“Anxious People” Discussion Questions

The All Good Books Group will meet this evening, Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 7:00 PM on Zoom using our usual weblink. We’ll discuss Fredrik Backman’s novel “Anxious People.” We hope you can join us to discuss some of these questions.

1. The book starts with the narrator talking about “idiots.” Though it’s easy to declare someone an idiot, it’s also true how difficult being a human is. What’s the narrator saying about human nature? When you read the word ‘idiot’ what comes to mind? Do you routinely encounter “idiots?”
2. At the onset of the story, it’s about a bank robber and a hostage drama. Why does the “bank robber” decide to rob a bank? How experienced is the bank robber? What does the bank robber’s choices say about desperation and how it can limit our vision?
3. The story is told in a nonlinear fashion with the hostage storyline, multiple events on a bridge and numerous background stories. How are these storylines connected?
4. How does the story involve Jim and Jack? Who are they? Are they main characters or peripheral to the storyline? How is Nadia involved?
5. How does the bridge storyline impact Jack’s life and career choices? Nadia’s life choices and career?
6. We learn about Jim and Jack’s family through the non-linear nature of the novel. How does their family history factor into decisions they make about the bank robber?
7. How would you react if you were a hostage?
8. How did the people held hostage react? What do we learn about each character during the hostage situation? What did you learn about grief, fear and loneliness, the inability of couples to communicate and why people react to those forces?
9. While searching for an apartment are the characters really searching for something else?
10. How did your perception of the characters change as you read more of the novel? Which character “spoke to you the most?” Why?
11. At the conclusion of the story, the narrator states, “The truth is that this was a story about many different things, but most of all about idiots. Because we’re doing the best we can, we really are. We’re trying to be grown-up and love each other…. We’re looking for something to cling on to, something to fight for, something to look forward to. We’re doing all we can to teach our children how to swim. We have all of this in common, yet most of us remain strangers, we never know what we do to each other, how your life is affected by mine.” What does that observation mean to you and do you agree?
12. Would you recommend the novel to your reader friends? How would you classify it? How would you describe it to potential readers?

Thank you to Heather Caliendo whose discussion questions (bookclubchat.com/books/book-club-questions-for-anxious-people-by-fredrik-backman/) inspired many of these questions.

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Meeting This Week to Discuss “The Alice Network”

The All Good Books club will meet on Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 7 PM to discuss Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network. The meeting will be held on Zoom. Thank you to all who agreed to this one week postponement!

The first twelve questions that follow are from the end matter in Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network. The remaining questions are home-grown, but first here’s a list of prominent characters:

• Charlie St. Clair, 19-year-old pregnant schoolgirl in 1947, takes on the alias of Mrs. Donald McGowan.
• Rose Fournier (Charlie’s cousin) 21 years old in 1947, good with numbers, pregnant by her boyfriend Etienne.
• Tante (aunt) Jeanne, infirm, mother of Rose.
• Eve Gardiner, stutters, recruited in WWI to spy for England. In 1915 uses the code name Marguerite Le François, came from a troubled home, unfaithful father, spendthrift mother, always arguing.
• René Bordelon, collaborator and profiteer takes on alias of René du Malassis.
• Finn Kilgore, Gardiner’s man of all work. In 1947, he’s 29 or 30 years old, drives a Lagonde, an ex-convict.
• Captain Cameron, in 1915 recruits spies for the Alice Network.
• Alice (Lili) Dubois, Eve’s contact in the spy network. Her real name is Louise de Bettignies.
• Violette Lameron, also a spy in the Alice network (appears in both 1917 & 1947 in the novel). Her real name is Léonie van Houtte.

Discussion Questions:

1. ​Female friendship is a constant theme throughout The Alice Network. Charlie St. Clair and Eve Gardiner begin as antagonists, whereas Eve and Louise de Bettignies (Lili) are friends from the start. How does each friendship grow and change over the course of events?
2. ​The young Eve introduced in 1915 is very different from the older Eve seen through Charlie’s eyes in 1947. How and when did you see the young Eve begin to change into her older self? What was the catalyst of those changes?
3. ​Lili tells Eve, “To tell the truth, much of this special work we do is quite boring.” Did the realities of spy work surprise you, compared to the more glamorous version presented by Hollywood? How do you think you would have fared working for the historical Alice Network?
4. ​René Bordelon is denigrated by his peers as a war profiteer and an informer. He sees himself as a practical businessman, pointing out that he is not to blame for making money off the invaders, or for tragedies like Oradour-sur-Glane that happened on German orders. Did you see him as a villain or an opportunist? Do you think he earned his final fate?
5. ​Eve loves Captain Cameron and hates René Bordelon—but her relationship with René is longer, darker, and more complex. How is her hatred for him complicated by intimacy? How does his realization of Eve’s true identity change him? How do you think they continued to think and feel about each other during their thirty years’ separation, and how did that affect their eventual climax?
6. ​Finn Kilgore and Captain Cameron are parallels for each other: both Scotsmen and ex-soldiers with war wounds and prison terms in their pasts, acting as support systems for the women they love who go into danger. How are the two men different as well as alike? How does Finn succeed where Cameron fails?
7. ​The disappearance of Charlie’s cousin Rose Fournier provides the story’s driving search. Did her eventual fate surprise you? Had you ever heard of Oradour-sur-Glane? How did Rose’s fate change the goal of the search?
8. ​Everyone in The Alice Network suffers some form of emotional damage from war: Charlie’s depression after losing her marine brother to suicide, Eve’s torture-induced nightmares, Finn’s concentration-camp memories and resulting anger issues, Cameron’s guilt over losing his recruits. How do they each cope with their war wounds? How do they help each other heal? How is PTSD handled in Eve’s day as compared to Charlie’s day—and as compared to now?
9. ​Charlie dreads the stigma of being a “bad girl” pregnant out of wedlock, and Eve fears shame and dismissal as a horizontale if it is learned she slept with a source for information. Discuss the sexual double standards each woman faced. How have our sexual standards for women changed since 1915 and 1947?
10. ​Charlie decides to keep her baby, and Eve decides to have an abortion. Why did each woman make the choice she did?
11. ​Charlie argues that René should be brought to legal justice, and Eve argues for vigilante justice. Who do you think is right? How did it affect the ending? How do you think the outcome will bind Eve and Charlie and Finn in the future, since they cannot share their adventure with anyone else?
12. ​“There are two kinds of flowers when it comes to women. The kind that sit safe in a beautiful vase, or the kind that survive in any conditions . . . even in evil.” The theme of the fleurs du mal carries from Lili to Eve—how does Eve pass it on to Charlie? When do you see Charlie becoming a fleur du mal in her own right? How has knowing Eve changed Charlie’s life, and vice versa?
13. Did you look up Edith Piaf and listen to any of her music? If so, have you heard it before.
14. The novel starts in May 1947 but reverts to May 1915 through March 1916; jumping back and forth between the two time periods. Why, what happens in those time periods? And why is the story told out of chronological order?
15. What is Charlie St. Cloud’s “Little Problem?”
16. Why does Charlie take on the alias of Mrs. Donald McGowan? What issues cause this deception? How did you reaction to subsequent references to “Donald?”
17. After reading “The Alice Network” in times of war, could you be a spy?
18. Who said, “The army doesn’t want me anymore. I did my part and the war’s over, so now they’ll pin some b-bits of tin on me and tell me to bugger off back to the file room. Well, they can keep their damned tin scraps” and why?
19. Some characters appear throughout the novel who are based on historical figures, such as Edith Cavell (a nurse) and Léon Trulin (18-year-old). Who are they and why are they important to the novel?
20. Did you look up “fleur du mal?” What does it mean? Who is described by that phrase in the novel and does it apply?
21. The poem “Le Mort Joyeux” or “The Joyful Corpse” is mentioned in the novel. Did you look up the verses? What do you think it refers to? Who’s the author?
22. Did you read the Author’s Notes at end of the novel? Did any of the information stick in your memory? How much of the novel and which of the characters are historically based?
23. Who would you recommend this 500-page novel to? Who would you not recommend it to?
24. If you completed the novel, would you have done so if it were not assigned for a book club discussion?

Best Book Club Books of the Past Decade

I thought you might find this link and article interesting. See https://www.bookbub.com/blog/best-book-club-books-of-the-decade

Not surprisingly, we’ve read ten of them for our All Good Books book club!

Don’t forget to start reading “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn for our book club meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2020, at 7 PM on Zoom.

Discussion Questions for “The Life We Bury”

The All Good Books group will discuss Allen Eskens’ novel The Life We Bury this Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 7 PM on Zoom.

Possible discussion questions follow:

1. How would you summarize “The Life We Bury” to a friend without giving away the ending or other important events?
2. Would you have interviewed a murderer as Joe Talbert did? Why or why not?
3. How would you describe the main characters in the book? Joe Talbert, Carl Iverson, L. Nash, Jeremy Naylor, Kathy Nelson, Mary Lorngren, Grandpa Bill, Crystal Hagen, Dan Lockwood, Doug Lockwood, Max Rupert, Andy Fisher.
4. As you read the novel, did you find the characters unique or stereotypes? Believable or implausible? Was the plot believable, predictable, unexpected, or implausible?
5. Were there concepts, ideas, people or events in the book that you researched further beyond what was indicated in the novel? Did you look up any of the following? The Innocence Project, Pascal’s gambit, Occam’s razor, Dying declaration, Jeffrey Dahmer, the Donner party, Romanesque Revival, or BOLO?
6. In a conversation between Joe Talbert and Carl Iverson the question of “killing” vs. “murdering“ is raised. Is there a difference?
7. What did you think the novel’s title indicated about the story and its characters? Whose was the life that was buried and what was buried?
8. Was there an event or happening in the novel that “stuck with you” or was particularly memorable?
9. Is guilt a character in the novel? Explain your response.
10. Why do you think Carl Iverson watched the girl next door so closely? Is his motivation ever explained in the novel?
11. What is Hillview Manor? How is it described? Does that description match your experiences?
12. Would you read another murder mystery by Allen Eskens? Explain.

The Life We Bury – September Discussion

The All Good Books discussion group will meet on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 7 PM to discuss The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. The publisher’s description follows:

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe’s life is ever the same.

Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran–and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl’s life, especially Carl’s valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory. 

Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?

Discussion questions will be posted closer to the meeting.

Thursday’s Discussion: Love Song of Queenie Hennessy

The All Good Books group will meet using Zoom at 7 PM this Thursday, July 16, 2020 to discuss The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce. It’s the sequel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

Here’s a brief list of characters in the Queenie novel. Twenty-four possible discussion questions follow.

• Queenie Hennessy: writer of letters to Harold Fry
• Harold Fry: the walker whose story is told in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
• David Fry: He likes unexpected adventure, very smart. “His intelligence is like a knife” (page 118).
• Napier: Harold and Queenie’s boss at the brewery.
• Finty – rubs off foil seals to see if she has won a vacation or prize or free vouchers for dining. Coordinates the party for the arrival of Harold Fry.
• Mr. Neville Henderson – won’t do crossword puzzles, because he may not be around for the answers. “The knuckles poked out and his sleeves hung loose as if Mr. Henderson had no more substance than a coat hanger inside a dogtooth jacket. His mouth was so blue, the lips looked bruised.” He stole a Purcell record and likes Queenie. His wife Mary, hired his best friend as her divorce lawyer. They “took him to the cleaners.”
• Barbara: Has two glass eyes, Albert Bates once loved her.
• The Pearly King: receives packages but almost never opens them. Says a lot of women loved him, hope they don’t all come to visit. Has an artificial arm. Never told his family he was in hospice.
• Sister Philomena: very spiritual nun at the hospice.
• Sister Lucy: youngest nun, naive, most active of nuns in helping patients, kind, puzzles puzzle her, no idea of distance from Kingsbridge to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
• Sister Catherine: nosey but always helps Mr. Henderson even when he doesn’t want help. Brought the word of Harold’s phone call to residents of the hospice. She brings in the mail bag each day.
• Sister Mary Inconnu: (Inconnu means “an unknown person or thing”). Types the letters to Harold for Queenie.
• The Lonely Gentleman: shows up in the Harold Fry story and on page 58.

Possible Discussion Questions:

1. How would you describe “The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy” to a friend to encourage them to read it? Would you encourage them to read it?
2. Are there specific passages that you underlined in the book? If so, what are they? Why do they have significance for you?
3. How do you imagine the novel be received and interpreted by a teenager? By someone in mid-life? Or by a senior?
4. Does your view of Queenie and Harold change as you read “The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy?” How?
5. Can “The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy” stand on its own? Would it be understood without the reader first reading “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry?”
6. On page 56 Queenie says, “I don’t know why some of these memories must remain so crystal clear. I recall one sliver and the whole picture comes rushing back, while other things, for instance, other things I would like to remember, are completely unavailable.” Why do you think that happens? Do you have a similar experience?
7. Why was Mr. Henderson so upset with Sister Catherine? See page 72.
8. Queenie’s mother told her (page 74), “There is no such thing as love at first sight. People get together because the time is right.” Do you agree?
9. What is bindweed and why does Queenie compare Napier to it? See page 78.
10. Does your view of Mr. Napier change at all in the second novel?
11. What is a rockery and how does it connect with Queenie’s statement on page 94, “I’d made my sea garden to atone for the terrible wrong I had done to a man I loved, I said. Sometimes you have to do something with your pain because otherwise it will swallow you.” Do you agree?
12. What is the color of Harold’s suit and why does the author keep referring to it (as on page 102)?
13. What is the meaning of the lesson of the peach on page 108?
14. “Waiting” is one of the themes in the book. What did you learn about “waiting” in the book and from life?
15. When Sister Lucy unveils the Harold Fry corner on page 122, Mr. Henderson responds, “Good grief…this is worse than Huis Clos.” To what is he referring? Did you look it up?
16. Sister Lucy is always removing pieces from the puzzle. Why does she keep dissembling the puzzle?
17. Who had the more difficult pilgrimage, Harold Fry or Queenie Hennessy?
18. On page 168 Sister Inconnu says, “The sky and the sun are always there. It’s the clouds that come and go. Stop holding on to yourself, and look at the world around you…. Those days are over too. So the only thing left for you to do now is to stop trying to fix the problem.” What’s the message in that exchange?
19. On page 173-176, Queenie relates the story of the day when the car sputters, she and Harold are lost on the highway and must walk back to Kingsbridge. Why does she describe that as a perfect day?
20. Queenie says (on page 200), “When you know a thing is wrong, you have to work very hard to stick with it.” What does she mean, and do you agree?
21. On page 263 Queenie reminisces that “my mind was caught up in thinking of ways to keep it safe. I was wrong, though, about the threat coming from wind or gulls. Five years ago, something else got it.” To what is she referring? Who “got it?” And what’s the life lesson?
22. Sister Mary Inconnu at one point (page 309) says, “Dear oh dear. We really should sit and laugh at trees more often.” What was that episode about?
23. Share your opinion: were Queenie’s letters to Harold written in Morse code or shorthand? Explain your opinion.
24. Besides “waiting” are there other themes throughout the book? Other lessons learned?

The Unlikely Journey

The All Good Books group will meet using Zoom at 7 PM this Thursday, June 18, 2020 to discuss The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.

There are discussion questions at the end of the novel, but since I was unaware of that, I started writing discussion questions as I read. The result is 43 questions (too many to discuss in an hour meeting). So, I’m listing the questions below, but have put ten in boldface. We can discuss whatever you wish, but the boldface questions might be a good place to start.

Discussion Questions: The Unlikely Journey of Harold Fry

1. The girl in the garage who helps Harold warm up a hamburger says (on page 15), “You have to believe. That’s what I think. It’s not about medicine and all that stuff. You have to believe a person can get better.” What’s her story? What do you discover later in the story?
2. The author describes the same girl in the garage while “resuming her place, in front of cigarettes and lottery tickets. Harold tried to catch her eye but she wouldn’t meet his. She had returned to being dull and empty again, as if their conversation about her aunt had never happened.” What happened?
3. The author, on page 37, describes how the people that Harold met, “They believed in him. They had looked at him in his yachting shoes, and listened to what he said, and they had made a decision in their hearts and minds to ignore the evidence and to imagine something bigger and something infinitely more beautiful than the obvious.” What’s the meaning of that observation? Do you have a personal example of how that has occurred?
4. Why does Harold (on page 47) untie his shoelaces when his son, David, is being swept out by a riptide? What would you have done?
5. What episodes in the novel define who Harold is as an adult? How would you describe his character traits in a sentence?
6. On page 48 early in Harold’s pilgrimage the author describes how, “Several cars slowed, but he waved them on, not wanting their attention.” Why won’t Harold accept a ride?
7. The author comments that “A child’s growing [is] a constant pushing away (page 51). Agree or disagree?
8. Elizabeth (Rex’s deceased wife) “had once confided across washing lines that his mother’s fussing had turned him (Rex) into the most appalling hypochondriac.” Is that the image you get of Rex?
9. On page 63 Harold meets an inn keeper who complains about South Brent but then  tells him “I won a holiday to Benidorm once. All I had to do was pack my suitcase. But I couldn’t do it. They sent me the ticket in the post, and I never opened the envelope. Why is that? Why, when the chance to escape came, couldn’t I take it?” How would you respond to the inn keeper who asked that question?
10. Harold remembers all the failures he had with his son, David. He asks himself, “Why must [I] remember?” Do you remember failures more than successes? If so, why?
11. What was the lesson learned (pages 71-74) when Harold meets the husband and wife hikers (the woman loved Jane Austin and the husband loved hiking)?
12. Harold describes his transition from countryside to city on page 84: “What had been so clear to him when he was alone, two feet on the ground, became lost in this abundance of choices and streets and glass-fronted shopping outlets. He longed to be back in the open land.” Which is your preference: city or country? Do you understand Harold’s distress?
13. Is there a lesson to be learned from the “silver-haired gentleman” that Harold meets in a café and shares his teacake with Harold (on page 89)?
14. Have you ever had an experience like Maureen has when she goes to the doctor’s office? What happened to Maureen and to you?
15. How does Maureen initially react to Harold’s journey? Does her attitude change over time? (see page 109) How? What is she experiencing?
16. Maureen has a dream on page 93 where she imagines that “She must remain very still and very quiet and no one must know she was nursing her entrails.” How would you interpret her dream?
17. On page 107 Harold thinks that “If he kept looking at the things that were bigger than himself, he knew he would make it to Berwick.” What did Harold see that gave him hope? What gives you hope?
18. How would you describe Mr. Napier (page 117)? Was he a good boss?
19. How would you describe a Harold and Maureen’s marriage?
20. Can harsh words ever be unsaid as suggested on page 122?
21. As you began the book what did you think was the relationship between Harold and Queenie? How did he define friendship (page 141)? How do you define it?
22. What was Martina from Slovenia’s story? See page 143.
23. What was Maureen’s story? What did she mean on page 146 by “She had bleached and annihilated every waking moment of the last twenty years”? What happened 20 years ago to change everything?
24. On page 157 the author says Harold “had learned that it was the smallness of people that filled him with wonder and tenderness, and the loneliness of that too. The world was made up of people putting one foot in front of the other; and a life might appear ordinary simply because the person living it had been doing so for a long time. Harold could no longer pass a stranger without acknowledging the truth that everyone was the same, and also unique; and that this was the dilemma of being human.” What are your reactions to that statement?
25. How did Harold and Maureen first meet? Do you remember how you first met your spouse or partner?
26. What are the major life lessons from Harold’s unlikely pilgrimage?
27. In 3-4 sentences how would you describe the novel to a friend to either encourage or discourage them from reading it?
28. Do you see any parallels between Harold’s unlikely pilgrimage and the life of other historical or literary characters?
29. Was there a significance to Harold’s side trip (page 168) to the Roman baths?
30. Harold has a “new beginning in one chapter and the (page 177) he meets the actor and the physician. What the meaning of those two chapters? Why did the author juxtaposition one after the other?
31. What was Rex’s “plan up his sleeve” for Maureen (page 184)? Was it a good plan?
32. On page 187, Maureen describes the current state of her relationship with Harold. She says, “I say so many things that I don’t mean. It’s as if, even if I think something nice about Harold, by the time it’s got to my mouth it’s become not nice. He goes to tell me something and I’m saying ‘I think not’ before he’s finished the sentence.” Have you ever been in a similar situation with a friend or spouse? Why do we sometimes get in that kind of rut with friends and loved ones?
33. What was David’s problem? Could his parents have done more to help him?
34. At one point in Harold’s journey, he starts giving away much that he has. Why?
35. What was the result of the newspaper article about Harold’s journey? See page 209.
36. Who is Rex? On page 211, Rex describes loss in this way: “It’s like discovering a great hole in the ground. To begin with, you forget it’s there and you keep falling in. After a while, it’s still there, but you learn to walk round it.” What lesson does Rex’s comment teach about loss?
37. At one point in Harold’s journey he attracts all different sorts of followers. How did that affect the goal of reaching Queenie? What’s the lesson in that segment of his pilgrimage?
38. Who was Rich? Kate? Wilf? Why couldn’t Harold continue his quest alone (page 238) without them and the other followers?
39. Why do you think Maureen would not accept Harold’s offer to walk with him?
40. On page 254, Harold expresses a belief that “there was a basic goodness to be found in everyone, and that… [he] could tap into it.” Was he able to do so? Do you share a belief in the basic goodness in everyone?
41. On page 310, Kate says, “You got up, and you did something. And if trying to find a way when you don’t even know you can get there isn’t a small miracle; then I don’t know what is.” Why is that a small miracle? 
42. When you consider Harold’s conversation with the girl in the garage, and his final meeting with Queenie, what does the novel say about faith?
43. Was Harold’s meeting with Queenie what you expected? How did you react to it? Would you have written a different ending?

REVISED: November Book: Little Fires Everywhere by Ng

RESCHEDULED: The All Good Books group will meet on Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 7 PM to discuss “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng. The book club will meet in the Community of Christ Church Library (7842 Mission Road, Mission, Kansas). All are invited to attend.

Discussion questions for the novel are available at https://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/little-fires-everywhere/guide.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” in September

The Thursday, September 19, 2019 All Good Books group meeting will discuss “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. We’ll meet at 7 pm in the Community of Christ Church Library (7842 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas).

Some possible discussion questions on the novel follow:

1. Would you recommend “Where the Crawdads Sing” to a fellow reader? Why and how would you describe it (romance, coming of age, murder mystery)?
2. On the first page of the novel, the narrator states, “A swamp knows all about death, and doesn’t necessarily define it as tragedy, certainly not a sin.” What’s the general and specific meaning of that passage?
3. What was Kya’s greatest concern and handicap? Why?
4. Early in the reading of the novel, did you consider the death of one of the characters an accident or murder? If the latter, who did you initially suspect was the murderer? Did your prime suspect change as you read the novel?
5. Why was it important for the narrator to tell the reader Kya’s history (childhood) as well as the history of the marsh people?
6. In what ways was Tate, Kya’s hero? Her betrayer?
7. Tate’s dad, Scupper, told him that “the definition of a real man is one who cries without shame, reads poetry with his heart, feels opera in his soul, and does what’s necessary to defend a woman.” Do you agree? How would you add or subtract from that definition?
8. Why was Pa abusive to his wife and children? What event in his life did the narrator suggest contributed to his violent anger? What’s your reaction to Pa’s response to the event?
9. As Kya learns to read, she encounters a sentence that reads “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” Her response to the sentence is spoken in a whisper, “I wadn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.” What does she mean and what meaning do you think she found in the sentence?
10. Describe the relationship between Kya and Chase? What was Chase’s motivation to be with Kya? Why did he always wear the shell necklace around his neck?
11. Amanda Hamilton’s poetry is sprinkled throughout the novel. What was significant about Hamilton’s poetry?
12. The final Hamilton poem in the novel is “The Firefly.” What is it’s significance?
13. What is the meaning of the novel’s title? Where is the place where the crawdads sing?
14. How important is “nature” to the structure, meaning and plot of the novel? 
15. Are the characters and storyline in the novel believable? Realistic?
16. Were you happy with the ending of the story?

Next Meeting: March Discussion of “Eunice”

The All Good Books group will not meet in February but will resume meeting in March. We’ll discuss Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World by Eileen McNamara at the next meeting on Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 7 PM in the Community of Christ Church Library (7842 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS).

Discussion questions for the biography will be posted on this site in February.

The schedule of upcoming books for discussion is always available at https://allbooksclub.wordpress.com/meeting-dates-books/.