappointed. Eleanor is SO pathetic. I know, I know – she's supposed to be. But she's like the person at a party who is funny for about 5 minutes and then you need to move on because you can't take any more of him. Maybe I'm too midwestern? Thinking/hoping it'll make a better movie than a book…
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Oh! I can hear you on that … I was much more amused by it when I sort of re-read it to review. Maybe smaller doses? I love your party analogy. Read on, my friend!
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