Letters to the Lost, Iona Grey

Letters to the Lost

By Iona Grey

(Tansley Reads Rating: 82% -- winner for the year)

 

Icebreaker

Faced with having to make 3 meals a day in a situation of scarcity of foods and rationing what would be the one staple you would always want to have available to you?

 

Questions

 

1.  To some extent Jess is a modern version of Stella, what are the similarities and differences in their characters and situations?

 

2.  Was Charles the product of his time or just not a nice person?

                     

3.  Will and Jess are from very different backgrounds. Why do you think they were attracted to each other and what aspects of their relationship would suggest that it could last?

 

4.  Stella and Nancy share the same experience of the Poor School, yet they take very different paths. Why didn’t their friendship stand the test of time?

 

5. What was it about the first letter that Jess read that make her feel she should try to find Stella?

 

6.  Why did Dan seek out Stella at the end of his life after he hadn’t heard from her in so long?  

7.  What do you think Stella and Dan's life would have been like, had they managed to find a way to be together?

 

8.  The title of the book is Letters to the Lost. Who or what is the “lost” referred to in the title?

- to name a few: Charles loses an arm, Peter loses faith, Charles loses Peter, Stella believes she loses Daisy and Dan, Dan loses members of his crew, Dan loses Stella, Nancy loses her dream, the church ladies lose respect for Stella

 

9.  Quick round: What things did you wish the author had told us about the story that was left unsaid?  What did you think of the book? Is there anything you want to discuss that we missed?