Heartbroke Bay, by Lynn D'Urso

Characters
Hannah Butler Victoria Lady Hamilton Bernard – LH’s personal Butler Poppa Butler – Hannah’s father John Nightwatch – proposed husband in England	Hans Nelson Harky Uliah Witt Michael Severts Dutch Lituya Bay: Negook – Tlingit Bear God Kah-Lituya

For discussion:

1. Why did Hannah marry Hans?  Why was she so loyal?  How can you explain her actions of blindly following him, giving him her money, and never voicing her opinions?

2. On page 67 of the paperback, the author describes the difference between men and women  this way:
1. Women need security.  They want to have homes, have children.
2. Men are more driven, somehow.  They build the nest to get the girl, not for want of a nest.  That’s what all this chasing after gold is about, running crazy to get rich.

Do you agree?

3. Discuss the Indian beliefs, especially regarding while people.      Were the Indians or the white people the more sympathetic characters, more intelligent characters?

4. Compare passages from page 91 (landscape description) and page 12 (typical romantic novel love scene).     Do you think the writing was even throughout the novel?  Did the author do a better job writing about the land or the characters and their relationships?

5. The title was explained on page 49 of the paperback.  What does it mean to be “heartbroke?”

6. Given that the author is an Alaska-based nonfiction writer, did you like the way he/she described the land, the characters, and their experiences?

7. Discuss the end of the story. 

1. Were Dutch and Harky plotting against Hans and Hannah and Michael saved them?
2. Do you think Michael would have continued killing and killed Hans?
3. Discuss Hans’s treatment of Michael when he was held captive.  Was that justified or overly cruel?
4. Discuss Hannah’s reaction – her insistence on having a formal court of law and trial, helping hasten Michael’s death when he was hung

8. Vocabulary:
1. Moue – page 14
2. Dudgeon  – page 16
3. Bedlamite – page 166