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Book of the Month November

  • Writer: Josie Hough
    Josie Hough
  • Oct 31, 2024
  • 2 min read



Trespasses

by Louise Kennedy



Read with me!


November's selection is Trespasses by Louise Kennedy.


Trespasses greatly captures time and place in Northern Ireland during the 1970's and how difficult the co-existence was for Catholics and Protestants.


Cushla is young and naive; she’s still grieving her father. Working full time as a teacher, part time at her family’s pub, all while being a caregiver to her mother. She falls in love with Michael, and he is the wrong choice for so many reasons.


Louise Kennedy is a gifted storyteller, the characters are beautifully written, and the landscape is captured in such a way that you feel transported.

You'll not quickly forget this story.



HAPPY READING!

 




Book Review Questions for October

Florence Adler Swims Forever




1. Florence Adler Swims Forever opens with Florence’s death and ends with the birth of Fannie’s baby. In what ways do life and death frame this novel?

  1. Describe Fannie and Florence’s relationship. Do they have roles that they fall into? What do you think is gained by a seven-year age gap? What complications are introduced?

  2. When Florence dies, Esther’s first instinct is to keep Florence’s death a secret to protect Fannie and her pregnancy. If you were in each

    character’s shoes, do you think you could have kept this secret?

  3. Fannie is devastated by the death of her infant son, Hyram. Her mother, Esther, doesn’t understand her grief, saying he doesn’t need a gravestone because Fannie “didn’t need a place to go and wallow. What does it mean to Fannie to be pregnant again? How do

    these two mothers—Fannie and Esther—handle the death of their respective children?

  4. Near the end of the novel, Joseph strikes a deal with Isaac to entice him to leave the family forever. What do you think of Isaac’s decision? Do you think—if he stayed—that he could have changed?

  5. The novel ends without the reader learning of Fannie’s reaction to the news of Florence’s death and Isaac’s departure. Based on what you know about Fannie, how do you think she took the news? How would you have reacted if put in the same position?




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