Book Club Discussion Questions
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Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
In a summer community on the coast of New Hampshire at the turn of the last century, a girl is drawn into a passionate affair with a man nearly three times her age.
Fortune's Rocks is the story of Olympia Biddeford — privileged, well educated, and mature beyond her years — and her affair with John Haskell, who is married with three children. Drawn together on the night of the summer solstice, the pair set in motion a series of events with far-reaching consequences for all involved. This is a haunting novel about an unforgettable young woman and the tragic consequences of reckless love.
Questions for Discussion
- Is Olympia's innocence in the opening scene believable?
- How did the absence of strong female role models affect Olympia's emotional development?
- Olympia evolves into a passionate woman in a rigid society. Does her isolated upbringing as an only child who is home-schooled contribute to this? How?
- How does Shreve foreshadow future events? Do these scenes help to explain Olympia's decisions later in the book?
- Was Zachariah Coates's action justifiable? Was it purely malicious? Did he have ulterior motives?
- "It seemed the most elemental gesture to take a child from a man," says Olympia (p. 441). Discuss the various instances in which Olympia takes a child from John's hands.
- Olympia is a mature teenager, and she accepts responsibility for her situation. As a fifteen year-old, though, can she be blamed for the affair and the pregnancy?
- If John was not married and a father of four children, would you feel differently about his relationship with Olympia? At the beginning, did he love Olympia, or just feel tremendous desire for her?
- If you were in Olympia's shoes, could you have made the decision she made regarding her son? Was it the right decision for the child? For her?
- Discuss the theme of possession. Olympia says that she never "possessed" either John (p. 208) or her son (p. 436). Is it ever possible for a person to possess another?
- What issues are raised at the trial regarding class? Could these be raised in a court of law today? Are they valid?
Reproduced with the permission of the publisher, Little, Brown & Co. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Back Bay Books.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
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