Enlightenment Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, A Shooting Star of American Astronomy: Maria Mitchell and our BookBrowse Review of Enlightenment.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Enlightenment contains many visual elements, for example, the recurring images of the cosmos and the rich descriptions of changing weather in Adleigh. What are some of the dominant symbols in this book and how do they interact with or influence the book's themes?
2. When Grace returns to Adleigh in the book's middle section, she grapples with simultaneous fear and excitement as she prepares to see her ailing Aunt. Perry writes: "'You can't expect to only feel one thing at a time,' said Thomas, 'though certainly it would be convenient.'" Enlightenment illustrates many pairs of contradicting emotions and the kinds of life events that provoke them. Which other emotional dualities stood out to you, and how do the different characters process them?
3. In one of his columns, Thomas quotes a poem by W. H. Auden which reads: "If equal affection cannot be / Let the more loving one be me." Do you agree with this quote, or would you rather be the recipient of unrequited love? What are the benefits and difficulties of being on either side of this dynamic?

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