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Lessons in French


"An appealing debut novel...Paris entrances" - Editor's Choice, Oprah.com
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How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?

Created: 10/17/14

Replies: 4

Posted Oct. 17, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?

How strongly do you feel the theme of class in the novel? How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?

How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?


Posted Oct. 21, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
joyces

Join Date: 06/16/11

Posts: 410

RE: How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?

I feel Kate did rather well at fitting in with whatever group she found herself. She was an outsider frequently because she wasn't French, she wasn't wealthy and she was young. I am not sure Kate was old enough or maybe just not mature enough to know for sure where or what she wanted to be so this was a great opportunity for her to see into lifestyles that were new and different. To me this was sort of a coming of age story and Kate was still learning who she wanted to be when she grew up. Her life may have been a bit chaotic but she was learning and she was a good observer.


Posted Oct. 21, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
laurap

Join Date: 06/19/12

Posts: 407

RE: How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?

Kate did not so much "fit in" to various social strata as assume a fly-on-the-wall status. I felt like, young and inexperienced as she was, she had difficulty getting under the veneer presented to her by various other characters, leaving her confused and indecisive much of the time. At least initially, she seemed to accept pretty much everything at face value, and had difficulty detecting the biases and manipulations of others.


Posted Oct. 22, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
joycew

Join Date: 06/13/11

Posts: 107

RE: How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?

I agree with Joyces that it is a coming of age novel. Kate was very unsure of herself and wanted to be loved by everyone. She joined into each group, but was never a member of any. It was a great learning experience for her and should help her understand people better.


Posted Nov. 03, 2014 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
LeahLovesBooks

Join Date: 04/08/14

Posts: 69

RE: How do you think Kate’s ability to fit into various social strata, while always remaining slightly on the outside, serves her? Does it make her more observant or more confused?

This young woman has a weak sense of self and is unable to fully participate because she's a people pleaser. At the novel's end, she's learned some hard lessons, not all of which are processed by the time she boards her flight. But I believe that she returns to the States with the ability to be more fully engaged in life.


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