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1. Early on it is clear
that Addie has a rebellious streak, joining the library group and
running away to Rockport Lodge. Is Addie right to disobey her parents?
Where does she get her courage?
2. Addie’s mother refuses to see Celia’s death as anything but an
accident, and Addie comments that "whenever I heard my mother’s version
of what happened, I felt sick to my stomach" (page 94). Did Celia commit
suicide? How might the guilt that Addie feels differ from the guilt her
mother feels?
3. When Addie tries on pants for the first time, she feels emotionally
as well as physically liberated, and confesses that she would like to go
to college (page 108). How does the social significance of clothing and
hairstyle differ for Addie, Gussie, and Filomena in the book?
4. Diamant fills her narrative with a number of historical events and
figures, from the psychological effects of World War I and the pandemic
outbreak of influenza in 1918 to child labor laws to the cultural impact
of Betty Friedan. How do real-life people and events affect how we read
Addie’s fictional story?
5. Gussie is one of the most forward-thinking characters in the novel;
however, despite her law degree she has trouble finding a job as an
attorney because "no one would hire a lady lawyer" (page 145). What
other limitations do Addie and her friends face in the work force? What
limitations do women and/or minorities face today?
6. After distancing herself from Ernie when he suffers a nervous episode
brought on by combat stress, Addie sees a community of war veterans come
forward to assist him (page 155). What does the remorse that Addie later
feels suggest about the challenges American soldiers face as they
reintegrate into society? Do you think soldiers today face similar
challenges?
7. Addie notices that the Rockport locals seem related to one another,
and the cook Mrs. Morse confides in her sister that, although she is
usually suspicious of immigrant boarders, "some of them are nicer than
Americans" (page 167). How does tolerance of the immigrant population
vary between city and town in the novel? For whom might Mrs. Morse
reserve the term "Americans"?
8. Addie is initially drawn to Tessa Thorndike because she is a Boston
Brahmin who isn’t afraid to poke fun at her own class on the women’s
page of the newspaper. What strengths and weaknesses does Tessa’s
character represent for educated women of the time? How does Addie’s
description of Tessa bring her reliability into question?
9. Addie’s parents frequently admonish her for being ungrateful, but
Addie feels she has earned her freedom to move into a boarding house
when her parents move to Roxbury, in part because she contributed to the
family income (page 185). How does the Baum family move to Roxbury show
the ways Betty and Addie think differently than their parents about
household roles? Why does their father take such offense at Harold
Levine’s offer to house the family?
10. The last meaningful conversation between Addie and her mother turns
out to be an apology her mother meant for Celia, and for a moment during
her mother’s funeral Addie thinks, "She won’t be able to make me feel
like there’s something wrong with me anymore" (page 276). Does Addie
find any closure from her mother’s death?
11. Filomena draws a distinction between love and marriage when she
spends time catching up with Addie before her wedding, but Addie
disagrees with the assertion that "you only get one great love in a
lifetime" (page 289). In what ways do the different romantic experiences
of each woman inform the ideas each has about love?
12. Filomena and Addie share a deep friendship. Addie tells Ada that
"sometimes friends grow apart…But sometimes, it doesn’t matter how far
apart you live or how little you talk—it’s still there" (page 283). What
qualities do you think friends must share in order to have that kind of
connection? Discuss your relationship with a best friend.
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