Unfolding through the eyes of a perceptive little boy, When We Were Romans showcases the captivating storytelling power of award-winning novelist Matthew Kneale. Narrating a trip you will not soon forget, nine-year-old Lawrence describes the day his mother whisked him and his sister from their home in Britain to Rome. His adventure becomes a poignant path of discovery about his parents, and a quest to understand his place in their hearts. The questions and discussion topics that follow are intended to enhance your reading of Matthew Kneale’s When We Were Romans.
How does Lawrence see the difference between men’s roles and women’s roles? How does he cope with feeling like the man of the family (with tremendous responsibility) as well as his mother’s very young son (with little control over his circumstances)?
How did your perception of Hannah change throughout the novel? Did you trust her husband?
Christina Schwarz, author of the New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club pick Drowning Ruth, once again turns her storytelling eye to the evocative landscape of Wisconsin, where life is not as simple–or as innocent–as it seems. Beautifully tracing the emotional labyrinth of a marriage on the brink of collapse, So Long at the Fair is the story of a man struggling to choose between the wife he still loves and the mistress he desires. The questions and topics that follow are intended to enhance your reading.
So Long at the Fair reveals the perspectives of multiple characters and dual timelines. In what way did this enhance your reading? How would the storytelling have been affected if you had just seen Jon’s point of view?
Jon is portrayed as a perfectionist who is compulsively clean and organized. Yet there are glimpses of areas in his life that defy this, such as an unorganized desk drawer, a car glove box in disarray, and his tendency to misquote the lyrics of well-known songs. What is the significance of these contradictions?
The author of the bestselling Leonardo’s Swans traverses the centuries into the hearts of two extraordinary women to reveal the passions, ambitions, and controversies surrounding the Elgin Marbles.
Filled with evocative descriptions of Cambridge, past and present, of seventeenth-century glassmaking, alchemy, the Great Plague, and Newton’s scientific innovations, Ghostwalk centers on a real historical mystery that Rebecca Stott has uncovered, involving Newton’s alchemy. A riveting literary thriller, Ghostwalk is a rare debut that will change the way most of us think about scientific innovation, our perception of time, and the force of history.
Before her death, Elizabeth tells Lydia, “Cambridge is just a palimpsest”–a word meaning a parchment that has been written on, scraped off, and used again. What does she mean by this? How does that metaphor figure in the construction of the novel? Could the metaphor of the palimpsest represent anything else in the novel other than the city?
At Elizabeth’s memorial service, Cameron reads lines from the Wallace Stevens poem, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”:
When the blackbird flew out of sight
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.
How are these lines relevant to Elizabeth’s death? What edges of circles, or intersecting lives and stories, does Elizabeth now mark even though she has disappeared from sight?
“I try to carry a Pocket Journal Moleskine with me at all times to be ready to write or sketch…I started sketching Mr. Fooster in October 2005 shortly after Tom Corwin presented me with his initial draft of the text. I eventually decided to do pen-and-ink drawings rather than my more graphic style that I employ in my commercial work. Pen-and-ink seemed to be appropriate to the journal quality of the story and the romance of the character.” To read more about Craig’s illustrations and Moleskine Journals, click here. Visit moleskine.com.
Rave reviews for Mr. Fooster:
“This tasty little novella is a wonderful little read, easily devoured in one sitting, though it stays with you after you put the book down.” — Comics Waiting Room 3.0
“There is a clever equilibrium between shear simplicity and profound meaning that is sure to provoke emotion from you.” —Static Multimedia
Q: Some readers of The Palace of Illusions will be encountering the Mahabharat for the first time. Please explain exactly what it is and what significance it has in Indian culture. Are there any analogous texts in Western literature?
Chitra: The Mahabharat is an ancient Indian epic, similar to Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey. It is a very famous story. Most people in India, even those who cannot read or write, would know this story of a great war because it is passed on orally from generation to generation. Like the Iliad, the Mahabharat has literally hundreds of characters and tells the complicated, fascinating story of a great war. One of my challenges was to be true to the original story while changing the focus and the significance of actions and characters, to suggest different motives, and to create intimate moments to give us a whole different understanding of Panchaali’s character. (more…)
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages ISBN: 978-0385520744 Pub Date: August 7, 2007 Price: $25.00 (list) Buy now from an online store Expand below for the complete Q&A.
Luke Epplin (Editor): You’re a prize-winning author and a practicing physician. Did you want to be a doctor or a writer growing up? How did you manage to do both careers?
Kevin Patterson: I came to do both fairly accidentally. My twin brother was the one who was destined to be a physician. I was a disengaged metal-headed high school student in the power mechanics career stream, when I came home from school one day and realized that giggling, high, under a car every day was probably not a realizable life ambition. (more…)
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“I try to carry a Pocket Journal Moleskine with me at all times to be ready to write or sketch…I started sketching Mr. Fooster in October 2005 shortly after Tom Corwin presented me with his initial draft of the text. I eventually decided to do pen-and-ink drawings rather than my more graphic style that I employ in my commercial work. Pen-and-ink seemed to be appropriate to the journal quality of the story and the romance of the character.” To read more about Craig’s illustrations and Moleskine Journals, 
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
