Book Club Questions for Discussion
This week I am proud to have been featured as a guest at the Junior League of Washington’s Book Club. Enjoyed a riveting conversation with all the members in attendance as we discussed the plot elements and themes in Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers. Here I have enclosed those questions for other readers when they want to start their own book clubs.
Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers
Book Discussion Questions
After reading Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers, consider the following questions related to the stories:
1. Consider how the conflict between the stepmother and biological mother is explored in Aisimetra and the Manticore’s Eggs and The Prince Who Learned to Forgive. Most traditional fairy tales do not feature these two characters interacting because the mother is usually dead before the stepmother joins the family. What are the differences in each case? How does the central conflict get resolved?
2. Through the ages there have been many stories that feature symbolic fruit; the apple especially, consider the apple of Eden, the golden apples, the apple of discord, Persephone’s pomegranate and of course, the evil queen’s poison apple. How do they compare with the durian fruit in The Giantess, the Roc, and the Durians, and the soursop fruit in The Ogre’s Wedding or Soursop Stew?
3. Some of the stories in Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers feature eggs. How does the author use the egg as a plot device in Aisimetra and the Manticore’s Eggs, Benevoline and the Dire Crown, The Bird of Many Voices, and The Giantess, the Roc, and the Durians?
4. Throughout the collection, the author features stories with birds and especially raptor birds. Consider the similarities and differences between the bird characters in The Bird of Many Voices, The Giantess, the Roc and the Durians, and The Prince Who Learned to Forgive.
5. The stepmothers in The Dragon Mother and The Giantess, the Roc and the Durians experience a transformation, and both try to fit into a world that wasn’t “big enough” for them. How do they assimilate into their respective communities?
6. Many stepmothers have experienced challenges when bonding with their stepchildren and other relatives within the family. Some of these challenges include but are not limited to isolation, sibling rivalry, imposter syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Consider two or three stories that feature a challenge that many stepmothers face and how did these stepmother characters manage their conflicts?
Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers
Book Discussion Questions
After reading Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers, consider the following questions related to the stories:
1. Consider how the conflict between the stepmother and biological mother is explored in Aisimetra and the Manticore’s Eggs and The Prince Who Learned to Forgive. Most traditional fairy tales do not feature these two characters interacting because the mother is usually dead before the stepmother joins the family. What are the differences in each case? How does the central conflict get resolved?
2. Through the ages there have been many stories that feature symbolic fruit; the apple especially, consider the apple of Eden, the golden apples, the apple of discord, Persephone’s pomegranate and of course, the evil queen’s poison apple. How do they compare with the durian fruit in The Giantess, the Roc, and the Durians, and the soursop fruit in The Ogre’s Wedding or Soursop Stew?
3. Some of the stories in Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers feature eggs. How does the author use the egg as a plot device in Aisimetra and the Manticore’s Eggs, Benevoline and the Dire Crown, The Bird of Many Voices, and The Giantess, the Roc, and the Durians?
4. Throughout the collection, the author features stories with birds and especially raptor birds. Consider the similarities and differences between the bird characters in The Bird of Many Voices, The Giantess, the Roc and the Durians, and The Prince Who Learned to Forgive.
5. The stepmothers in The Dragon Mother and The Giantess, the Roc and the Durians experience a transformation, and both try to fit into a world that wasn’t “big enough” for them. How do they assimilate into their respective communities?
6. Many stepmothers have experienced challenges when bonding with their stepchildren and other relatives within the family. Some of these challenges include but are not limited to isolation, sibling rivalry, imposter syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Consider two or three stories that feature a challenge that many stepmothers face and how did these stepmother characters manage their conflicts?
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