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Fun,
Pointless,
Unconvincing

5 reviews

Today Will be Different
by Maria Semple

Published: 2016-10-04
Hardcover : 272 pages
5 members reading this now
11 clubs reading this now
0 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 3 of 5 members
* Instant New York Times Bestseller *

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 ...
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Introduction

* Instant New York Times Bestseller *

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"

A brilliant novel 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.

Editorial 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

Excerpt

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Discussion Questions

Suggested by Members

Who was your favorite character in the book and why.
Did you find yourself understanding the main character and liking her more?
What did you think of her parenting skills?
by Adelaide (see profile) 01/04/17

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

No notes at this time.

Book Club Recommendations

Unlikeable, un-relateable mess of a character
by Kydogs2 (see profile) 12/16/16
This book was a waste of paper. The character was a mess. She was unlikeable and not relatable.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
by Sally G. (see profile) 08/25/18

 
by Ashley I. (see profile) 05/22/18

 
by Danae O. (see profile) 04/27/18

 
by Christy E. (see profile) 04/02/18

 
by Lynda W. (see profile) 10/13/17

Maria Semple has a way of writing that compels the reader to keep going- at least for this reader. Eleanor’s day could not have any more self reflection packed into it. Funny, witty and most times just... (read more)

 
by Rose A. (see profile) 10/04/17

Not my favorite! I really wanted to love this book but the main character was all over the place for 1 full day! The book is 1 day .....

 
by Betty Lou N. (see profile) 05/18/17

 
  "Today Will Be Different"by Marilyn D. (see profile) 01/04/17

I was lost in the beginning...I didn't understand where and why the book was going anywhere, but as I got into the book it gave the insight into the why of the life of the main character and you were with... (read more)

 
by Suzy P. (see profile) 12/16/16

 
by Tara S. (see profile) 11/18/16

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