Perfect Summer (Rice) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
These questions were created and generously offered to LitLovers by Rena DeBerry of Salem, Virginia. Thank you, Rena!

1. Did the book description meet your expectations?

2. Ms. Rice presents multiple, well developed characters. Which one(s) did you most relate too? Which did you least relate too?

3. Infidelity is a subtle character throughout The Perfect Summer. Bay and Augusta accept their husband’s infidelity, both handling it differently. Dan ignores it. What do you think of their reactions? How would you react?

4. Whether consciously or subconsciously Sean brings Dan and Bay together. Which do you think it was? Do you think this was his way of making amends to Bay for his affairs?

5. At first Augusta tries to be a better person and give Bay a job. On the first day, Augusta takes all her anger of Sean out of Bay. Was Augusta justified to do so? Should a family be held accountable for the illegal actions of one member? How would you have reacted?

6. On the way to the Pumpkin Ball, Tara teases Joe about a Yeats poem, "The Wild Swans of Coole." What are your thoughts on mating for life? Is it possible? Not? Can you find it, lose it, then find it again like Bay and Dan?

7. When did you realize the Boland’s were behind everything? What clues did Ms. Rice give to implicate them?

8. Joe discovers that the banking embezzlement was considered a game, with nothing but greed as a motivation. How (or did) looking at embezzlement as a game help ease the participants conscious? Does it make the crime and criminals seem more or less "evil"?

9. Sean writes Annie a confession letter that she finds in the model boat she made for her father. What symbolism is there in Sean putting the letter in a boat? By writing the note to Annie, he puts a lot of responsibility on a young adult. What do you think of Sean’s character for making Annie so responsible? Was it a copout on Sean’s part? What do you think was his motivation?

10. Bay insists that Charlie and Sean’s spirit helped her save Eliza. Do you believe in guardian angels? Was it possible for Charlie and Sean to help Bay?

11. When the story breaks, media surrounds the McCabe house. At one point they harass and scare Billy, Annie and Peg. Is it fair for the media to "attack" children for an adult crime just to get answers?

12. Tara and Bay. Eliza and Annie. How are the relationships similar? Different? Do you believe that BFF could stand the test of time like Tara and Bay?

13. On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate The Perfect Summer? Would you recommend The Perfect Summer? Why or why not?

(Questions courtesy of Rena DeBerry. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution to Rena and LitLovers. Thanks.)

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