Discussion Questions
1. Are you a Ginger? Do you have a sister just like Geri? Do you think most women you know fall into one category or the other?
2. Have you ever met an Allison Flagg in real life? Was she dead-heading a beach rose?
3. Do you think Ginger ended up with the person she was meant to be with? If you could date either Noah or the gaffer, which one would you pick and why? Do you think their characters are based on real men, and if so, do you think Claire Cook has their phone numbers?
4. The father in Life's a Beach is a bit of a dump picker. Do you have a family member who can't stay away from the dump? Is there a Take It or Leave it, a Put 'n' Take, or a Swap Shop in your town? (Or a great dumpster in your city?) What's the best thing you ever found there?
5. Ginger Walsh, the heroine of Life's a Beach, is transitioning from a life in sales to what she hopes will be a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist. Claire Cook always wanted to be a novelist, yet didn't go after her dream until she was in her forties. If you decided to quit your current job, what dream would you pursue?
6. Who is your favorite minor character in Life's a Beach? Why?
7. Would you ever let one of your own children become a child actor? Why or why not?
8. Ginger's older sister Geri is struggling with how to celebrate her fiftieth birthday. What will/did you do for yours? Of all the ideas listed in "User's Guide to the Fun, Feisty and Fabulous" at the back of the book, which one would you most like to try?
9. When book groups met to discuss Must Love Dogs, they often served Sarah's Winey Macaroni and Cheese, made without butter, with white wine instead of milk, and served in wine glasses for best effect. What will your book group serve when discussing Life's a Beach? (Check out LitLovers book club menus. Click on America-New England. —LitLovers Ed. )
10. Which scene in Life's a Beach made you laugh the hardest? Which one brought a tear to your eye? Which one gave you the biggest jolt of recognition?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
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