Merry Christmas!

Orphan's Master's Son discussion questions

1. What makes Pak Jun Do believe he is the son of the Orphan Master? Is he right? How does a child become an orphan, what are they used for, and why are they despised by North Koreans?

2. What is the thematic significance of the Americans mistaking Jun Do as "John Doe"? What does the appellation "John Doe" mean to Americans? What does it suggest about Jun Do himself, as well as the millions of people who live under the North Korean flag?

3. How would you describe life in North Korea for its citizens? What do you find most horrifying about the way in which Adam Johnson portrays that society? How would you—or any of us—fare under such circumstances?

4. What do you make of the various characters who express their horror at life in America and the American's lack of protection by their own government? Why would North Koreans prefer their life to that of Americans?

5. Talk about the treatment of women in North Korea? What actually happens to beautiful young women who are born in the provinces? What is their fate?

6. Jun Do tells the Second Mate's wife that he can no longer distinguish dream from reality: that the Second Mate was devoured by sharks or that he floated away on a raft with only a radio. The wife tells Jun Do to "choose the beautiful story." Then the following exchange takes place:

'But isn't it more scary to be utterly alone upon the waters, completely cut off from everyone, no friends, no family, no direction, nothing but a radio for solace?'

She touched the side of his face. 'That's your story,' she said. 'You're trying to tell me your story, aren't you?... Oh, you poor boy. You poor little boy.... Come in off the water, things can be different. You don't need a radio. I'm right here. You don't have to choose to be alone.'

a) What does she mean? Is Jun Do telling his own story?
b) Why is Jun Do more frightened to be "alone upon the waters" than to be eaten by sharks?
c) Why does Jun Do miss the Junma, the captain, and his radio?
d) What is the symbolic significance of his radio work...and the fact he does it at night?

7. Even though Kim Jong Il is offstage more than not, he is ever present in the lives of the characters. How does Adam Johnson portray Dear Leader in this novel? Does Johnson lend him psychological depth? Or is he a cartoonish, one-dimensional villain?

8. The book is disjointed as it shifts perspective, time periods, and even genres. Did you find the structure confusing? The author has described his book as a "trauma narrative." What does he mean?

9. In his days on tunnel patrol, Jun Do thinks to himself...

Never use your imagination. The darkness inside your head is something your imagination fills with stories that have nothing to do with the real darkness around you.

a) How might this statement be considered a thematic concern throughout the novel?
b) What does it mean for individuals who are told not to use their imagination?
c) What does it mean for art or music or literature?

10. The author's wit is on display in The Orphan Master's Son. Were you disturbed by Johnson's humor to convey the grim horrors of life under the DPRK? Or does the author's use comedy, even farce, resemble Charles Dickens in it's ability to highlight a society's malignant insanity?

11. The book converts the second-half of the novel into an adventurous, almost lunatic, quest. Does the second half seem far-fetched to you? Does it matter?

12. How would you describe this book: thriller, coming-of-age, romance, satire?

(Questions by LitLovers. )

The Goldfinch - discussion questions

1. Theo’s life revolves around physical objects, but is also dictated by the tragedy of chance. Discuss how these forces shape Theo.
2. THE GOLDFINCH is obsessed with intertexts --- references to other works of literature, music, film and art (e.g. WALDEN, THE IDIOT, SILAS MARNER, “Spiegel im Spiegel,” The Magnificent Seven, and, obviously, The Goldfinch, to name a few). How do these artistic touchstones inform the novel, especially Theo and Boris’s cultural education in Las Vegas? And how did they enrich, overwhelm or otherwise affect your own reading?
3. Good people in the book do bad things; bad people do good. When does a good person become bad, and vice versa?
4. Why was so much time spent describing the drug scenes? Did this detract or add to the book? Why were these scenes necessary?
5. How do you feel about the final chapter’s meta-narrative turn, in which Theo pivots to address his reader directly? Are his summative philosophic musings helpful or heavy handed? How would you have closed the novel?

Courtesy ReadingGroupGuides.com readers

Evening at Kathy's August 2016

Death Comes to Pemberley -Discussion Questions

1.Compare the "Prologue" of Death Comes to Pemberley with the "Epilogue" of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Are the two similar? Different? In what ways does James expand on Austen's version of the several years following Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage? 2. Can you point to some echoes of the original language from Pride and Prejudice in the descriptions and/or dialogue of James's sequel? 3. What about the characters of Death Comes to Pemberley? Has James maintained their essential natures and personalities...or changed them in some way? How consistent are they with Austen's originals? Consider Elizabeth and Darcy, the Bingleys, the Wickhams. 4. When the murder is first discovered, Wickham utters, "I killed him.... It's my fault." How did you interpret his confession? Were you ready to believe in his guilt? 5. Elizabeth watches Georgiana and Alveston interact and realizes the two are in love. She reflects on "that enchanting period of mutual discovery, expectation and hope. It was enchantment she had never known." Why does Elizabeth think this? Is she not in love with her husband? 6. When Elizabeth gazes down at Wickham, who is sleeping with "his dark hair tumbled on the pillow, his shirt open to show the delicate line of the throat," she thinks he looks "like a young knight wounded in battle." Is Elizabeth a bit in love with Wickham? 7. Why is Lydia Wickham never questioned about what happened in the carriage between her husband and Captain Denny?
8. What do you think the future holds for Wickham and Lydia? 9. Can you pick out the allusions to two other Austen novels—Persuasion and Emma? 10. Were you surprised by the revelations at the end of the mystery? 11. Is Death Comes to Pemberley a good mystery? Is it a good sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?

Emily Carr - A Rushing Sea of Undergrowth

The Forest Lover- discussion questions

1. Had you ever heard of Emily Carr before reading The Forest Lover? Why do you think an artist who has been considered Canada's national treasure is so little known south of the U.S.-Canadian border? Are you now inspired to know more about her and her work?

2. In The Forest Lover, Emily Carr is often referred to as "a woman painter." Do we still use that expression today? Emily struggles against sexism as well as racial prejudice. Which of these two does Emily think is most insidious, and why? Which limited the reception of her art the most? Which limited her life the most?

3. Sophie says that in order to find your "power spirit" you must take risks (p. 103). What risks does Emily take? Who are some women risk-takers today? What risks have you taken in your own life, or do you anticipate having to take, in order to develop yourself more fully? Is there something Emily says or does that can serve as inspiration for you?

4. Why do think Emily is drawn to native cultures? Even though Emily denies it, do you think it is because, as Frances says, "it's substituting for something in us" (p. 133)? What might Emily be substituting for, or what is she seeking through her encounters with the native cultures of British Columbia?

5. Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is present throughout the book. "Oh, such a soul, this Whitman had," Emily says (p. 238). Discuss the connection Emily feels with Whitman's poetry and its importance to and influence on her work.

6. In Part II, Emily has decided to go to Paris. What changes for her there? What influences her there? Later, she says she must leave because she is not herself there. What does she mean? Is this really true? How does place define who we are and influence what we do?

7. Throughout the novel, it seems Emily rejects most chances at intimacy. Why do you think this is? What do you think Emily's true feelings for Fanny involved? Was a love interest there, but denied? Do you think she was ever truly attracted to Claude, the French fur trader? Is it possible for a woman to be a brilliant, dedicated artist and also have successful relationships with family? With lovers?

8. Do you think, as Emily asks on page 137, that "creating yourself is a spiritual act" or a practical one? Is "creating yourself" different today than it was in 1910? If so, how? How have you "created yourself" and what obstacles have you had to overcome?

9. Through Emily's eyes, we see how symbols—the raven, the wolf, Dzunukwa, to name just a few—were so present and powerful in Indian culture. Are symbols as powerful and present today in the modern world? What are some symbols that we see today? Is their function the same or different from those in the native cultures of British Columbia?

10. What/where is your illahee—the land that gives comfort?

courtesy S. Vreeland

At Jackie's May 2016

House of Sand and Fog- discussion questions

 

 “House of Sand and Fog” 

“And that's what I wanted: obliteration. Decimation. Just an instant smear of me right out of all this rising and falling and nothing changing that feels like living.”  

“The truth is life is full of joy and full of great sorrow, but you can't have one without the other.”  

“it's almost easier being down and alone than when you re up and no one s there to share the view with you”  

Discussion questions  

 1. Do you sympathize more with Kathy Nicolo or with Colonel Behrani in part one of the novel? How does Dubus’s use of alternating first-person narratives affect your response to, and involvement with, the characters? 

2. The contested ownership of the house on Bisgrove Street is the fulcrum of the novel’s plot. Who, in your opinion, owns the house once Behrani has paid cash for it? What would be a fair solution to the conflict? 

3. What does Kathy’s response to Nick’s desertion reveal about her character? Why does Lester fall in love with Kathy?  

4. Who, of the three main characters, is most complex? Who is most straightforward? 

5. Where does the hostility between Lester and Behrani spring from?  

6. At what point do Kathy’s and Lester’s actions depart from the path of a simple desire for justice and move into something else? Why can neither of them seem to act rationally? Does Behrani act rationally? 

7. Is Behrani’s wife, Nadereh, an admirable character? Does her feminine role in a very traditional marriage reduce her importance as an actor in this drama?  

8. Behrani tells his son, “Remember what I’ve told you of so many Americans: they are not disciplined and have not the courage to take responsibility for their actions. If these people paid to us the fair price we are asking, we could leave and she could return. It is that simple. But they are like little children, son. They want things only their way” [p. 172]. How accurate is his perception of Americans? How well does it apply to Kathy and Lester? 

9. How does House of Sand and Fog highlight the conflict between downwardly mobile Americans and upwardly mobile recent immigrants? What role does racism play in the reaction of Americans and foreigners to each other? 

10. What do you find most disturbing about the novel’s denouement? If you find yourself imagining an alternate ending, what would that ending be? 

Meeting at Dorota's April 2016

Miss One Thousand Spring Blossoms

Kanno Masayo, Miss One Thousand Spring Blossoms, is the loveliest and most glamorous geisha in all of Japan. Dick Seaton is a shy, handsome American whose business takes him to Japan to close a very big deal. In violation of a timeless taboo, Dick and Kanno spend slow, tantalizing days falling in love.  

Miss One Thousand Spring Blossoms can be read with enjoyment on several levels, as a romance, as a cultural odyssey, or even as a clever presentation of mid-20th-century industrial practices in Japan. It succeeds on all those levels, but my favorite theme is the growth of the American protagonist Richard Seaton.  The gentle love story between an American engineer encountering a timeless beauty (the geisha whose working name is the title of the book) provides an artful camouflage for the way Seaton falls in love with Japan and its timeless culture. He arrives in Japan with a preconceived notion of a feudal, even primitive, Japan which seems to be garnered from the way his task was presented to him by his employers Stateside. The contrast between American and Nipponese engineering philosophies is an even greater surprise to Seaton than his first encounter with a public bath.