Book Club and Reading Group Guide
Topics for Discussion "What the Heart Knows"
- What are the dynamics of a small town? What is nurturing and supportive
about a small town? What is intrusive and destructive? Do people have
an absolute right to privacy? When should privacy take a back seat
to "public good"?
- Why do people keep journals? Why does Samantha keep a journal? What
function does journal writing perform in her life? Is Samantha in
crisis? At what point have we encountered her in her life? Have you
ever kept a journal? What did it do for you?
- Is Chris careful or foolhardy? Does she place her job or her personal
life first? Was her trip to the Clarke house impetuous or well calculated?
Should a journalist do almost anything to get at the truth?
- Why is Jack so angry? What in his background might have happened
to Jack to cause his emotionally abusive behavior toward the people
in his life? Would you agree Jack is a "head" person rather
than a "heart" person?
- What makes an artist essentially different from other people? As
an artist, what are Miranda's priorities? Do you believe Miranda "makes"
things happen with her paintings?
- Why do some women manipulate every personal and business relationship?
What are Zelda's motives? What's her history? Why is Cynthia so calculating
at such a young age?
- What is Zack's attraction to Cynthia? What is his ambivalence toward
her? What attracts him about Miranda?
- How does a person tell whether or not they've met the "right" person?
Is Miranda responding to a deep and soulful recognition when she meets
Zack? Is she wise in pursuing a relationship with him, or is she treading
on dangerous ground?
- As a former journalist who wrote for the Associated Press, The Financial
Times of London, Rolling Stone, the Christian Science Monitor, and
the Mainichi Daily News, Mara Purl was trained to do extensive research
and to report accurately. How might her journalistic background have
influenced her as a novelist?
- What does YOUR heart know? Does important information come to you
through both head and heart? What do you do with "heart"
information - ignore it, or pay attention to it? As the title for
the first of a series of twelve books, is it possible this is a theme
for Milford-Haven itself, and everyone who's drawn to the town?
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