The secret river is the best book ive read in quite a while. Guardian book club events attract different audiences for di. The book begins sunday, july 8, 1755, with mary and her family going about their normal sunday afternoon chores. When kate grenville came to discuss the secret river, her historical novel about a convictcolonist in early 19th. If you belong to a book club or like to fly solo, this is your site. Dec 14, 2017 are you always struggling to come up with book club questions to help guide your group discussion. This may seem obvious, but it is the most important step, so it is worth stating. The secret river kindle edition by grenville, kate. No one does romantic suspense better than jayne ann krentz. The following general questions can be applied to any novel, and they provide a good starting point for creating your own discussion questions for a given work. Book club discussion questions a directory of all the books covered on this site, every one with dicsussion guides and questions, all suitable for book clubs every book page contains useful information for your book group including book club questions. If you would like to print off the lettersdiscussion questions for your book club then you can do so here.
A place where all goodreads members can work together to improve the goodreads book catalog. The secret river by kate grenville reading guidebook club. When is keeping a secret within a family justified. The secret rivers exploration of this powerful change in australias history is a. Now, the new york times bestselling author of trust no one and river road delivers a novel that twists and turns into a read that will leave you breathless. As a member or leader of a book club, you are likely to be reading books on a wide variety of topics, both fiction and nonfiction. The story explores what might have happened when europeans colonised land already inhabited by aboriginal people. Based on historical accounts of marys kidnapping and her trek to return to her husband, follow the river is filled with descriptions of the lands as they likely appeared in those days and the people who lived there. In one of my past book clubs, we literally only read books that included discussion questions at the end of the book because we wanted to be certain wed have a meaningful discussion. You may want to get a copy of the secret and read it yourself. Jan 30, 2009 the guardian books podcast guardian book club.
Aug 08, 2019 the official launch of book club central took place during the presidents program at the ala annual conference and exhibition in chicago on saturday, june 24, 2017. What i do love is at the very end of the book there is silence, there is silence between thornhill and his wife, there is silence between thornhill and his son who has gone off to be with blackwood who does treat the aboriginals well and he is so appalled by. Join the discussion of the secret keeper by kate morton. When kate grenville came to discuss the secret river, her historical novel about a convictcolonist in early 19thcentury australia, there was a. Prepare by reading this article through all the way. Even if you do have a reading guide, these questions will still help engage your book club members and provide great conversation starters. It is also used for the western australian tee course through secondary school. Uniquely, the book is a fictionalized version of the authors family. It is not necessary for your participants to read the book this study guide provides handouts and summary material to cover the main points of the. Jan 23, 2011 stones from the river, for which author ursula hegi received a pen faulkner award nomination, is the story of an unusual child who grows to womanhood in nazi germany. These general discussion questions are useful when a book discussion guide is unavailable as is the case with replay discussion questions for fiction. The secret river, grenville has written a book that will satisfy her critics craving for more action, while seeking the bloody source.
Grenville, an australian writer has hardly written anything that isnt praiseworthy, and this book, despite a minor wart or two, is one such. The winner is kate grenvilles the secret river, which is inspired by research. For a detailed guide on text response, check out our ultimate guide to vce text response background. Secret river to enrolling firstyear students in january 2011 as part of the inaugural firstyear book club, which aims to bring students together to discuss. Acclaimed around the world, the secret river is a magnificent, transporting work of historical fiction. The secret river is the tale of william and sals deep love for their small, exotic corner of the the secret river is the tale of william and sals deep love for their small, exotic corner of the new world, and williams gradual realization that if he wants to make a home for his family, he must forcibly take the land from the people who came before him. Having seen the live show i just had to buy this book about the secret river. The secret river is usually studied in the australian curriculum under area of study 1 text response. The secret rivers exploration of this powerful change in australias history is a poignant reflection of the past, and demands attention to the sensitive issue of australian and native relationship that is still present today. While its always helpful if you can find reading guides for the precise title your book club is reading, sometimes theyre not available.
G uardian book club events attract different audiences for di. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Now that i have your attention, lets talk about the book. Thornhill points his gun at people, but doesnt shoot. Madeline and daphne were once as close as sistersuntil a. The secret river thornhill trilogy 1 kate grenville, 2006 canongate u. Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to. Book club central, or bcc, will bring a world of information to book lovers, book clubs, libraries, and anyone who wants to increase their enjoyment of reading. The secret river reading guide book club discussion. Oct 20, 2015 book club discussion questions october 20, 2015 by sheila 7 comments while its always helpful if you can find reading guides for the precise title your book club is reading, sometimes theyre not available. Join him and kate grenville for a discussion on 4 february at 6.
The guardian uk it is to kate grenvilles credit that she never surrenders her sense of the individual faces she captures as. Before we started our discussion, kellie had a unique game planned inspired by the book character tess, who seemed to have anything and everything you could ever want. How does this opening scene set the tone for the rest of the story. The secret river is the first book i have read of kate grenville, and i enjoyed however, william thornhill wrote a letter saying how sorry he was for committing this offence and it was converted to transportation to australia for his natural life. The university of sydney distributed 9,500 copies of the secret river to enrolling firstyear students in january 2011 as part of the inaugural firstyear book club, which aims to bring students together to discuss and debate big ideas around a common theme. Fiction book club questions westfield memorial library.
In 1806, after a childhood of poverty and petty crime in the slums of london, william thornhill is sentenced to be transported to new south wales for the term of his natural life. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. When kate grenville came to discuss the secret river, her historical novel about a convictcolonist in early 19thcentury australia, there was a distinct demographic in evidence. He watches dan club black dick over the head, and ned shoots a woman carrying a child. The secret river study guide contains a biography of kate grenville, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Aug 21, 2017 ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions that will. Kate grenville the author speaks to john mullan about her novel the secret river and takes questions from the audience at the guardian book club podcast. Home book discussion groups libguides at american library. Book club questions that work for any book with free printable sheet it can be incredibly frustrating when youve got your book club coming up maybe in the next few hours and you cant find any discussion questions for the book you read. The secret river in kate grenvilles the secret river.
Book club discussion questions the deliberate reader. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the secret river. During 18th century to mid 19th century, 162,000 men and women were transported to australia, with majority from england. We try to provide as many as we can an in a timely manner on our discussion questions page, but most of the time discussion questions arent even available for books until it comes out in paperback.
Secret sisters by jayne ann krentz reading guidebook club. The secret river, written by kate grenville in 2005, is a historical novel about an early 19thcentury englishman transported to australia for theft. Well worth reading i would recommend it to others to read, once i started reading it i couldnt stop. The first scene of dorit rabinyans all the rivers depicts two fbi agents. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. In 2006, grenville published a work of nonfiction as a followup to the secret river. Feb 20, 2009 g uardian book club events attract different audiences for di. The secret river is the tale of william and sals deep love for their small, exotic corner of the new world, and williams gradual realization that if he wants to make a home for his family, he must forcibly take the land from the people who came before him. After this opening, part one of the secret river takes us back in time to london at the end of the 18th century to see the young thornhill, born into neardestitution, struggling to survive.
Nonlibrarians are welcome to join the group as well, to comment or request changes to book records. The official launch of book club central took place during the presidents program at the ala annual conference and exhibition in chicago on saturday, june 24, 2017. General book club questions for study and discussion. A nationwide book club bringing readers together to discuss some of the most compelling books being published. John mullan is professor of english at university college london. It is a good idea to plan on finishing the book a little earlier than you might otherwise so that you have time to think about it and prepare before your book club meets.
The secret river reading guide book club discussion questions. Trudi is born in 1915 to gertrud and leo montag, who own a paylibrary business on the first floor of their home in burgdorf, germany. Book discussion questions for any book courtesy of bookbundlz story. This summary of the secret river includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Published in 2005, the secret river is the first book in a trilogy by kate. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Were they brought to life in a cliche or in a unique manner. Many books have reading guides at the end of the book that are perfect to use for your book club. The secret river is the first in the thornhill family series by kate grenville. The guardian uk it is to kate grenvilles credit that she never surrenders her sense of the individual faces she captures as she tells this story. We asked you for your favourite book of 2006 and promised to feature the most popular choice on the show. We already know, of course, where he is destined to end up. At times like those, it can be useful to have general questions that work for almost any book. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike.
The secret river is the tale of thornhills deep love for his small corner of the new world, and his slow realization that if he wants to settle there, he must ally himself with the most despicable of the white settlers, and to keep his family safe, he must permit terrifying cruelty to come to innocent people. If not, you can visit the publisher or authors website and find online reading guides. Madeline and daphne were once as close as sistersuntil a secret tore them apart. If you were making a movie of the secret keeper, who would you cast in the lead roles. Heres a list of questions for any book youre currently reading. The secret river by kate grenville musings of a literary. I have put together a list of 10 book club discussion questions that will work for any book, and still encourage lively and engaging conversation. It tells the story of william thornhill and his wife sarah sal from their childhood together in london, through williams career as a waterman, his eventual transportation to new south wales and the life his family made for themselves in the harsh landscape of 19th century australia. This reading group guide for once upon a river includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The secret river is a sad book, beautifully written and, at times, almost unbearable with the weight of loss, competing distresses and the impossibility of making amends. The first scene of dorit rabinyans all the rivers depicts two fbi agents questioning liat, an israeli woman who a random tipster mistook for an arab. The account of the first 30 years of thornhills life.
The perfect book club is made up of three key things. Shaira sanchez 050912 shaira sanchez 050912 the secret river by kate grenville essay explain the way that narrative devices have been employed by an author to construct a representation of people or places in at least one text that you have studied. Kate grenville is an amazing writer, i can not wait to read more of her books. Sep 05, 2016 when you choose a popular book club book, you can often find a wealth of book discussion questions already written for you. To ask other readers questions about the secret river, please sign up. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. Stones from the river, for which author ursula hegi received a pen faulkner award nomination, is the story of an unusual child who grows to womanhood in nazi germany. The husbands secret part ii book club ideas by liane moriarty. Once upon a river book by diane setterfield official. Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions that will lead to fruitful exchanges on your enjoyment or lack thereof of the book, plot, and even its. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. Orange prize winner kate grenville talks to james naughtie about her novel the secret river and answers questions from a group. In searching for the secret river, she tells of doing the research for the first book and of how that book was initially conceived as a biographical work about a familial ancestor solomon wiseman.
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