The Rose of Winslow Street Discussion Guide

I've always wanted to answer the discussion questions found inside the books. They are so interactive with the book, and designed for reading groups. I think half of the fun in those questions is sharing the answers with other people. 

I don't belong to a book club, and with the amount of books I have to review, I wouldn't be able to do a book club. So I figured that we could all answer the questions. If this works out well, we can do it regularly. 

How it works:

I will post the questions from the back of the book. If you've read the book, or even if you haven't read the book, feel free to answer any or as many of the questions that you want to. 

To answer one of the questions, comment on the post below. When you comment, make sure to put the question number before your answer so all of us will know which question you're answering. 


Warning: If you haven't read the book, there may be some spoilers. 

Feel free to interact with each other and get to know one another through these fun questions. 


Book

The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden 


Discussion Questions 


1. Libby feels flawed because of her illiteracy, but learns to accept herself by the end of the book. Do you have a physical or psychological characteristic with which you struggle? Have you ever considered if there may be an upside to the problematic trait?

2. Early in the novel, Michael instructs his children not to run from a fight. Given the circumstances, was this the right thing to do? Would his advice have been difficult if he had daughters rather than sons?

3. The townspeople were sympathetic to Professor Sawyer's claim to the house and proceeded to shun Michael and his family. It was peaceful, nonviolent way to support Professor Sawyer, but do you think there may have been a better way?

4. A big theme in this book is how to treat people who are different from us, be it a different culture, level of intelligence, gender, or even outward demeanor. Why do people tend to distrust those who are different?

5. Libby's father is a frustrated difficult man, yet she feels an instinctive loyalty to him. Does there come a point at which a Christian should disengage from a parent of problematic relative? 

6. Understanding his father's need for perfection, Jasper knew the professor would never file patents on any of his inventions. Jasper believed he was protecting his father when he secretly submitted the paperwork to patent the inventions. Was he right to do so?

7. For much of the novel, Libby felt limited by her illiteracy and Mirela felt defined by her brutal rape. Have you ever felt defined by a tragic event? How were you able to overcome it?

8. Does Mirela have a happy ending or is she making the best of her circumstances? Girls are often raised to view marriage as the culmination of their ambitions, but can a celibate life be a truly fulfilling option?

9. Micheal's first marriage was brokered between two sets of parents. Arranged marriages are still common in a many parts of the world, and often work well. Why is that? Have you ever known anyone who was part of an arranged marriage?