Book Club Questions
Pretender '56
When people talk about the 1950s,1956 is one of the years that epitomize the decade. In politics, Eisenhower was running for a second term. On TV, Ed Sullivan, I Love Lucy dominated and the $64,000 question. At the movies, the Ten Commandments was pulling in big box office.
How does that time and place influence events?
1. Cassie Kelly rejects some of the conventions of the era. In what ways does she defy the stereotype?
2. Jonathan Brien does fit the mold for the era. In what ways does he match the stereotype?
3. What does the novel tell you and the social conventions of the period for men, woman and gays?
3.
Do you think any of the characters would have lived differently if they were born fifty years later?
Do you think any of the characters would have lived differently if they were born fifty years later? 4. Do you think this crime would have happened in the twenty-first century? If not, why not.
5. Why do you think the author chose to use the wedding in Monaco as a backdrop to this story?
