Good to a Fault, Marina Endicott

Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott

(Tansley Reads Rating: 78% -- winner for the year)

 

Ice Breaker: What’s on your reading list for this summer?

Good to a Fault Questions:

1.      What does “good to a fault” mean?

2.      What, if any, responsibility (legal, moral, ethical) did Clara have to the family?

3.      How would you react to a plight like the one of this family? Can you imagine taking  strangers into your home?
b.  What is there in Clara’s past experience and in her personality which might have caused her to take in the whole family?  Why does she continue to support the family even when she has been robbed?

4.      How did what she did change Clara?
b.  What totally new skills does she have to learn in order to cope with the situation?  What other traits does she have to develop?

5.      Does Clara’s relationship with Paul have a great impact on the story? Does it reflect the other relationships? Compare Clara’s treatment of Paul to Clayton’s and Darwin’s of Lorraine.
b.  Were you surprised by the (temporary) ending of the affair? 

6.      There is a great deal of opportunism in this book. People take what they need or want, and give what they feel like giving. This takes us outside normal social bounds. Is it beneficial?

7.      Lorraine says,” you can’t stop thinking of us as low-class, you can’t stop! You keep thinking you’re better than me, even though you try not to. It’s built into your whole life. But we’re the same as you, we’re just the same.” Clara’s reaction is to think “She would, she would think so, with her trailer-park ignorance.” (p. 321). What do you think a parent should sacrifice to gain opportunities such as education, health and dental care for her children? Or should parents stick firmly to what they can offer themselves, refusing all outside help? When is intervention called for? [If necessary cite the case of the other little girl who appeared to be abused.]

8.      Lorraine has very conflicting feelings about Clara’s care of her family.  How realistic is this?

9.      There is a great deal of tension between faith or religious sensibility and organized religion in  this book. For Clara, how do her personal faith and her institutional religion affect her actions and feelings? Why does Clara say that she won’t be going to church (p. 362-363)? [note p. 120 “I am being told by the Holy Spirit”]

10.   Is there anything else you wanted to talk about that hasn’t come up in the discussion?