Book Summary and Reviews of Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser

Book Summary

Ten-year-old Mona and her beloved grandfather have only fifty-two Wednesdays to visit fifty-two works of art and commit to memory "all that is beautiful in the world" before Mona loses her sight forever.

While the doctors can find no explanation for Mona's brief episode of blindness, they agree that the threat of permanent vision loss cannot be ruled out. The girl's grandfather, Henry, may not be able to stop his granddaughter from losing her sight, but he can fill the encroaching darkness with beauty.

Every Wednesday for a year, the pair abscond together and visit a single masterpiece in one of Paris's renowned museums. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona learns how each artist's work shaped the world around them. In turn, the young girl's world is changed forever by the power of their art. Under the kind and careful tutelage of her grandfather, Mona learns the true meaning of generosity, melancholy, love, loss, and revolution. Her perspective will never be the same — nor will the reader's.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Throughout the novel, Mona relies on her friends Jade and Lili as a source of joy and support, in everything from dealing with bullies in the school yard to a game of truth or dare. How do you see the three friends navigate different experiences of childhood together? What do they learn from one another, and how do they mature over the course of the book?
2. Each chapter begins with a scene from Mona's life at school, with her family, or with Dr. Van Orst before shifting to a visit to a museum with Henry. How does this split narrative change your understanding of the characters, compared to if you only learned Mona's story from one side or the other? How do you see Mona apply what she learns from Henry and the artists to her ...