DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Grace, Nan, and Monica are close but unlikely friends connected by a common experience with grief. Think about your circles of friends.... What are the connections that brought you together? Is that still what keeps you together? Grace, Nan, and Monica became close later in life.... Are your best friends from long ago or more recently made?
2. As an overweight teenager, Grace’s response to the bullying she experienced was to try to blend in and go unnoticed, yet, she says, “No one truly wants to become invisible. Everyone, no matter how fat, or slow, or tall, or ugly, or beautiful, wants to be important and loved.” Can you think of people in your life or community who are “invisible” or go unnoticed? Have you ever felt invisible? What are some adjectives to describe how being “invisible” might make someone feel? What are some adjectives to describe the feelings that person might experience when they are “seen” and appreciated for who they are?
3. The issue of homelessness plays a part early in the story and becomes very personal toward the end. Is homelessness a concern where you live? If so, discuss ideas of how you and your community can help the homeless in your town. Consider the big picture for the population as a whole as well as the needs and dignity of the individual, taking into consideration the thoughts you discussed in question 2. For personal reflection, what are some concrete steps you can take to positively impact the lives of homeless people in your town?
4. Though married at a young age, Jamie and Grace endured many hardships and struggles. Grace says, “Unless you’ve been through it yourself, you can’t understand the bond that surviving that kind of adversity builds between people.” Do you agree that life’s difficulties can create particularly strong bonds between couples? If so, how has that played out in your life or the lives of people you know?
5. Nan said, “Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend never had a dog.” What has “rescued you” or “saved you” when times were tough? Share favorite dog/cat/pet stories.
6. Monica is a fiercely loyal friend with a good heart and the best of intentions, but isn’t the most emotionally sensitive member of the group. How did those two conflicting personality traits play out in the story? By the end of the story, do you think that Grace really did thank Monica for her interference? Do you have a Monica in your life? Does the goodness of her intentions make up for the ham-fisted way she goes about trying to help?
7. Nan has a lot of children, but one “lost sheep. . . .” Dani’s issues seem to have begun when her father died. Nan seems to think she could have done more to help Dani. Do you agree? Discuss the epidemic of depression and drug addiction in family members. In what ways was Nan handling things correctly? What might she have done differently? Should she have opened up about Dani to her closest friends sooner?
8. Grace says, “Sometimes I need a bridge and sometimes I will be a bridge.” Share with your group a time when you either needed a bridge and got it or were able to be a bridge for someone else.
9. Looking back on her life, Grace says, “At every crossroad and crisis, the rescue arrived just in time, the instant I needed it most, not a moment before.” Has this proven true in your life? If so, did you or do you see this as a coincidence or part of a larger plan?
10. In different ways and to varying degrees, Grace, Nan, and Monica each experienced moments of being “stuck” in their grief. How was that evident in each of these characters? Who or what finally helped each of them move through their grief and embrace life more fully?
11. Each of the friends found love again (or love found them)! What love story did you enjoy the most? Share the moment you knew your love was “the one.” Was your story one of love at first sight? Did you find love after a series of “moments”? Or did your love grow over time?
12. Speaking of love, Nan said, “In silence and presence, love is spoken most truly.” Do you agree? What does this mean in your life?
13. Ms. Bostwick sets her novels in various parts of the country. Connecticut is the backdrop of her Cobbled Court Quilts series. Texas, of course, is home to the two “Texas books.” We were in Wisconsin for The Second Sister and Seattle for The Promise Girls. Now we visit Portland, Oregon. Where is your favorite part of the world? In what city or town would you set your own “Great American Novel”?
14. Grace, Nan, and Monica’s life looks completely different on the last page than it did on the first. Grace said, “Staying is not what we are created for.” Talk about your hopes and dreams for yourself and the ones you love most. Did this story make you start thinking about any new career ideas? Travel plans? Love interests? New hobbies to try? Languages to learn?
15. We witnessed each character in the role of care giver: Grace with Jamie, Nan with Dani, Monica with her stepchildren. . . . What are the challenges each one faced and can you relate to them? How do you care for yourself while caring for others?