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Today Will Be Different Hardcover – October 4, 2016

by Maria Semple (Author)
3.5 3.5 out of 5 stars 6,622 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
See all formats and editions
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A brilliant novel and instant New York Times bestseller from the author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, about a day in the life of Eleanor Flood, forced to abandon her small ambitions and awake to a strange, new future.

Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action, life happens.

Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office -- but not Eleanor -- that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret.

Today Will Be Different is a hilarious, heart-filled story about reinvention, sisterhood, and how sometimes it takes facing up to our former selves to truly begin living.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Little, Brown and Company
  4. Publication date
    October 4, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0316403431
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0316403436
  8. See all details
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  1. If underneath anger was fear, then underneath fear was love. Everything came down to the terror of losing what you love.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of October 2016: Maria Semple returns to the Seattle of her previous novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, this time with the protagonist Eleanor Flood, a status-conscious transplant who vows on page one that Today will be different. Spoiler alert: not really... at least not in the way that she thinks. Semple’s greatest asset as a writer is her charm, and her many fans—myself included—would gladly follow her wherever she will lead us. Semple’s spot-on eye for the telling, quirky detail and her sense of humor are enough to carry a novel, but in Today Will Be Different she introduces a few weightier strands to the story that could signal more depth to come in future novels. It’s fun to read Maria Semple’s books, and it’s fun to imagine where she’ll take us next. --Chris Schluep, The Amazon Book Review

Review

Named a Notable Book of 2016 by the Washington Post, one of Amazon's Top 100 Books of the Year, one of New York Times Book Review's 100 Notable Books, one of The Guardian's Best Books of 2016, one of NPR's Best Books of 2016, a Must-Read Book of 2016 by PopSugar, one of EW's 20 Best Books of 2016, one of Glamour's Top Ten Books of the Year, and one of Kirkus Reviews' "Best 100 Fiction Books of 2016"

"Another tour de force.... The success of this poetic, seriously funny and brainy dream of a novel -- 'Mrs. Dalloway Takes Laughing Gas,' perhaps -- has to do with Maria Semple's range of riffs and preoccupations. All kinds of details, painful and perverse and deeply droll, cling to her heroine and are appraised and examined and skewered and simply wondered at. If that's considered a trick, readers of Semple's novel will be overjoyed to fall for it."--Meg Wolitzer, New York Times Book Review

"Writing a comedy novel that manages to connect emotionally is no easy task, but Semple knocks it out of the park. TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENTis hilarious, moving and written perfectly, and it makes a good case for Semple as one of America's best living comic novelists."--Michael Schaub, NPR.org

"Readers who devoured Where'd You Go, Bernadette will love Eleanor [Flood]'s wry voice and dark humor."--Kim Hubbard, People

"Loopy, deeply and darkly funny, and brave.... Semple is a master of the social skewer, boldly impolite and impolitic.... Eleanor is as sharp and Semple-esque as they come, which is to say a delightful danger to herself and others, sympathetic, and so very smart."--Elinor Lipman, Washington Post

"A little bit wacky and always wise, and we recognize people we know--including ourselves--on every page."--Elisabeth Egan, Glamour

"Outrageously funny. But [TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT] cuts closer to the bone than Bernadette did, and its main character's problems feel more real.... Ms. Semple is an immensely appealing writer, and there's something universal in her heroine's efforts to get a handle on a life spinning out of control. We may not all have long-lost sisters who live in the most crazily status-obsessed corners of the South, but we surely know what she means about waking up each dawn with new resolve that melts by midmorning."--Janet Maslin, New York Times

"Semple brilliantly conveys a whole array of angst -- self-deprecation and existential dread and a panic attack of neuroses -- while simultaneously packing in a liberal dose of levity.... It's a joy to watch Eleanor struggle to change for the better. That we get to laugh along with her is an added bonus."--Maris Kreizman, Los Angeles Times

"Deliciously mucky mayhem."--San Francisco Chronicle

"A vivid, hilarious, remarkably compact book--271 pages' worth of crisp observations and occasionally too-close-to-home truths about modern relationships. And it's anchored by a gorgeous scrapbook-slash-mini-graphic novel."--Brian Raftery, Wired

"Quirky and blade-sharp."--Tina Jordan and Isabella Biedenharn, Entertainment Weekly

"Wickedly funny.... Semple's trademark dark humor and knack for creating a page-turning story out of socially awkward interactions will make this one you can't put down--and won't want to."--Adam Rathe, Town and Country

"A zesty, memorable novel."--Suzy Feay, Guardian

"Brisk, amusing and engaging, and Semple is a champion observer of the human condition."--Connie Ogle, Miami Herald

"TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENTis so unique, so smart, so funny, so beautifully humane, so utterly of our times, it's astonishing. I've scribbled exclamation points and underlined passages on almost every single page so I can go back and savor. I've started quoting it as if it's already a classic--which, no doubt, it will be."--Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl and Dark Places

"Written with Semple's hilarity-cum-sincerity, Eleanor grapples with the past to reconcile her future and makes readers smile."--Steph Opitz, Marie Claire

"Crackling with honesty and heart."--Jarry Lee, BuzzFeed

"TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENTstarts off as a funny, rant-y novel and becomes, by its end, an unexpectedly heartfelt exploration of a woman's inner life. (And yes, it's still funny.)"--Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times

"Fans of Bernadette will recognize Semple's propulsive and satirical dialogue."--Trine Tsouderos, Chicago Tribune

"TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENTis a sublimely funny and inventive novel driven by Maria Semple's razor-sharp observations and a voice that leaps from the page."--Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins

"Consistently funny.... The heart of this book, the parts Semple wraps the best language around, is Eleanor's fear of her chosen family's rejection. Her aging body makes her feel inadequate, and she uses buckets of hilarious, fresh-seeming self-deprecatory language about that. The absurd lengths she goes to and the level of creativity she employs to seek out her husband's secret are the funniest, most moving parts of the book. In these moments, Semple's humor is tight and self-aware. Her scene-setting abilities amaze."--Rich Smith, The Stranger

"Hilarious and smart."--Claire Stern, InStyle

"A second dose of [Semple's] madcap genius."--Tiffany Blackstone, Redbook

"Semple has mastered the intersection of sad and nuts like no one else.... Like a cross between Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, the best episides of Bob's Burgers, and the private journal of the smartest, most irritable woman you know, TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENTis a reckless and scattershot work of genius."―Heather Havrilesky, Bookforum

"Peppered with unforgettable one liners, laugh-out-loud funny observations, and plenty of those little truths we all think to ourselves but never say out loud. Eleanor's outlook on life, her internal dialogue and the conversations she carries out with others -- all brought to life on the page through Semple's whip smart writing -- will have you blinking back tears."--Sadie L. Trombetta, Bustle

"Whipsmart, dazzling, darkly comic and deeply touching. I loved it!"--Marian Keyes, author of The Brightest Star in the Sky and This Charming Man

"Equal parts smart and funny."--Jenny Comita, W

"A smart, laugh-out-loud funny, and thoughtful novel about how we reinvent ourselves and how we need to face the truth about our lives before we can truly change."--Brenda Janowitz, PopSugar

"Bittersweet, hilarious, perceptive."--The Millions

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette had a madcap vibe and a 'bad mother' protagonist that captivated readers. TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENThas the same snappy dialogue, zippy adventures and inside jokes about the Seattle scene."--Meganne Fabrega,Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Semple is second to none in humorous fiction. Her heroines are deeply flawed but totally relatable, and Eleanor is no exception. TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENTis filled with transcendent moments of humanity, reminders that while we all can aspire to improve, sometimes it's OK to just appreciate what is already in front of us."--Amy Scribner, BookPage

"'Today will be different,' Eleanor Flood tells herself, and oh baby hang on for a wild ride that's like nothing Eleanor sees coming. In this brilliant depiction of a woman hanging on by her fingernails, Maria Semple delivers a perfect panic of a day on which the barely tolerable, muddle-through-it desperation that so many of us have known at one time or another suddenly erupts with life-shattering force. Can an existential crisis make us laugh? Such is Semple's talent that this one does, without losing any of the punch or gravity of the hardest kinds of lived experience."--Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

"TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT is going to delight the many, many fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette."--Michael Merschel, Dallas Morning News

"Hilarious [and] heart-warming."--Dana Getz, Entertainment Weekly

"A stressed-out heroine resolves to change her rather plush life in this comedy, whose precious Seattle setting is as ripe a target for Semple's satire as it was in Where'd You Go, Bernadette."--Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe

"God, I love Maria Semple! TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENTis just as funny, poignant, and life-affirming as Bernadette... but illustrated too!"--Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina and Paradise Lodge

"Fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette will eat up Semple's entertaining new novel about a graphic artist. In it, the imperfect wife and mother (is there any other kind?) vows to up her domestic game, only to have her day go badly awry."--Jane Henderson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A precocious child, a stale marriage and plenty of clever quirk make this a story you can't put down. Expect glares from fellow passengers as you laugh out loud."--Melissa Kravitz, AM New York

"I had the uncanny feeling, while reading TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT, that Maria Semple had somehow snuck into my house when I was asleep, took an x-ray image of my heart, then painted it by hand in neon colors. This book is searingly honest and hilarious and dark and neurotic. It is dizzying. Best of all, it is delicious."--Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies

"Hilarious and touching, this will satisfy Semple's numerous fans and gain her new ones. Give this to readers of women's fiction, Seattle denizens and aspiring residents, and people reviewing their lives and choices."--Alene Moroni, Booklist

"With a strong narrative voice, fast pace and her signature wit, Semple cleverly spins another raucously funny story wound around deeper implications about the unexpected ways life teaches us to find meaning."--Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness

"An introspective look, both comedic and tragic, at attempting to be the best one can be."--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal

"A sharp, funny read.... Consistently entertaining."--Publishers Weekly

"Few will be indifferent to this achingly funny and very dear book. This author is on her way to becoming a national treasure."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Nothing short of a masterpiece."--Sophie Flack, Boston Globe

"In her latest brainy, seriously funny novel, private school parents, a husband's secret life and more confront a Seattle woman."--Editors' Choice, New York Times Book Review

"A comedic whirlwind of lessons about life, family and facing your past."--Parade

"Filled with all the zany twists and signature humor that made Where'd You Go Bernadette a runaway hit."--Liz Loerke, Real Simple

"Think Modern Family meets 24."--The Skimm

"[A] cringe comedy of manners."--Natalie Beach, O Magazine

"The desperate housewives of Seattle.... You'll chortle into your morning cup of Starbucks."--Billy Heller, New York Post

"It's the promise of what tomorrow holds for Eleanor that makes her worth getting to know"―Shannon Carlin, Bust

"We've all had the 'day from hell,' but we can't make it as clever, fun, or whip-smart as Semple, the presiding queen of literary screwball satire."―National Book Review

"Downright hard to put down.... unrelentingly entertaining, with some nice pathos thrown in the mix."―Steph Cha, USA Today (3/4 stars)

"Absolutely delicious black comedy.... A witty delight."―Yvonne Zipp, Christian Science Monitor

"Humorously depicts the struggle to keep it together."―Jamie Blynn, US Weekly

"Comedic and charming."―Leigh Nordstrom, Women's Wear Daily

"There are few readers who won't find the pathos and struggle of [Eleanor's] journey towards her new and really authentic self genuine and heartfelt."―Jana Siciliano, Bookreporter

"There are some glorious moments of social satire."―Zoë Apostolides, Financial Times

"[Semple's] a master at creating comedy out of the neuroses of people with too much time and money on their hands."―Izzy Grinspan, New York Magazine

"Semple...has a singular genius for turning the ordinary inside-out and looking at it slantwise.... The allusions are quick and rich, the riffs nonstop and spot-on, and the results surprising."―Ellen Akins, Newsday

"While TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT can be outrageously funny, it reaches deeper into its protagonist and finds unstill waters, a river of sadness, deep within."―Jeremy Kohler, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Semple...has crafted another fast-paced story full of twists and turns that double down on 'mean is funny.' The result is a biting satire of well-off white liberal life that skewers everything in its path while maintaining a level of affection for its characters that balances out its acerbic sensibility."―Wendeline O. Wright, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Both hilarious and moving."―Terry Gross, NPR's Fresh Air

"Warm, funny and seriously good."―Daily Kos

"A quick punch to the funny bone."―San Antonio Express-News

"Nothing could top Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette but her new comic novel comes close.... You'll laugh. A lot."―Sherryl Connelly, New York Daily News

"It's pretty much impossible to read Maria Semple without wanting to give the author a fist-bump. She holds up the coolest, cruelest mirror to today's farm-to-tech society."―Joanna Novak, Bustle

"Compulsively readable and surprisingly resonant.... Perfectly captures what it feels like to be a parent and a sibling and a wife and an artist, especially one who continuously feels that she is doing it all imperfectly."―Adrienne Martini, Austin Chronicle

"The humor, deft plotting and fresh and witty writing that trademark Semple's fiction will win you over."―Jeffrey Ann Goudie, Kansas City Star

"With her keen eye for detail and a razor-sharp, snark-tinged wit, Semple is becoming one of our great writers about place."―Andrew Travers, Aspen Times

"Semple has created a depressed, mean-spirited, forgetful, self-centered, scatterbrained and sometimes unlikable main character that you can't help but fall in love with"―Denver Post

"an irresistibly funny portrait of a woman who refuses to give up on love"―Moira McDonald, Seattle Times

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company; First Edition (October 4, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316403431
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316403436
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.5 3.5 out of 5 stars 6,622 ratings

About the author

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Maria Semple

Maria Semple

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Maria Semple is the author of THIS ONE IS MINE, WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE and TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT. Her work has been translated into over twenty-five languages. Before turning to fiction, she wrote for the television shows Arrested Development, Ellen and Mad About You. She lives in Seattle.

Customer reviews

3.5 out of 5 stars
6,622 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the humor in the book beautiful, witty, and amusing. They also describe the empathy as poignant, heartfelt, and relatable. However, some find the pacing disjointed, chaotic, and incongruous. Opinions are mixed on readability, plot quality, and character development.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
HumorEmpathyReadabilityPlot qualityCharacter developmentBelievablePacePacing
108 customers mention "Humor"80 positive28 negative

Customers find the humor in the book witty, amusing, and deadpan. They also appreciate the characters and the misadventures with Timby.

"...Semple’s last book, Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, was laugh-out-loud funny and very entertaining...." Read more

"...What I loved:There were some truly laugh out loud funny parts, particularly involving Eleanor trying to explain some of her questionable..." Read more

"...I loved her previous novel, WHERE’D YOU GO BERNADETTE. Her new book was witty but not as light...." Read more

"...The novel felt like one long rant, devoid of the humor that leavened the tartness of Semple's first two novels...." Read more

17 customers mention "Empathy"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book poignant, heartfelt, and imbued with true and deep emotions. They say the author makes the characters relatable and thoughtful. Readers also mention the book builds compassion for and investment in the protagonist.

"...is great fun, but also, per the author's style, imbued with true and deep emotions and pain...." Read more

"The writing is wonderful and emotional and there are relatable aspects. The look backs are thorough and truly set the story...." Read more

"This was only mildly amusing. There were some thoughtful insights into being the child of an alcoholic so I would add a star if that is something..." Read more

"...She really draws you into her characters and makes them so relatable, no matter how terrible they appear to be on the surface." Read more

182 customers mention "Readability"111 positive71 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the readability of the book. Some mention it's a good short read that keeps them reading, while others say the characters are hard to follow and the story is confusing.

"3.5 starsToday Will Be Different is an interesting read. Semple’s last book, Where’d You Go, Bernadette?,..." Read more

"...of "Where'd You Go Bernadette?" But this book was hard for me to get into because I found the writing to be confusing...." Read more

"...for a book that will make you both laugh and think, this is a good short read." Read more

"...Why I gave it 2 stars: It was well-written...." Read more

148 customers mention "Plot quality"59 positive89 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot quality of the book. Some mention the story gets interesting, while others say the ending is unbelievable and unexpected.

"...I found the book fairly sad and wished that some of Eleanor’s issues had been resolved more, particularly one she has with a family member...." Read more

"...This book, like Where’d You Go Bernadette?, was unexpected & unlike anything else being written right now. So much fun!" Read more

"...The action felt frenetic, but there was not enough heart there to ground the story, so events just careened from one thing to another, leaving me..." Read more

"...with which she began the day. The end is surprising and offers some positive relief, but is not developed. Surprise ending." Read more

75 customers mention "Character development"27 positive48 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development. Some mention the characters are relatable, while others say the main character is generally dislikeable and unrelatable. They also say the characters pop up out of nowhere and then disappear.

"...This was such a mishmash of story lines and characters that it was hard to follow...." Read more

"...Still, I didn't totally hate this book. There were some nice character descriptions and good stories mixed into the plot...." Read more

"...But then it fell flat. It wasn't funny anymore. Her character became annoyingly chaotic...." Read more

"...Overall characters seemed very caricatured/one-dimensional...." Read more

32 customers mention "Believable"13 positive19 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the believable aspect of the book. Some mention that the concept seems great, while others say it's unrelatable, unreal, and unimaginative.

"...There are at least two main plot lines, but neither seems believable. One concerns Eleanor's sister, from whom she is estranged...." Read more

"...She creates these beautifully funny, intelligent, flawed women who are stuck in a world that is not of their creation – who feel trapped in the day-..." Read more

"...is like able enough but her whole "day in the life" is pretty nonsensical...." Read more

"...This book had me laughing out loud and was wickedly smart, although I found the ending preposterous...." Read more

21 customers mention "Pace"13 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pace of the book. Some mention it's fast-paced, while others say it'll drag for the first three quarters.

"This was a pretty fast and easy read, and kindof fun, I even laughed out loud a couple times...." Read more

"...I did not. It was a jumbled, fast paced, chaotic mess that often made no sense. There was nothing to like about any of the characters...." Read more

"...It was a great read, fast and fun. And that flight? I didn't even realize I was flying!" Read more

"...It is a fun, quick, read and one I recommend for mothers of young children in particular...." Read more

41 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive34 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book disjointed, chaotic, and aimless. They also say the pieces are jumbled and don't dovetail smoothly. Readers also mention the story is a series of odd little vignettes that never really go anywhere.

"...have been a cool experiment, but instead it felt digressive and disjointed to me...." Read more

"I had a difficult time following the plot at the start, it wandered a bit...." Read more

"...be different." That being said, the story is a little too short, too whacky, and (I'll admit it) just not as good as Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" Read more

"This book seemed to jump around a lot, and at times I got confused. I liked the story and the relationships. And it all tied together at the end...." Read more

I will read anything Maria Semple writes.
4 out of 5 stars
I will read anything Maria Semple writes.
How many times have you woken up and said, “Today Will Be Different”? I will be better. I will work out & eat healthy & be nice to everyone? The title of this book got me immediately, & when I realized it was written by the same author who wrote “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” I was sold.The book is set in the same world as her previous, not just in Seattle, but the same elementary school for her son and a similar social world. The book covers one day in Eleanor Flood’s life; an increasingly overwhelmed wife, mother & former artist. We constantly look back at her past life to see how she got here, whether it is stories of her childhood & what it was like to help raise her sister after their mother died, or her more glamorous time in New York City as an animator for a hit show she created. Even though the reader may feel no direct comparison to Eleanor’s life, everyone know how it feels to be completely scatter-brained & overwhelmed at times. You can’t help but feel for Eleanor trying to get through the day.I will read anything Maria Semple writes. She creates these beautifully funny, intelligent, flawed women who are stuck in a world that is not of their creation – who feel trapped in the day-to-day minutia of being a wife & parent, & who had lives they felt were important before they took on these roles. Sometimes her writing feels like stream of conscious, & I love it. This book, like Where’d You Go Bernadette?, was unexpected & unlike anything else being written right now. So much fun!
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Top reviews from the United States

Sarah
4.0 out of 5 stars I will read anything Maria Semple writes.
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2016
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How many times have you woken up and said, “Today Will Be Different”? I will be better. I will work out & eat healthy & be nice to everyone? The title of this book got me immediately, & when I realized it was written by the same author who wrote “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” I was sold.

The book is set in the same world as her previous, not just in Seattle, but the same elementary school for her son and a similar social world. The book covers one day in Eleanor Flood’s life; an increasingly overwhelmed wife, mother & former artist. We constantly look back at her past life to see how she got here, whether it is stories of her childhood & what it was like to help raise her sister after their mother died, or her more glamorous time in New York City as an animator for a hit show she created. Even though the reader may feel no direct comparison to Eleanor’s life, everyone know how it feels to be completely scatter-brained & overwhelmed at times. You can’t help but feel for Eleanor trying to get through the day.

I will read anything Maria Semple writes. She creates these beautifully funny, intelligent, flawed women who are stuck in a world that is not of their creation – who feel trapped in the day-to-day minutia of being a wife & parent, & who had lives they felt were important before they took on these roles. Sometimes her writing feels like stream of conscious, & I love it. This book, like Where’d You Go Bernadette?, was unexpected & unlike anything else being written right now. So much fun!
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Sarah
4.0 out of 5 stars I will read anything Maria Semple writes.
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2016
How many times have you woken up and said, “Today Will Be Different”? I will be better. I will work out & eat healthy & be nice to everyone? The title of this book got me immediately, & when I realized it was written by the same author who wrote “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” I was sold.

The book is set in the same world as her previous, not just in Seattle, but the same elementary school for her son and a similar social world. The book covers one day in Eleanor Flood’s life; an increasingly overwhelmed wife, mother & former artist. We constantly look back at her past life to see how she got here, whether it is stories of her childhood & what it was like to help raise her sister after their mother died, or her more glamorous time in New York City as an animator for a hit show she created. Even though the reader may feel no direct comparison to Eleanor’s life, everyone know how it feels to be completely scatter-brained & overwhelmed at times. You can’t help but feel for Eleanor trying to get through the day.

I will read anything Maria Semple writes. She creates these beautifully funny, intelligent, flawed women who are stuck in a world that is not of their creation – who feel trapped in the day-to-day minutia of being a wife & parent, & who had lives they felt were important before they took on these roles. Sometimes her writing feels like stream of conscious, & I love it. This book, like Where’d You Go Bernadette?, was unexpected & unlike anything else being written right now. So much fun!
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9 people found this helpful
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It's only me
3.0 out of 5 stars Weird book -- I'm not sure how I feel about it
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2017
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I dunno... I really wanted to like this book because I really liked the story and the writing style of "Where'd You Go Bernadette?" But this book was hard for me to get into because I found the writing to be confusing. The narrator's thought process was bouncy and hard to follow. She was all over the place. One confusing thing for me was that the story was told in first person, but then a few chapters in, out of nowhere, there was a chapter narrated by Daniel Clowes. I didn't realize that there had been a shift in narrators until the end of the chapter, and I was all confused, so I had to go back and read it over again.

Also, I thought the ending was so weird! It came out of nowhere, and had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the book. It didn't make any sense that the one seemingly reasonable character in the book would make such an impulsive decision out of the blue.

Still, I didn't totally hate this book. There were some nice character descriptions and good stories mixed into the plot. I loved the Bucky and Ivy part of the story, and I would totally read a whole book about those two.
5 people found this helpful
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KK from PA
5.0 out of 5 stars She is exaggerated for the purpose of a good story, of course
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2016
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Read this book for my monthly book club, after pleas that we PLEASE choose something "lighter" for a change. Our club gravitates toward books that range from thought provoking to downright depressing.
In the "lighter" regard, this story really delivered. If you are a "modern working mom" in the range of late thirties to mid fiftys, I think you will identify with many aspects of the main character's persona. She is exaggerated for the purpose of a good story, of course, but there is a little piece of many of us in Eleanor Flood. (I should note this book is not without its share of thought provoking themes and moments. It is far from all fluff. Still plenty of content that lends itself to spirited discussion.)

I also read "Bernadette" by this same author (which I liked a bit better, by the way) and was entertained by some minor intertwining of people and places from that novel to this one.

Overall, a great little escape from the happy chaos of your life to another.
2 people found this helpful
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Bookfan
2.0 out of 5 stars Lacks humor and heart
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2016
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Having loved both of Maria Semple's earlier novels, This One is Mine and Where'd You go, Bernadette, I was chomping at the bit for her third effort. I bought it on Kindle because I was too excited to wait for my library's copy to come available, and read it as soon as I could. I should have waited. This one was a big disappointment. It hit Semple's now-familiar tropes: rich, unfulfilled wife trying to make sense of her overprivileged existence; a successful, long-suffering husband going through issues of his own; a cast of odd, lovable, and annoying characters; and of course a quirky and precocious child who ends up redeeming them all. Fair enough. But in her first two books, the main character's acidic observations and self-defeating actions are leavened with a dose of humor and a sense of empathy. I rooted for Violet, Bernadette, and most of the other characters in the first two novels to find their way home, so to speak. Not this time.
This novel was told in the first person, always tricky, so the whole thing unfolded basically from inside Eleanor Flood's head - not a fun place to be. The novel felt like one long rant, devoid of the humor that leavened the tartness of Semple's first two novels. I found Eleanor boring, her actions mean and inexplicable, and - unlike Violet and Bernadette - I did not root for her. The action felt frenetic, but there was not enough heart there to ground the story, so events just careened from one thing to another, leaving me feeling irritated and bored. And I had so looked forward to laughing!
Why I gave it 2 stars: It was well-written. And to be fair, Semple set herself a tough challenge: to have all the events of the novel occur over the course of one day. This understandably required a lot of flashbacks and backstory to be filled in over the course of the novel. It could have been a cool experiment, but instead it felt digressive and disjointed to me. Each time I felt like I was getting close to the end, Eleanor would run into another character I didn't care about or lapse into another flashback I didn't care about. For her next novel, I hope Semple uses her obvious talents to tell her story with humor and heart.
17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Joan Burnett
4.0 out of 5 stars Looked more used then I thought it would 4
Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2022
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Bought as a gift more used looking then I thought it would
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Jochen Pahl
2.0 out of 5 stars Zustand nicht wie beschrieben.
Reviewed in Germany on August 18, 2017
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Die Beschreibung als sehr gut erhalten traf nicht zu, das Buch war verschmutzt und verklebt (insbesondere Cover). Ich habe es entsorgt.
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Alison Rose
4.0 out of 5 stars Overall enjoyable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2016
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Very funny book and relatable content. Could have been a bit longer with a larger-scale conflict/turning point in the story, but overall very enjoyable.
One person found this helpful
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Christine Klein
2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't get it
Reviewed in Australia on December 30, 2016
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Disappointed in this novel. Really enjoyed Where'd you go Bernadette but I found this very disjointed and all over the place.
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Manpreet grewal
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on April 22, 2017
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Nice
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