George and Lizzie Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Love Story or Romance? and our BookBrowse Review of George and Lizzie.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Revisit the scene in the bowling alley beginning on page 5, when George and Lizzie first meet. How do their very different responses—Lizzie's laughter and George's annoyance—prefigure their very different approaches to life? Does the collision between their bowling balls act as a kind of omen for their future?
2. When Andrea and Lizzie first conceive of the Great Game, Lizzie shares her reasoning behind wanting to follow through on the idea, "When my parents find out about it ... they'll finally have to realize that I'm not who they think I am. . . . I honestly think they never loved me at all." Do you believe that Lizzie participates in the Great Game only because of her strained relationship with her parents? What reaction was she hoping to elicit from them? Is it the failure to get the attention or reaction she wanted that haunts Lizzie into adulthood?
3. How do George and Lizzie compare to one another? Do you think they live up to the maxim "opposites attract?" If George is "softhearted," how would you describe Lizzie?

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