Over the Thanksgiving holidays, I was blessed to attend my first ever book club meeting as the author of the book the group read that month. It was just so freaking cool!
This group is made up of eight women, all from different backgrounds, jobs, and even ages. They meet over dinner, scrumptious desert, and glasses of wine to discuss the books they read and enjoy each other’s company. If I still lived in New Orleans, this group would have a new member 🙂
Along with discussing the industry, my personal journey to publication, and the research and process I go through to write each of my books (and giving them a sneak peek at the first chapter of book 2, A Tale of Two Centuries!), we moved into discussion questions for the book.
Here are the Discussion Questions we used that night…Feel free to use them within your own reading groups or on your own to prolong your reading enjoyment (*grin*).
If you have any questions to add, please let me know. And I’d love to hear some of your answers to the questions below!
Discussion Questions for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century:
1. The sixteenth century was perfect for Cat, not only because of the ancestors that taught her so much, but because of her tie to the art of that time.
If you could go back in time to any century, when and where would you go?
2. How well would you have fit into the sixteenth century? Do you adjust well to change and new situations, or is it harder for you?
3. Romantic Times Magazine gave My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century their highest rating of 4 ½ stars and said, “Harris’ debut is a knockout. Her characters are charming and wonderfully entertaining, and they’re set in a unique and well-defined world that will capture your imagination from the very first page.”
What part of the world pulled you in the most: the clothing, the mannerisms, the art, or the culture of the sixteenth century?
4. How does the setting of Florence figure into the book? Is it a character in the book? How about the time period? Did it come to life? Did you feel as though you too had traveled to the past?
5. Had Cat traveled to another country, or another time, how would the book be different? What possible lessons or themes could evolve from being sent to the 17th century? 18th? Early 19th? What about Ancient Egypt, or the Middle Ages?
6. NY Journal of Books said, “as much fun as MSSSC is, Ms. Harris has managed to touch on heavier topics, but not in a heavy-handed manner: abandonment, parent-child conflict, and step-parent relationships.”
Which of these areas did you respond to the most? In your opinion, which of these areas did Cat grow the most in response to her time-travel adventure? What does she still need to learn?
7. At a critical turning point in the book, Cat is presented with a choice—run away, not knowing if she would ever be able to go back home if she did or what type of life she would be running to, or stay and face a very scary alternative. If you were in her place, what choice would you have made?
8. Toward the end of the book, Reyna lists several possible themes of the book in explaining why Cat was sent her time travel adventure. What do you think the most important or obvious theme was? Which spoke to you the most?
9. NY Journal of Books said, “the novel highlights the relationships between older men and brides who are essentially still children. This can provide a forum for thought-provoking discussions about the roles of women during different times in history.”
Did you learn anything new about women in history through your reading, or thought about gender relationships in a new way? How are women of today still similar to women of the past?
10. All the main characters—and some of the minor ones—in a Rachel Harris novel deal with the idea of wearing a mask of some kind. Whether it is one worn for a new identity or pretending to be someone we’re not, or guarding ourselves with a false front.
Why did Cat have such a problem maintaining her mask around her ancestors? What does this show about her personality and inner needs? Do you ever wear a mask, and if so, when?
11. How realistic did you find the characters? Would you want to meet any of them? Who was your favorite? Who did you relate to the most? Who did you hate? Was Antonia a true villain, or did she have reasons for her actions?
12. How important was the symbol of the pear in the story? How about the David statue or the art in general? How did they effect the story, drive the story, and define the story? How did they define Cat?
13. Did the book end the way you expected? What did you think the package from Reyna would be?
14. Looking ahead to the sequel, what situations and potential conflicts do you imagine will result based on the ending of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century?
