READERS GUIDE

1. As the novel opens, Abbey is insisting that her mother try to move on after the death of her husband. Do you think that Abbey is being reasonable? Is she asking too much too soon? Do we, as a society, put too much pressure on the bereaved in terms of “moving on”?

2. When the earthquake strikes, Abbey and Tom ask Judy if she could look after their children while they go to Nicaragua to help the injured. Judy agrees. Even though it works out fine for her in the end, do you think her decision was foolhardy? Do you think her daughter and her husband were being selfish?

3. Abbey and Tom want their son to be a chess champ. They are pushing both children to do many after school activities so they get into good colleges. Do you think the parents are right, or are children pushed too much these days?

4. Judy doesn’t want the children to find out about the horrors of the Nazi period. Her mother, who came out of Germany as a refugee on one of the Kindertransports takes a different view and ends up scaring her granddaughter. Should young children always be protected, or should they be made aware – so long as it’s done with care – that the world isn’t always a good place?

5. After the fireworks incident, Judy’s grandson, Sam, says that he wants nothing more to do with Mason and Tyler. This threatens Judy’s friendship with Ginny. What would you do in these circumstances?

6. Do you sympathize with the way that Judy rejects Mike’s advances at first?

7. Judy supports Sam when he is falsely accused. Do you admire that? Do you think that in real life parents blindly support their children too often and that it leads to conflict among parents? Should parents be more ready to accept that their children are in the wrong sometimes?

8. Mike doesn’t want to take sides with Judy over their grandchildren. But in the end, he does and they end up at odds. Could they have done more to prevent this?