READERS GUIDE

Featuring a unique cast of close-knit characters, Plant Life will surely delight your reading group. The questions, discussion topics, and author biography that follow are intended to enhance your reading of Pamela Duncan’s Plant Life. We hope they will enrich your experience of this heartfelt novel.

Introduction

With lively storytelling and lyrical depictions, Pamela Duncan, author of Moon Women, has earned comparisons to Fannie Flagg and Rebecca Wells. In Plant Life, her second novel, Duncan explores the fertile territory of family ties and a woman’s search for the truth about love.

Laurel Granger thought she had left behind her tiny hometown of Russell, North Carolina, forever. But when her marriage of more than a decade falls apart, she returns to her mother and father. Taking a job at the local mill, she is drawn to a colorful circle of friends, supportive women from many generations who have their own stories of heroes and heartbreakers to tell. Along the way, Laurel uncovers a few secrets about her mother and grandmother that make her realize the importance of following your dreams–even if they lead you back to the place where they began.

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. What was your reaction to Maw Bert’s prologue, particularly her assertion that women must choose between a college education and marriage?

2. The first chapter opens in one of Laurel’s favorite locales—the grocery store. What makes this such a telling—and entertaining—setting for her showdown with Scott and his new wife?

3. One of the most striking aspects of the Russell residents is their high rate of lifelong commitments, such as Dan and Pansy’s thirty-nine-year marriage, and Idalene’s intention to continue working at the plant until age seventy-five. In your opinion, does this trait always indicate contentment? Do you prefer to stay the course or change paths often? Discuss the factors that have contributed to your most significant life decisions.

4. Compare Hap to Joe. What does each man offer Laurel? Why is she hesitant to get serious with either of them?

5. What does Laurel discover about herself as a result of working at the plant and associating with her mother’s friends?

6. The theme of poverty subtly recurs throughout Plant Life; hard economic times force Dill to sell off much of his prized land, while the need for reliable income causes many of the characters to put their dreams on hold. What does Pamela Duncan convey about the economic history of this region? What do her characters have in abundance?

7. How might Pansy’s life have been different had she been born after the 1970s? Do you attribute the quashing of her talent to the time period of her youth, or to Maw Bert’s overprotectiveness?

8. Do you believe Maw Bert’s justification for destroying the charity doll to which Pansy was so attached? Why was Maw Bert so certain that Pansy would never be able to attain the things she craved as a young girl?

9. What is the significance of the novel’s title? How do some of the characters’ names (for example, Laurel and Pansy) reflect their personalities? What are some examples?

10. Consider the spectrum of relationships presented in Plant Life, ranging from supportive marriages to abusive ones and Idalene’s satisfying affair with Mr. Arthur. What insight can be drawn from these widely varied couples?

11. Discuss the concept of home as portrayed in Plant Life. What does it take for the central characters to feel securely rooted? What does Idalene’s bequest to Laurel represent, besides material comfort?

12. What does Pansy’s painting of the cornfield indicate about her notion of love and life?

13. Discuss the ways in which work defines these women’s lives. How does it shape their identities and interactions? What is its role in their sense of “community?”

14. In what ways are the female characters in Plant Life similar and dissimilar to those in Moon Women? How do you think the central characters in both novels might react to each other?

About this Author

Pamela Duncan is also the author of Moon Women, a Delta trade paperback that was a Southeast Booksellers Association Award Finalist. She lives in Graham, North Carolina.


From the Hardcover edition.