The Valley of Decision, Marcia Davenport

 

Characters
Scott Family	Others
William – father Clarissa – mother   William Jr. Julia Gaylord – wife William III – son Angelica – daughter   Paul Louise Kane – wife, suicide Dickie – died in war ·       Ruth – wife ·       children Tommy - wounded in war Teddy – Tommy’s twin ·       Lauchlan – wife ·       Paul and Peggy - children   Elizabeth Ben Nicholas – husband Benjamin Jr. – son, wants to sell steel to Germans   Constance Giles Whitfield-Moulton – husband Clarissa “Clarrie” – died in childbirth ·       Evan Gregory – husband, died in war ·       Claire – daughter, married Anton   Edgar – 1900, Benedictine monk, gave ½ of shares to Constance and ½ to Mary	Rafferty Family Pat – father Mary Kathleen “Kate” Bridget - missing James – brother - organized Amalgamated union in mills, saved William Jr. life in mill. Killed William Sr.   Liska Family Charlie Liska – “Hunkie,” promoted by Paul to skilled position in mill Julka – wife Jerry – son Anton Hrdlicka – son, musician, met and married Claire in Czechoslovakia   Seldon Middleton – tried to broker sale of mill   Amalgamated Mamas   Jack Thomas - reporter

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 1989 paperback edition.

1.       When William came to the mill to see the first pouring in April 1880, he did not know where to walk and would have been killed if James Rafferty had not saved him.  Who was at fault?  Was it the father and Paul’s fault for not telling him what was happening and safely inviting him to come?

2.       Paul married Louise to preserve the legacy of the mill.  Would it have been possible for Paul and Mary to actually marry or for Paul and Louise to be happy?

3.       What did you think about Louise?  Was it fair to marry her when Paul was in love with Mary?  From the author’s description, would she have been able to function on her own or did she also need Mary?

4.       Why did Giles marry Constance and why did she marry him? When Mary came to England to help Constance, she gave Mary Giles’ dressing room.  When he complained, she replied, “I’ve been in this country long enough to find out how you bully your wives.  Well, just remember you’ve married an American.  And you’ll soon begin to find out what you’re in for!” (page 99).  Did Giles have any idea what he had done? 

5.       How would you describe Constance?  Driven, frivolous, selfish, a good friend and daughter?  What were her positive and negative characteristics? 

6.       What did you think happened between Edgar and Bridget, Mary’s sister?  Edgar said to Mary, “Every time I looked at you, I thought about what I’d done” (page 280). Would it have been different if Bridget was not Mary’s sister?

7.       Edgar told Mary, “you’re the living personification of everything saintly and good” (page 280).   Mary’s reply was, “But I’m not, I’m no different – from – you – from anybody – Holy Mother, we’re all alike” (page 281).  Were they all alike or was Mary “better” than the others?

8.       When Jim murdered William Scott on the bridge, who was at fault?   Should Jim have known the rumors were false and ignored them?  Did he have to shoot?

9.       Paul had a negative view of Phipps and Carnegie.  He told Selden Middleton that his father, “saw Carnegie crush and swallow up two of the most brilliant men in Pittsburgh.  That was the beginning.”  William felt so strongly about them because they “used the iron business as they did.  They used it to amass money and power for themselves.  They used it to kill competition” (page 305).  We tend to idolize Carnegie because of the libraries, so what did you think about this view presented in the novel?

10.   Obviously, Mary and the mill are the themes running through the entire book.  In 1918, looking back Paul said, “Only Mary and the mill have the qualities she stubbornly believes we have – as a family.  And she has pumped those qualities into us. She has always fought to protect the family and keep it the thing she believed or wanted it to be” (page 457).  What would the family have become without Mary?

11.   What did you think about the descriptions of “Hunkies” in Pittsburgh and also the difference between Slovaks and Czechs?

12.   Did reading Claire’s experiences and accounts of Germany in the mid-1930s change or expand your knowledge of the German people?  In this same vein, did you gain any new insight into the immigrant experience in Pittsburgh, especially how the “Hunkies” were treated?

13.   When Claire met Anton again in 1936, she thought he had found the secret to happiness.  He “had not only not eaten out his heart in futile protests that he could not be a virtuoso.  He had made the very best of his talent and in doing so had opened up the far richer, deeper well of creative genius” (page 533).  How would you translate his story into advice for a young person today?

14.   In talking with Claire, Julka defined courage and obedience on page 612 as:

a.       Obedience – “…how to obey a cruel command when the reason for it is a good reason…”

b.       Courage – “…to make decisions against everything you want.”

c.       How did Julka, Clair and Mary exhibit these qualities in their lives?

d.       Did any of the other characters?  How or how not?

15.   In the end, would Paul be considered a good business man?  In 1901 he could have sold the mill to US Steel, made a lot of money for everyone, and, according to Constance’s idea, been able to pursue his passion for metallurgy at a high salary.

16.   Marcia Davenport lived in Pittsburgh for only about two years in her early twenties.   How much do you think living in Pittsburgh added to your enjoyment of the novel?

The Miracles of Santo Fico, D. L. Smith

 

Characters

Father Elio Caproni Marta Caproni Fortino – widow, married to Franco Carmen – daughter Nina – daughter, blind Albergo di Santo Fico – hotel owned by Marta   Leo Pizzola Franco Fortino – married to Marta, killed in motorcycle accident, having an affair Guido Pasolini “Topo”   Maria Gamboni – weekly confessor Enrico – plumber, husband, reappeared after disappearing 30 years ago   Angelica Giancarlo – spied on by Leo while bathing, owned beauty parlor   Nonno – thought Leo was his youngest son, had gone with man during German occupation to shut off water to fountain, forgot where valve was   Solly Puce – mailman, twitch, romancing Carmen   Paolo Lambolo – family grazed horses on Leo’s land   The Miracles: Duke Casimo healed St. Francis of Assisi and fig tree – tree bore fruit daily as long as St. Francis was alive   The Mystery: Fresco painted in church – artist a mystery, did not age like other frescos

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       Discuss Marta, Carmen and Nina and their characters from Father Elio’s point of view:

a.       Marta – “humorless, slightly dangerous” (page 84) and “turned to stone” (page 85) after circumstances of Franco’s death.

b.       Carmen – “breath of fresh air…faint scent of brimstone…touch of wickedness” (page 85).

c.       Nina – “Elio recognized in her the hand of God” (page 86) and she “lived a life of grace: a grace he did not possess” (page 87).

2.       Discuss Leo’s character.  Was he a positive or negative character in the novel?

a.       He stole the fresco.

b.       With Topo’s help he devised the scheme to charge the tourists to tour the church and hear the story of the Miracles and the Mystery.

c.       Initially he lied to Father Elio about amount, and kept the extra, but later gave him the correct amount.

d.       He spied on Angelica while she was swimming (although she knew about it!).

3.       Do you think Leo purposefully manipulated everyone or was this just his personality?  For example, he always got Topo to do what he wanted, he arranged for Carmen to meet both Solly and Paolo at Brusco Point which could have been dangerous, and he tried to have Father Elio experience a miracle.  Again, was this positive of negative?

4.       How important was the character of Topo (Guido Pasolini) to the story?  On page 26, the author wrote about Topo’s idea to tell the story to the stranded English tourists, “Who could foresee such a harmless notion bringing such a world of trouble?”  Was it so terrible in the end?

5.       There were many secrets hidden by characters in the novel.  Which ones were eventually revealed?  Were you satisfied with the answers?  Were there other things in the novel that you felt were unresolved?

a.       Father Elio – He hoped God would forgive him for “his terrible sin” (page 2).

b.       Nonno – On page 151 he told Leo he was “sorry about the mountains.  I should have just crawled under the snow and stayed with you and your brother.  Everything’s been bad since I left you.”

c.       Nonno – “Why he bore a personal guilt about the fountain’s missing water was a mystery” (page 129).

6.       Why do you think restoring the water in the fountain had such an impact on the life of the town?

7.       Were you surprised to discover that the artist Giotto Di Bondone died 200 years before the church was built?  Who do you think painted the fresco?

8.       This book was published in 2003.  When you read about Leo’s experience as an alter boy for Father Elio, the author wrote, “Leo had always considered Father Elio to be God’s hand on earth; he’d certainly felt that hand across the back of his head and regions further south enough times” (page 89).  Remembering the publication date, what do you think the author meant?  What was your first thought?

9.       What was your favorite part of the book?

10.   Did you like the ending?  Was it satisfying?  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?