In The Unlikely Lavender Queen, journalist Jeannie Ralston shares the story of how she went from being a single, driven New York City career woman to a married lavender farmer living in rural Texas. Describing her transition from city mouse to country mouse, and recalling the hilarity and poignancy it brought, Ralston touches upon many themes including self-worth, identity, reconciling big-city dreams with small-town ideals, and the competing interests that sometimes complicate a marriage.

1. The book opens with two quotations, one from Henri Matisse and the other from Alice Walker. Discuss what each means in the context of Jeannie Ralston’s story. Why do you think she chose these particular quotes?
2. In the Prologue, Ralston describes her maiden morning as a farmer, and juxtaposes it with a memory of her life in New York: “I recalled one of the last times I was out at this hour, years earlier. It was on the other side of sleep, right after a New Year’s Eve party, as I was stumbling through SoHo with my then-fiancé.” Have you ever had moments when your current life seems at odds with your past? How does it make you feel? Do you long for the past, or have you “moved on?”
3. Before reading The Unlikely Lavender Queen, did you know anything about botanical farming? What did you learn? Do you think you could be a farmer like Ralston?

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