1. How did you experience this book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to get into it? How did you feel reading it--amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored…?
2. Describe Felicity--personality traits, motivations, inner qualities. - Why does she do what she did? - Are her actions justified? - Describe the dynamics between Felicity and other characters (her mother, her friends, her boyfriend, Gabby, Jonathan) - How has her mother’s decision shaped her life? - Do you admire or disapprove of Felicity? Her mother? - Does Felicity or her mother remind you of anyone you know?
3. Does Felicity change by the end of the book? Do you think she has grown or matured? Does she learn something about herself and how the world works?
4. Is the plot engaging--does the story interest you? Is this a plot-driven book: a fast-paced page-turner? Or does the story unfold slowly with a focus on character development? Were you surprised by the plots complications? Or did you find it predictable, even formulaic?
5. Talk about the book’s structure. Is it a continuous story...or interlocking short stories? Does the timeline move forward chronologically...or back and forth between past and present? Does the author use a single viewpoint or shifting viewpoints? Why might the author have chosen to tell the story the way she did--and what difference does it make in the way you read or understand it?
6. What main ideas--themes--does the author explore? Does the author use symbols to reinforce the main ideas?
7. What passages strike you as insightful, even profound? Perhaps a bit of dialog that’s funny or poignant or that encapsulates a character? Maybe there’s a particular comment that states the book’s thematic concerns?
8. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
9. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author? If so how does this book compare. If not, does this book inspire you to read others?
10. Has this novel changed you--broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new or been exposed to different ideas about people or a certain part of the world?
1. How did you experience this book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to get into it? How did you feel reading it--amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored…?
2. Describe Felicity--personality traits, motivations, inner qualities.
- Why does she do what she did?
- Are her actions justified?
- Describe the dynamics between Felicity and other characters
(her mother, her friends, her boyfriend, Gabby, Jonathan)
- How has her mother’s decision shaped her life?
- Do you admire or disapprove of Felicity? Her mother?
- Does Felicity or her mother remind you of anyone you know?
3. Does Felicity change by the end of the book? Do you think she has grown or matured? Does she learn something about herself and how the world works?
4. Is the plot engaging--does the story interest you? Is this a plot-driven book: a fast-paced page-turner? Or does the story unfold slowly with a focus on character development? Were you surprised by the plots complications? Or did you find it predictable, even formulaic?
5. Talk about the book’s structure. Is it a continuous story...or interlocking short stories? Does the timeline move forward chronologically...or back and forth between past and present? Does the author use a single viewpoint or shifting viewpoints? Why might the author have chosen to tell the story the way she did--and what difference does it make in the way you read or understand it?
6. What main ideas--themes--does the author explore? Does the author use symbols to reinforce the main ideas?
7. What passages strike you as insightful, even profound? Perhaps a bit of dialog that’s funny or poignant or that encapsulates a character? Maybe there’s a particular comment that states the book’s thematic concerns?
8. Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
9. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author? If so how does this book compare. If not, does this book inspire you to read others?
10. Has this novel changed you--broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new or been exposed to different ideas about people or a certain part of the world?