The River is Waiting, by Wally Lamb

 

Characters
Corbin Ledbetter “Corby” – artist Emily – teacher Maisie Niko   Betsy – Emily’s mom Pat – dad Ana – girlfriend   Vicki - Corby’s mother, smokes marijuana Dad – abusive, college professor   Dr. Beena Patel – grief counselor   Detective Sykes   Bryan – Emily’s future husband	Yates Correctional Institute
	Lieutenant Cavagnero -guard, initial supervisor of grounds’ crew   Albert Liggett “Pug” – first cellmate Manny – second cellmate Wes and Gunner – inmates Jheri Curl – inmate Captain Delia Graham – control desk   Solomon Clapp – Corby asked to look out for him by Cavagnero   Library: Fagie Millman – librarian Javier   Guards on grounds’ crew: Piccardy, Anselmo, Goolsby – guards Piccardy took pleasure in abusing Corby   AA Meeting in prison Javier – leader Jheri Curl – in choir Father Andy - inmate

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.      Emily blames Corby because of the choice he made to drink, take the Ativan, and drive.  Did you think what happened was more or partly an accident?

2.      How do you think Corby would react if the roles were reversed?

3.      When driving home from their first appointment with Dr. Patel, Emily becomes upset, speeds, and swerves into the approaching lane.  How different is this from what Corby did?

4.      What acts of kindness did you find in the book?  For example, when Corby was placed in the psych ward O’Brien spoke kindly to him and said to “Get some sleep” (page 161) and Lieutenant Cavagnero returned to his cell and told him “Keep the faith” (page 157).

5.      It was mentioned several times that Corby’s father may have been abusive.  For example, he had “disturbing dreams: my father screaming at my mother and me as we cower together on the kitchen floor” (page 151) and on page 188 he remembered his father berating him for bringing him the wrong type of screwdriver.  When he was in college his counselor asked, “Have you ever considered that you might have been the victim of verbal abuse?” (page 29).  Do you think that may have played a part in his anxiety, addiction, and accident?

6.      When Corby was up for early release, did you understand why Emily said he could not come home?

7.      Did you like the ending: Corby died from COVID, Emily about to marry Bryan, Emily and Maise going to see Corby’s mural?

8.      Why was there a brief chapter about Dr. Patel at the very end?

9.      Now that you have finished the book, what characters do you remember and were the most interesting and/or memorable for you?

10.  In an interview with Oprah, Wally Lamb said that he starts with a character and with no outline or ending and never knows how the story will unfold.  Do you think he was surprised about where this story took him?

11.  In the interview, Lamb said that initially the novel alternated between chapters from Emily’s and from Corby’s point of view, but his editor suggested that it only be from Corby’s.  Do you think that was a good idea?  Would he have been about to do justice to both sides if he had stayed with his initial plan?

12.  Wally Lamb taught a writing class in a women’s prison as a volunteer for 20 years.  Also, his youngest, adopted, son has gone to prison.  How do you think those experiences may have influenced this book?

13.  In the acknowledgements, the author does not mention any research he did on the topics in the book, for example panic attacks, breathing exercises (pages 118-119) or grounding techniques (page 119).  Do you think he should have or can he just assume the reader will not take anything as fact?

14.  Did your opinion change about Corby as you read his story?

15.  Why do you think Oprah selected this book?

The Briar Club, by Kate Quinn

 

Characters
Briarwood House   Mrs. Nilsson “Doilies” – landlady Pete – son, forced to leave school and work Lina – daughter, mother would not fix lazy eye Mr. Nilsson – kept away by wife   Felicity Orton “Fliss” – 2A Angela – daughter Dan – husband, doctor in Japan Helped Sydney Sutherland get birth control   Reka Muller – 2B – German immigrant Art professor in Germany Otto – husband, deceased Three valuable Klimt sketches stolen from her family during war   Bea Verretti - 3A Phys teacher and sub in Home Economics All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Fort Wayne Daises “The Swinging Sicilian” Seeing Harlan Adams Became scout for Washington Senators   Claire Hallett – 3B Three jobs: Junior assistant to Margaret Chase Smith, errands for Sydney Sutherland, porn model Stealing from housemates   Arlene Hupp – 3C Typist – worked for government	Nora Walsh – 4A Works at National Archives and Crispy Bacon Timothy – brother, policeman, stole her money Siobhan and Timmy Jr. – family Xavier Byrne – gangster, boyfriend Duke – dog     Grace Marsh – 4B Formally Comrade Galina Stepanova – USSR Sent to America as a spy with Kirill Lensky/Bob McDowell Defected Hosted Thursday dinners
	Joe Reiss – neighbor, musician Claude Cormier -drummer, Joe’s band mate, flew with Tuskegee Airmen   Senator Sutherland Barrett – son Had three stolen Klimt sketches Sydney – wife, beaten by Barrett Bear – son   Harlan Adams – worked for FBI, initially dated Arlene but then Bea   Dr. John Rock – Dan Orton’s uncle Pioneer in birth control pill

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 paperback edition.

1.      Discuss your reading experience.  If you read the author’s note before you finished the book, did you obey the first paragraph telling you not to do so?

2.      Did you like the house as a character?

3.      Discuss the other characters.  What was interesting about them?  Were there any you could connect with?

4.      Did you like the fact that there were so many unanswered questions as you were reading such as who the murder victims were and who Kitty was that Grace was writing postcards to?

5.      As you were reading, who did you think were the murder victims?

6.      Were you surprised when you discovered that Claire and Sydney Sutherland were having an affair?

7.      Looking back, what scenes do you remember?  One of my favorites was when Pete was asking about the birth control and Fliss told him that in a few years he would be very happy to know about it (page 410).  Also, I liked how Bea’s housemates all came and taught her Home Economics classes.

8.      There was a lot going on in this book. Did you have any trouble keeping everything straight?

9.      I thought a large part of this book was patriotism and appreciation for our country.  When Grace reflected on what she had been told about America she thought, “And once you went looking for the lies, you found them everywhere.  You looked around at a land you’d been told your entire life was filled with enemies and evil and found it instead to be a land of plenty and peace” (page 334).  Do you agree?

10.  There was quite a lot of actual events that happened in America in the book such as Joe McCarthy, JFK’s proposal to Jackie (page 263), and the nuclear bomb test in Nevada (page 187).  Did that add to your reading?

Did you try, or are you tempted, to make any of the recipes included in the book?

My Name is Emilia del Valle, by Isabel Allende

 

Characters
Emilia del Valle Molly Walsh – former nun Francisco Clara “Papo” – stepfather, raised Emilia Three younger brothers   Brandon J. Price – Emilia’s pen name   Gonzalo Andres del Valle – biological father   The Daily Examiner – newspaper Mr. Chamberlain – editor-in-chief Eric Whelan – reporter   Owen Whelan – Eric’s brother in New York City   Josefa Paolmar – neighborhood gossip	Real people
	Victoria Woodhull – First woman to run for president   Cora Hatch – spiritualist   Omene – exotic dancer
Chile
Gonzalo Andres del Valle – Emilia’s biological father Nina Juanita – land given to Emila by her father   Pauline del Valle – Gonzalo’s aunt, made family fortune Fredrick Williams – husband   Rodolfo Leon – journalist, founded newspaper for government   War in Chile: General Barbosa – leader of government armed forces, supported by US (Emilia reported on this side) Rebels, insurgents – England supported this group, victorious (Eric reported on this side)   Canteen girls Angelita Ayalef – died   Captain Janus – Nina Juanita captain, helped Emilia get to land she inherited   Ailen – new name given to Emilia by natives after she almost died, means luminous and transparent

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.      Before she became a journalist, Emilia successfully wrote dime novels.  How did this influence her work as a columnist?

2.      Eric was a journalist, and Emila was a columnist.  Mr. Chamberlain defined journalism as “based in concrete facts and aimed to objectively inform the public” while a columnist “could be more subjective, providing an interpretation of the events” (page 41).  Have you ever thought about the difference?   

3.      After Emilia had worked for The Examiner for a while, she convinced Mr. Chamberlain to let her do a travel column, crossing the country to New York.  She went there first class, but came home third class, which was very uncomforable.   She said that “the endless days of discomfort allowed each person’s true character to shine through” (page 58).   How well do you think you would handle the discomforts of traveling third class in that time period?  Do we have anything comparable now?

4.      In Chile Eric reported on the rebel forces and Emilia on the government faction.  Were you surprised Emilia was arrested because of who she reported on?   Could she have avoided being arrested?

5.      When you read on page 226 about Emilia and the firing squad, what did you think the rest of the novel would be about?  Where you surprised to read what really happened on page 231?

6.      On her way to find the land from her father, Emilia was overwhelmed by the beauty of the land.  Have you felt those same emotions? 

7.      All through her experiences, Emilia kept notebooks and wrote down everything she experienced.  In talking with Captain Janus, he said “remembering was important, that one had to look to the past to be able to understand the present and face the future” (page 259).  Is that true with you?  Is that true in the larger sense – for a country or a civilization?

8.      How important was the war to the storyline?

9.      The novel was set in the 1870s.  Do you think there are still remote places like Emilia’s property today?  Would you go there?   

10.  Were there any parts of the book you think could have been left out?

11.  After reading the last line, did you think back differently about the novel you just finished? 

Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz

 

Characters
Magpie Murders	Cloverleaf Books
Pye Hall – Saxby-on-Avon Sir Magnus Pye Frances – wife Freddy – son Jack Dartford – affair with Frances   Clarissa Pye – sister, really born first   Mary Blakiston – housekeeper, died falling down steps Matthew – husband, separated Robert – son Tom - younger brother drowned while playing with Robert, parents blamed each other Bella - killed Joy Sanderling – Robert’s girlfriend, works for Dr. Redwing   Brent – groundskeeper, Pye Hall   Reverand Robin Osborne Henrietta - wife   Dr. Emilia Redwing Arthur – husband, painter Sebastian – son, not in touch Dr. Edgar Rennard – delivered Pye twins   Johnny and Gemma Whitehead – antique shop   Atticus Pund – private detective James Fraser – secretary and assistant   Dingle Dell – woodland, Magnus Pye might be sold for new development   Raymond Chubb – police detective	Charles Clover – owner Elaine – wife Jemima – secretary Bella - dog   Alan Conway – author James Taylor – partner, James Fraser modeled after him Melissa – ex wife The Slide – unpublished book   Donald Leigh – waiter who dropped plates, Alan stole his book idea   Susan Ryeland – Head of Fiction Andreas - boyfriend

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2017 hardback edition.

1.      Did you like how Susan Ryeland organized the characters and clues on pages 6 – 11?  Did you pick up on all the clues she listed?

2.      Mary Blakiston kept a diary of the faults of everyone in the village.   Have you ever met someone who collected “bad” things about other people and enjoyed it?  (No names!!)  Why do you think she did that and why did it bring her pleasure?

3.      Did you like all of the references to other books, TV shows, and movies such as “Midsomer Murders?”  Horowitz wrote some of the scripts for that movie.

4.      Matthew Prichard (pages 92 – 96) is a real person and is the only grandchild of Agatha Christie.  Did you pick up on any of the hidden references to Agatha Christie?

5.      “Why is it that we have such a need for murder mystery and what is it that attracts us – the crime or the solution?” (page 70).

6.      Susan Ryeland thought, “Whodunnits are all about truth: nothing more, nothing less.  In a world full of uncertainties, is it not inherently satisfying to come to the last page with every i dotted and every t crossed?” (page 183).  Do you think this is a reason for their popularity?

7.      Conway did not like his main character, Atticus Pund, and in fact planned the clue in the book titles as well as the anagram of his name (Atticus Pund = a stupid c---) from the very beginning.  He said that many authors grew to hate their main characters, including Agatha Christie and Poirot.  If this is true, how do you think they coped to continue writing?

8.      Were you surprised at the solutions to both the crime in Magpie Murders and the one in the publishing part of the book?  Did you guess them ahead of time?

9.      Did you read the story straight through or skip to the end to finish the novel?

10. Did you like the novel and the way it was organized?  Why or why not?

The Wager, by David Grann

 

Initial group of ships – August 23, 1740
Centurian – squadron’s flagship, heading around Cape Horn to attack Spain, returned to England June 15, 1744 with Spanish treasure George Anson – captain Reverand Richard Walter – published book about his account Pascoe Thomas – ship’s schoolmaster, published book with his account   Gloucester – leaking, buried at sea, April 1743   Pearl – turned back   Severn – turned back   Trial – abandoned April 1743   The Wager – separated from other ships David Cheap – captain after first captain, Kidd, died Robert Baynes – lieutenant, second-in-command John Byron – midshipman, age 16 John King – boatswain Master Clark -navigator Thomas Maclean – cook John Bulkeley – gunner, kept a journal throughout ordeal, published book based on journal   Anna and Industry -cargo ships accompanying squadron, Industry sent back after supplies gone, Anna abandoned because of leakage
April 10, 1741 – Wager separated from squadron May 14 – Wager hit rocks and broke apart Speedwell – ship built from parts of main ship
Groups of survivors returning to England
March 1742	January 1, 1743	March 1746	July 1746
Baynes – wanted to be the first to return and plant blame elsewhere for what happened	Bulkeley – A Voyage to the South-Seas, in the Years 1740-1 Cummins	David Cheap Thomas Hamilton John Byron   Campbell – initially stayed behind but then returned to England	Isaac Morris and two others John Duck – free black man, sold into slavery upon return Morris and 7 others had been left behind when sent to island from Speedwell to gather supplies

 

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.      In the author’s note at the beginning, Grann wrote “I’ve tried to present all sides, leaving it to you to render the ultimate verdict – history’s judgement” (page xiii).  Who, if anyone, is to blame for what happened?

2.      When there was a shortage of trained seamen, the ships were fully staffed in a variety of ways: “press gangs” kidnapped men on the street, cities sent their undesirables and prisoners, and raw recruits who had never been on a ship.   What did you think of this practice?  Was there any alternative?

3.      John Byron, age 16, was a midshipman on The Wager.  His sleeping space was “a glorious seven inches more room than was allotted to ordinary seamen” (page 27).  The author commented “As on land, there was a premium on real estate, and where you lay your head marked your place in the pecking order” (pages 27-28).  Is it the same today?  Does space equal privilege or status?

4.      The author told the reader on page 29 that John Byron would become the grandfather to poet Lord Byron.  How did this foreknowledge of John’s fate affect your reading, if at all?  Why do you think the author gave you that knowledge when he did?

5.      The author credited this time period and sailing ships as the beginning of many terms we use today: “toe the line, pipe down, scuttlebutt, three sheets to the wind, and turn a blind eye” (page 35).  Were you surprised to learn this?

6.      In the end there was no decision at the court martial hearings.  “There was not even a hearing on whether any of the men had been guilty of desertion or quarreling with a superior officer” (page 241).  Do you agree that no one was really at fault?

7.      Why did some men survive while others perished?  Was it good general overall health, stamina, or just luck?  How do you think the survivors felt knowing that so many others had perished?

8.      Can we compare the seamen going to sea in the mid 1700’s for an extended period of time to astronauts going to the space station for a long time?  What about the two that were stranded for nine months?

9.      Discuss your reading experience.  Did knowing this was a true story make a difference to your enjoyment or your reading method?

Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler

 

Characters
Moran family	People met during day
Maggie – works in nursing home Ira – owns family frame shop   Jesse – son, divorced, wants to be a musician Fiona – wife  Leroy – daughter   Mrs. Stuckey – Fiona’s mother   Daisy – daughter, freshman in college   Sam – Ira’s father Dorie – sister, mentally handicapped Junie – will not leave house unless in costume	Serena – Maggie’s childhood friend, recreated wedding at funeral Max – husband, attending his funeral Linda – daughter, husband Jeff   High School friends: Sugar Rilg Sissy Parton – played piano Durwood Clegg – sang at funeral with Maggie when Ira refused   Mabel – waitress   Daniel Otis – Maggie told him his front tire was loose Lamont – son, works at gas station Duluth – wife, mad at Daniel for something she dreamed about him

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from 1988 paperback edition.

1.      What did you think about the idea of recreating Serena and Max’s wedding at Max’s funeral?

2.      At the funeral, Serena told Maggie about life, “That’s what it comes down to in the end, willy-nilly: just pruning and disposing” (page 80).  She went on to talk about raising children to survive without you, throwing out their toys, moving to a smaller house, etc.  Do you agree?  Are there some things too special to get rid of?

3.      Were there any parts that you particularly related to?  For example:

a.      Picking at the skin on back of hand and not having it go back immediately

b.      Driving with a map or no map

c.      Striking up in-depth conversations with someone you just met

4.      Daisy asked Maggie, “Mom? Was there a certain conscious point in your life when you decided to settle for being ordinary?” (page 30).  Did you think Maggie was “ordinary” or was there something special about her?  Why couldn’t Daisy see her mother in a different light?

5.      Ira described Maggie as “Not a straight-line kind of person” (page 162).   What did he mean?  Was that a good description?

 

6.      Discuss the characters of Ira and Maggie.  How would you describe their personalities?   At one point, Ira had wanted to become a doctor but had to abandon that dream to take over his father’s shop and support his family.  Maggie was always trying to take care of others and often stepped in and did things her own way.  Would you have liked to know either of them?

7.      Why did Maggie and Ira seem to always/often say the wrong thing or lie?  For example, Maggie told Fiona that Jesse had kept her soapbox and smelled it (pages 305 – 306) and that he was building a cradle for the baby (243).  Ira told Fiona that Jesse is sleeping with the “auto greeter” which was true (page 306).

8.      At one point Ira told Fiona “It’s Maggie’s weakness: She believes it’s all right to alter people’s lives.  She thinks the people she loves are better than they really are, and so then she starts changing things around to suit her view of them” (page 267).    How did you see this in the story?  Is that really so bad?

9.      Regardless of your opinion about abortion, what did you think about Maggie stopping Fiona at the clinic and then promoting her and Jesse to get married?

10.  This book was at times light-hearted and at other times quite deep in its exploration of life.  What parts of the book stuck out to you as meaningful or important?

11.  The story took place over one day, with the characters thinking back and reflecting on what happened in the past.   Were you easily able to follow the storyline?

12.  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?