Introduction

An enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship, and the healing power of literature, by the bestselling author of The Knitting Circle.

Ava’s twenty-five-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship. The group’s goal throughout the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. Ava rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood?one that helped her through the traumas of the untimely deaths of her sister and mother. Alternating with Ava’s story is that of her troubled daughter Maggie, who, living in Paris, descends into a destructive relationship with an older man. Ava’s mission to find that book and its enigmatic author takes her on a quest that unravels the secrets of her past and offers her and Maggie the chance to remake their lives.

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Excerpt

Ava
Ava saw it as soon as she turned the corner. She stopped, squinting as if that would change what she was looking at. It was a week before Christmas on Weybosset Street in downtown Providence. The Christmas lights already shone, even at five o’clock, because the day was so dark and gray. The air had that festive holiday feeling that came from people bustling about with oversized shopping bags, cold air, tired decorations, a guy selling Christmas trees on the corner. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Do you have a " book that matters most" to you? What is it, and why does/did it matter to you?

2. How does the varying ages of the members of the book club affect the different perspectives in the club's monthly discussions? Does having both male and female change the dynamic of a book club and how.

3. How do you think Ava and Maggie's search for purpose and joy are alike and different?

4. Ava & Maggie's relationship was so complicated and complex. Why?

5. By giving us an ending without loose ends what is the author saying to us about the nature of grief and guilt? Is this the ending you would write for this story?

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Weblinks

»	Author's web site
»	Publisher's Book Info

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 10 of 14 members.

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