Discussion Questions: The Orphan's Tale, Becoming Mrs Lewis, The Stranger From the Sea

Discussion questions for The Orphan's Tale

1.Noa gives her newborn away but remains bereft by the loss and tormented by visions of the child. What do you make of her decision?

2.In her own voice, Noa tells us....

I am unfamiliar with infants and I hold him at arm's length now, like a dangerous animal. But he moves closer, nuzzling against my neck.

Talk about the horror of that scene in the " nursery car" (which is historically accurate). What prompts Noa to save a half-dead?

3. What do you make of Astrid, whose voice alternates with Noa's? How has her tumultuous past shaped her character, especially in terms of her ability to trust others?

 Discussion Questions for Becoming Mrs. Lewis

1. Joy's early life was fraught with sickness and rigid family expectations. How did these years shape her love life moving forward? How did these early years influence her newfound friendship with Jack? How did she overcome them to love?

2. When Joy's cousin, Renee moved into the house with her two young children, things began to change. Have you sheltered family members in a time of need, and how did that change your family dynamics?What were your first reactions to Renee moving in?

3. Joy's heartbreak at Bill's announcement that he and Renee were in love was painful. Do you believe it was because she loved Bill? Felt betrayed? That Renee was the "comparison" used all of her life and now that memory surged forward from childhood? have you ever been in a similar circumstance where old heartbreak was relieved in a new form?

Discussion Questions for The Stranger from the Sea

1. Did the book appeal to you? why or why not?

2. Why do you think the author choose the title?

3. What did you think of the character, plot, and theme development?

4. Which parts or aspects of the book didn't you understand?