Piazza Carousel (Selbo) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. In 1966, the Arno River in Florence Italy flooded to catastrophic proportions and some of the world’s most well-known art was in danger. The important Uffizi Museum was flooded, many of the great churches and libraries. Volunteers from around the world came to help save what they could — art and books from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and more. Art is often a reflection of the time period in which it was created and can tell us about day-to-day life, censorship, beliefs, and hopes and dreams. Losing art can be like losing insights into history. What painting or sculptures or other artwork has affected you and/or makes you think of a certain period in history? If we didn’t have these sources of insight, what could we be missing?

2. Friendship is built on trust.  Female friendships can be very strong and true. In Piazza Carousel, Lyn believes her relationship with her best girlfriend is solid. But she learns otherwise. When a romantic liaison with a man comes between two women, is friendship relegated to second place? Does romantic love trump all? Does a betrayal of deep friendship sting longer and more deeply that a break up of romantic love?

3. There was competition between the richest people of Florence during the Renaissance to see who could commission the most/largest/best art. Because painting and sculpture and architecture were supported in this way, many artists thrived. What would our culture be like if artists were supported in that way today?

4. In Piazza Carousel, Lyn’s mother, Jenny, was drawn to a fellow Mud Angel in Florence during the aftermath of the 1966 flood. He fell in love with her and wanted her to choose him above the promises and home she had in America. Is it possible to love two people at one time? How does one choose the "life" that will, ultimately, be a better fit?  Can "love" be decided rationally? Is it always an emotional decision?

5. Sometimes we lose a person that is close to us and then realize that his or her stories have not been fully told. In Piazza Carousel, Lyn feels the loss of not hearing all her mother’s stories before she passed. How important is it to make the time to hear those stories before they are lost forever?

6. Italian families — parents and grown children — often live together much longer than American families. In the Italian culture, this is expected. In Piazza Carousel, Matteo and Valentina live in the same small apartment building in Florence. In America, many families are spread out, often in different states or areas of the country. What is it about the two variant cultures that make for this difference?

7. In Piazza Carousel, Lyn works with writers who have come to Florence for a seminar. She learns something from each of them and their opinions and comments reflect on her story. What characters in the writing group stand out as ones that affected Lyn’s thinking and her dealing with her feelings concerning the dissolution of the marriage?

8. Piazza Carousel is about Lyn’s struggle to get in touch with what she truly wants to do, not what she thinks she should do. Is that a common problem?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)

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