Discussion Questions - Choose one or more questions and give your answer in the comment section. Return to comment on other reader's comments.1. Were you surprised to learn that T. Ray used to be different, that once he truly loved Deborah? How do you think Deborah's leaving affected him? Did it shed any light on why T. Ray was so cruel and abusive to Lily?
2. Had you ever heard of "kneeling on grits"? What qualities did Lily have that allowed her to survive, endure, and eventually thrive, despite T. Ray?
3. Who is the queen bee in this story?
4. Lily's relationship to her dead mother was complex, ranging from guilt to idealization, to hatred, to acceptance. What happens to a daughter when she discovers her mother once abandoned her? Is Lily right—would people generally rather die than forgive? Was it harder for Lily to forgive her mother or herself?
5. Lily grew up without her mother, but in the end she finds a house full of them. Have you ever had a mother figure in your life who wasn't your true mother? Have you ever had to leave home to find home?
6. What compelled Rosaleen to spit on the three men's shoes? What does it take for a person to stand up with conviction against brutalizing injustice? What did you like best about Rosaleen?
7. Had you ever heard of the Black Madonna? What do you think of the story surrounding the Black Madonna in the novel? How would the story be different if it had been a picture of a white Virgin Mary? Do you know women whose lives have been deepened or enriched by a connection to an empowering Divine Mother?
8. Why is it important that women come together? What did you think of the "Calendar Sisters" and the Daughters of Mary? How did being in the company of this circle of females transform Lily?
9. May built a wailing wall to help her come to terms with the pain she felt. Even though we don't have May's condition, do we also need "rituals," like wailing walls, to help us deal with our grief and suffering?
10. How would you describe Lily and Zach's relationship? What drew them together? Did you root for them to be together?
11. Project into the future. Does Lily ever see her father again? Does she become a beekeeper? A writer? What happens to Rosaleen? What happens to Lily and Zach? Who would Zach be today?
5 comments:
(response to # 1)
I had a difficult time being sympathetic towards T. Ray. My first thoughts were that he probably killed his wife and blamed it on Lily. He was an abusive, angry father so it was difficult for me to see him in a positive light before his wife died.
1. I agree with your sentiments about T.Ray, although there were times I was afraid there would be a revelation putting Deborah in a bad light.
2. Never heard of it....glad my Dad didn't know about it...not that he was cruel, but he did believe in punishment you could feel.
3.man, I don't have my book, but the older sister at the house...
4. Hmmm, I think it is harder to forgive ourselves, because in the end we blame ourselves when we are hurt by others.
5.I have a few sweet ladies who have been like a mother to me, but I have a wonderful mother at home as well.
6. I liked Rosaleen's no nonsense attitude. I couldn't blame her for spitting...I can't imagine being treated that way.
7. No
8. Women have an ability to cut through to the heart of the matter when they are together. I was vital for Lily because she had never known this type of care. Rosaleen loved her, but did not nurture her.
9. I love the thought of a wailing wall. I may start me one.
10. I rooted for them to be together...against the odds.
11. Lily sees her father and ends up helping him when he is down and out. She become a writer, but keeps a few bees around. Rosaleen stays where she is but becomes the voice for freedom. She and Zach become great friends but can't get past that point. I will have to think about who he would be today.
#2 Kneeling in the grits is definitely "cruel and unusual punimshemtn." I have never heard of it.
Lily is has characteristics of a resilient person. Some children would cave, she fights back in her own way. I am not sure, however, that she would escape on her own. By protect Rosaleen, she is protecting herself.
After reading my posted comments, I see that my typing errors are profound. I took a Simply Sleep pill last night, and it left me very droggy.
So who do you think Zach would be today?
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