Birds of a Lesser Paradise Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Human Population Control and our BookBrowse Review of Birds of a Lesser Paradise.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How much of a role does nature play in the lives of the heroines of Mayhew Bergman's stories? How do their relationships with the natural world affect their decisions?



2. Whether it is an African Gray parrot or a lemur, animals are central to each of these stories. How do the characters identify with or distinguish themselves from animals? Do any of the characters share certain qualities with the animals described?



3. In "Housewifely Arts," what did her mother's parrot represent to the narrator while her mother was still alive? How did the parrot's importance change after her mother passed away?

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