Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon

1. The novel's title most obviously refers to Beatrice's leaving Lucy in the orchard. What else do you think it means, and how did your understanding of it change as you read the book?
2. Bea and Albert's marriage could be called a sham. What do you think? What defines a "real" marriage? What about a good one?
3. Bea has made a career out of doing "good works," but their results—and her motivations—turn out to be morally complex. Have you ever had misgivings about an act of charity (your own or another's)?
4. Who is Lucy's mother? How do Bea's and Emma's relationships with Lucy speak to different ideas about what it means to be a mother? What experiences have shaped your own definition of motherhood?
5. To that end, what can this novel tell us about what it means to be a biological versus an adoptive parent? In what ways does Emma treat Lucy differently from her other children, and how does this affect Lucy? Do you think it's possible to be both a member of a family and an outsider?
6. Both Emma and Bea feel torn between their own fulfillment and their obligations to family. What sacrifices do these women make, and do you think these sacrifices would look different if Bea and Emma lived in the present day?
7. Leaving Lucy Pear tackles a number of intersecting themes, from motherhood and woman's rights to racism and class prejudice. What elements or characters from the novel resonated most with you?
8. The Roaring Twenties are often depicted as carefree years in the United States, but in Leaving Lucy Pear you see how tumultuous the time period really was. Do you see any resonance between the twenties and the times in which we're living now?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Viking. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.