Finding Women Architects in “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?”


OMA’s Seattle Public Library serves as the backdrop to a scene from the new film Where’d You Go, Bernadette?. Image Courtesy of Annapurna Pictures

OMA’s Seattle Public Library serves as the backdrop to a scene from the new film Where’d You Go, Bernadette?. Image Courtesy of Annapurna Pictures

This article was originally published on Metropolismag.com.

Maria Semple’s 2012 novel, Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, is an addictive, high-octane, hilarious summer read about a retired architect in Seattle entering the next phase of her career. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has resonated with women architects. One texted me hours after picking up the book recently: “I’ve read about ⅓ of Bernadette in one sitting. I’ve squealed out loud with laughter. I’ve bitten my lip. I am currently reading about Bernadette on the job site getting disrespected by a subcontractor. Someone IS seeing me/us. It’s buried in this book.”





Read more »