1. Published books are mentioned throughout the novel--from The Great Gatsby to The Bell Jar to To Kill a Mockingbird. What role do these titles play in The Wednesday Sisters? Why do you think each of the "Sisters" chose the "model book" she did? What book would you choose?
2. If the Miss America pageant is one recurring motif in the novel, the space program is another. What similarities and differences do you see in the way the author uses these two iconic slices of Americana?
3. Why do you think the author chose to set the book in the era that she does? How might the story be different if it were set in present day? In a major city or very small town, rather than middleclass suburban Palo Alto, CA?
4. Why do you think the author chose to set the climax of her novel on the set of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson? How did this scene compare to the Miss America pageants throughout the novel?
2. If the Miss America pageant is one recurring motif in the novel, the space program is another. What similarities and differences do you see in the way the author uses these two iconic slices of Americana?
3. Why do you think the author chose to set the book in the era that she does? How might the story be different if it were set in present day? In a major city or very small town, rather than middleclass suburban Palo Alto, CA?
4. Why do you think the author chose to set the climax of her novel on the set of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson? How did this scene compare to the Miss America pageants throughout the novel?