Some Luck Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Farm Life in Iowa in the first half of the 20th Century and our BookBrowse Review of Some Luck.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. What do you think the title means? Whose luck does it refer to? Is it only good or bad luck, or does the word "luck" shift in connotation as the novel goes forward?
   


2. Each chapter in the novel takes place over the course of one year. How does Smiley use this structure to propel her story?
   


3. Rosanna assigns personality traits to each of her children in infancy. When those traits prove true, do you think it's because of nurture—her and Walter's influence—or nature—personalities fully formed at birth?
   

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