I’m back!! It’s been a crazy few months launching my very first book!! And I thought that The Unfortunate Life of Genevieve Ryder would make a PERFECT book to talk about. After all, that’s one of my main goals for this book: that people read it and talk about it.
Don’t have your own copy yet? Good news, you can just hop over to the Shop page and pick up your book today? (Or you can purchase a bundle package of five books and a Book Club Discussion Kit! So many options!) Go here!
From the back cover: A woman never knows which decision she makes is the one that changes the trajectory of her life. Will the life she lives be the one society chooses for her or the one she chooses for herself?
In 1946, 22-year-old Genevieve Ryder knows that the only way out from under her mother’s domineering thumb is to get married. Bobby McFadden is her perfect match. But when Gen realizes she’s pregnant and learns that Bobby is engaged to someone else, her life as she planned it is over. Forced to spend a year at Bethany House, a home for unwed mothers, Gen decides that keeping her baby is her way forward. The decision to choose this baby for the sake of her freedom will reverberate through her life. Is she serving herself or her child in her choices?
I loved writing this story. What started as a story to explore a mystery in my past became an exercise in growing compassion. And now, I love getting to talk about it with people. I also love to hear that people are talking about it.
This is a great book for discussion. Here are 9 questions to spark conversation on The Unfortunate Life of Genevieve Ryder.
Conversation
- Did you like the book? Why or why not? Can you really enjoy a book if you don’t like the main character or agree with them?
- How important was the time period or the setting to the story? How would the book have played out differently in a different time period or setting?
- Do you think Gen’s independence was her greatest strength or her greatest weakness?
Camraderie
- Gen seems to think that if she just achieves the next thing (marriage, house, relationship, etc) that she will then be happy. What are the consequences of this kind of thinking in her life?
- If you had the chance to counsel Gen before one of her major life decisions, which would you counsel her differently on? How do you think that would have changed her trajectory?
- What is the significance of the title? Did you find it meaningful? Why or why not?
Compassion
- What character or choice was the most difficult to understand?
- How did you feel about the ending? What do you think happens next?
- How do your own personal morals and values affect the way that you view Gen and her choices?
These questions are a great starting point for any conversation about The Unfortunate Life of Genevieve Ryder. If you want a fuller Book Club Discussion Guide, click the button below. The full guide includes a letter from the author (that’s me), suggestions for snacks to serve at your book club meeting, a full page of questions and more!
Finally, if you haven’t yet purchased your own copy of The Unfortunate Life of Genevieve Ryder, what are you waiting for? Hop on over to the sale page and purchase your copy today! (You can even pick up a book club kit with 5 copies of the book and a color printed Reader’s Guide!)
I’d love to hear what you thought of the book!
Happy Reading.
