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Andrea Ratcliff
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Stanci
I had this same question! My book club was last night and I never did find a list of questions. So, I wrote my own - sharing here in case anyone find them useful! They're pretty simple, but I was on a time crunch ;)
1. How did you feel about Mary Jane not telling her mother about what was really going on at the Cone’s house? Do you remember the moment when you realized your parents were not perfect?
2. Discuss the Cone’s marriage. Should Richard have picked up on signs earlier that something wasn’t right? Did you pick up on it?
3. What did you think about the Cone’s house?
4. Talk about Mary Jane as the adult figure in the Cone house.
5. Discuss Mary Jane’s relationship with Bonnie and/or Sheba.
6. What did you think about Jimmy and Sheba’s relationship? Were you surprised at the outcome of Jimmy having sex with the neighbor?
7. Was the ending what you expected?
1. How did you feel about Mary Jane not telling her mother about what was really going on at the Cone’s house? Do you remember the moment when you realized your parents were not perfect?
2. Discuss the Cone’s marriage. Should Richard have picked up on signs earlier that something wasn’t right? Did you pick up on it?
3. What did you think about the Cone’s house?
4. Talk about Mary Jane as the adult figure in the Cone house.
5. Discuss Mary Jane’s relationship with Bonnie and/or Sheba.
6. What did you think about Jimmy and Sheba’s relationship? Were you surprised at the outcome of Jimmy having sex with the neighbor?
7. Was the ending what you expected?
Holly
A hearty discussion of the parallels to your own childhood, with respect to the parent child relationship Mary Jane has, would engender lively discussion, especially if the book club members grew up in that time frame.
Gina
I have a discussion guide in the back of my ebook with these questions:
1. Mary Jane is set in 1975, a very different world than the one we live in today. Despite these differences, though, many of the cultural and political issues Mary Jane grapples with ring true in modern day as well. What parallels do you see between the 1970’s and today?
2. At one point Sheba tells Mary Jane she reminds her of herself. Do you agree? Despite their different ways of life, in what ways are they similar? Why do you think Sheba takes a liking to Mary Jane?
3. How do Sheba, Mrs. Cone, Mary Jane’s mother, and Beanie Jones reflect the changing norms for women of the 1970’s?
4.One lesson Mary Jane learns is that “adults weren’t always right and could be just as confused and make just as many mistakes as kids.” How does this make her start to understand and look at the adults in her life differently?
5.How did your family of origin’s mealtime define your family compared to your peers? Were their foods your family ate that no one you knew outside of your family ate? Did you envy the food or meals at any particular friend’s house?
6.Even after everything, Mary Jane worries about the Cones getting divorced because she thinks Izy would be better off growing up with her parents together. Are there limits to Mary Jane’s open-mindedness about unconventional families and ways of life?
7. Dr. and Mrs. Cone seem happier and more in love to Mary Jane than her own parents do, yet they end up separating while Mary Jane’s parents stay together. What do you think this says about each couple’s views on marriage and family life? Do you think things in Mary Jane’s parent’s marriage are likely to change now that her mother has become more open-minded and started spending more time with Mrs. Cone?
8. Part of Mary Jane’s coming of age occurs through her exposure to new kinds of music, particularly rock and roll, folk, and funk. Do you think finding new music is always a part of growing up? Was there music that changed your point of view as a teenager?
9. Many coming of age stories involve characters undergoing dramatic changes to their personalities and lifestyles. But though Mary Jane grows up over the summer and becomes more open-minded in her attitudes, it doesn’t change who she is at heart- she never wavers from her love of singing, cooking and taking care of people. Why do you think it’s important that she stays true to herself, and that the Cones accept and love these parts of her?
10. In a review of the book, the New York Times Book Review declared, “You can watch the movie in your mind.” Who would you cast in the movie version of Mary Jane?
1. Mary Jane is set in 1975, a very different world than the one we live in today. Despite these differences, though, many of the cultural and political issues Mary Jane grapples with ring true in modern day as well. What parallels do you see between the 1970’s and today?
2. At one point Sheba tells Mary Jane she reminds her of herself. Do you agree? Despite their different ways of life, in what ways are they similar? Why do you think Sheba takes a liking to Mary Jane?
3. How do Sheba, Mrs. Cone, Mary Jane’s mother, and Beanie Jones reflect the changing norms for women of the 1970’s?
4.One lesson Mary Jane learns is that “adults weren’t always right and could be just as confused and make just as many mistakes as kids.” How does this make her start to understand and look at the adults in her life differently?
5.How did your family of origin’s mealtime define your family compared to your peers? Were their foods your family ate that no one you knew outside of your family ate? Did you envy the food or meals at any particular friend’s house?
6.Even after everything, Mary Jane worries about the Cones getting divorced because she thinks Izy would be better off growing up with her parents together. Are there limits to Mary Jane’s open-mindedness about unconventional families and ways of life?
7. Dr. and Mrs. Cone seem happier and more in love to Mary Jane than her own parents do, yet they end up separating while Mary Jane’s parents stay together. What do you think this says about each couple’s views on marriage and family life? Do you think things in Mary Jane’s parent’s marriage are likely to change now that her mother has become more open-minded and started spending more time with Mrs. Cone?
8. Part of Mary Jane’s coming of age occurs through her exposure to new kinds of music, particularly rock and roll, folk, and funk. Do you think finding new music is always a part of growing up? Was there music that changed your point of view as a teenager?
9. Many coming of age stories involve characters undergoing dramatic changes to their personalities and lifestyles. But though Mary Jane grows up over the summer and becomes more open-minded in her attitudes, it doesn’t change who she is at heart- she never wavers from her love of singing, cooking and taking care of people. Why do you think it’s important that she stays true to herself, and that the Cones accept and love these parts of her?
10. In a review of the book, the New York Times Book Review declared, “You can watch the movie in your mind.” Who would you cast in the movie version of Mary Jane?
Xander Kennedy
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