Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Picasso's Lovers by Jeanne Mackin

1. Which woman did you most identify with in this novel: Alana, her mother, Sara Murphy, or Irène?
2. Picasso could be cruel to his lovers. Have you known men like him? Were they ever happy in their relationships, and how did their partners respond to them?
3. Have you ever wanted or needed to meet a very famous person? Who, and were you able to?
4. What do you think of the relationship between Alana and her mother? Were there secrets in your family, and how did you finally discover them?
5. Of the various men in this novel, which did you find most and least appealing in terms of their ability to form a happy and loyal relationship?
6. McCarthyism, in this novel, is portrayed as an enemy of civil rights, including freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate peacefully. Have you ever participated in a demonstration for what you felt was a good cause? Did you feel any fear when doing so?
7. Do you think Sara Murphy and Alana have anything in common other than some form of relationship to Anna Martina? What?
8. Sara feels guilty for years because she felt she betrayed Anna and caused her dismissal from the hotel. Do you think she was justified?
9. What is your favorite painting? Why does it move you? What does it make you think of or dream about?

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