I’m putting together a reading/book group/club guide for Tied to the Tracks and I thought I’d ask y’all for ideas.
The discussion questions are the biggest challenge. If you’ve got an idea for one, leave it here. In a week or so I’ll pull two names and those people will get a signed copy of TTTT for their very own.
You've stumbled across my official website and landed on the front page of my weblog.My name is Rosina Lippi. I'm a former academic and tenured university professor, writing full time since 2000. Under the pen name Sara Donati I am the author of the Wilderness series, six historical novels that follow the fortunes of a group of families living in upstate New York from about 1792-1825. A new series based on later generations of the same families was launched September 1, 2015 with The Gilded Hour. The next volume in the new series, Where the Light Enters, was released in 2019.
Please see the pinned post for an overview of what you'll find on this weblog, and what has been moved to the wiki (including the FAQ page).
Where and when did Angie meet Rivera?
Thanks for the reminder. I promised Pam questions and then forgot.
What if the location were upper state New York like the Wilderness series, rather than southern Georgia?
What if the time were the early 1800’s like the Wilderness series, rather than the early 2000’s?
Is Patty-Cake’s character necessary to the story? If so, how? If not, why not?
What is Zula’s middle name? What is the significance of that name?
What do Caroline and Rivera’s sexual orientation contribute to the story?
What do you think the interviews at the beginning of the chapter contribute to the structure of the novel?
P. S. No need to put my name in the pot. I already have a signed copy: 10 June 06.
What is the significance of the name Tied to the Tracks?
How many Rose Sisters can you remember distinctly? Why did the author create so many of them?
Would the story have worked in a city or larger town than Ogilvie?
Who would you have chosen to narrate the story? In what person/point of view?
Discuss John’s response to the discussion of Miss Zula in the bar. Why does he react so strongly?
A comparison of TTTT to some of your other work would be interesting.
Or maybe even other authors with similar material.
These are great questions. I’ll add them to the growing list.
Tania would you have any suggestions on which books might work well in a comparison?
I would like to hear a discussion about genres. Would TTTT be considered a romance? (I always love those debates).
Discuss the importance of women and the relationship between women.
What about
If Angie had a faded pink HELLO KITTY t-shirt hanging by her bed instead of Nirvana how does that change your opinion of her?
Here’s one: What is the significance of food (or food preparation) in the novel? Give examples. How do these scenes reflect on gender roles, on race roles, on south/north stereotypes?
Still honing my questioning skills. These are all good questions though.
stephanie, you made me laugh out loud. That’s a great question.
It reminds me of an exercise I sometimes do when I’m teaching, a guy sitting alone at a bar — what kind of beer is he drinking, and what does that mean?
Rachel — the genre question would be interesting to discuss in theoretical terms, sure. I wish I could snap my fingers and banish all genre classifications, but as that isn’t about to happen, and since the bookstores insist on making a decision about where anygiven novel belongs, then I have no objection to calling TTTT a romance. There are multiple romances in it. But it’s also social commentary and (I hope) romantic comedy.
And there’s a bit about a dog.
(Ok, I nicked that from Shakespeare in Love)
what kind of a wedding would john and angie have? where? who would be there?
have you or would you “button” someone? why? would it be obvious?