Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland

1. Many characters in the novel are struggling with feelings of aimlessness or a lack of direction. What do you think is at the core of these feelings for each of them? Is there a character who deals with these feelings better than the others? Does anyone deal with these feelings particularly badly?
2. At many points during the novel, children learn that their parents are imperfect humans. Do you think the generations are sufficiently forgiving of one another? Are they able to learn from one another's mistakes, or are they stuck thinking about their differences?
3. The secrets uncovered during the novel often structure the characters' lives before they know about them. Have you ever learned something about your own life that you were not aware of? How did you react, and do you think the characters at the Golden Hotel reacted productively?
4. How does age/generation play a role in the relationships formed and kept at the Golden Hotel?
5. What does the hotel represent to the owners? To the middle generation? To the younger generation?
6. What do you think about family businesses? What are the advantages and disadvantages of working with family and friends?
7. While reading, did you find yourself wanting the Goldmans and Weingolds to keep the hotel? Why or why not?
8. Where does the tension between Louise and Fanny stem from?
9. How does the sibling dynamic between Brian and Peter as they're growing up shape who they become as adults?
10. Why does Brian manage the Golden Hotel? Where do his attachment and commitment to the hotel come from?
11. What do you think the Golden Hotel says about tradition versus change? How are we to balance these values or realities in our own lives?
12. What is lost when the Goldmans and Weingolds reach a decision about the future of the hotel? What is gained?

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.