Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Valley of the Moon by Melanie Gideon

1. Greengage is designed after Joseph's idea of an ideal society. What would your Greengage look like?
2. Discuss the development of Lux's character throughout the novel. How does she change as a result of knowing Joseph and visiting Greengage?
3. Lux sometimes inadvertently disappoints the people she is closest to—-her relationship with Dash disappoints her father, for example, and Benno is hurt by her disappearance for a year. Do you think hurting others is an unavoidable cost of trying to be true to yourself? Would you have behaved differently in either of these situations?
4. Discuss the theme of belonging in the novel. What does it mean to belong, both in terms of physical space and in terms of relationships?
5. What does Lapis Lake represent for Lux? Why do you think she has trouble slipping into "lake time" on her last visit?
6. Lux tells Benno that "sometimes fear is the thing that makes you feel most alive." Do you agree or disagree? What are some risks the characters take that pay off in the end?
7. Discuss the meaning of time throughout the book. How does it both constrain and liberate the different characters?
8. Compare and contrast the different parent--child relationships in the book. How do you think Lux's relationship with her dad shapes her relationship with her son?
9. Imagine the novel told from Benno's perspective. How would that change the story? What do you think Joseph and Greengage mean to him?
10. An early title idea for the book was The Flower Clock. What do you think the significance of Martha's clock is, and how does it represent some of the themes of the story?

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