Book Discussion

General Book Discussion Ideas for any Michener Novel

Examining the book

1. How does the title relate to the book?
2. How believable are the characters? Which character do you identify with?
3. What makes the protagonist sympathetic, or unsympathetic?
4. Why do certain characters act the way they act? Does she have an ax to grind, a political ideology, religious belief, or psychological disorder?
5. What does the character mean when he says "..."? How does Michener use certain words and phrases differently than we would normally use them? Does Michener make up new words and, if so, why?
6. Are the plot and subplots believable and interesting? What loose ends, if any, did Michener leave?
7. How is the book structured? Flashbacks? Multiple points of view? Why do you think Michener chose to write the book this way?
8. How does the arrangement of the book help or detract from the ideas it contains?
9. What types of symbolism do you find in this novel? What do these objects really represent? How do characters react to and with these symbolic objects?
10. What themes - motherhood, self-discovery, wilderness - recur throughout the book?
11. How is the setting of the book important to the theme?
Drawing conclusions
1. What is the great strength - or most noticeable weakness - of the book?
2. What did Michener attempt to do in the book? Was he successful?

Thinking outside the book
1. What is Michener's worldview?
2. Does this book fit into or fight against a literary genre? Does this book typify a regional (southern, western) novel?
3. Does the book address broader social issues? Does Michener take a stance on, for example, anarchy versus capitalism? How is a particular culture or subculture portrayed?
4. Where could the story go after the book ends? What is the future of these characters' lives? What would our lives be like if we lived in this story?
5. How does this book compare to other books you've read? Would it make a good movie? Is there a film adaptation of this book? What is brought out or played down in the film version?

Source: Seattle Public Library