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Reading Group Guide

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Reading Group Guide

The Pleasing Hour
Discussion Points

1. Discuss the moral implications of Rosie's sister, Sarah, accepting the "gift" of Rosie's child. Which sister is more naive to think that the adoption will be easy? Why does Rosie choose to become an au pair after being deprived of mothering her own son? Is it painful for her to care for someone else's children? Or, is it a necessary outlet for her flood of maternal instincts? Some would argue that Rosie herself is still a child despite having given birth. When does Rosie seem the most childlike and vulnerable? In what ways or in what situations does she seem older than her years?

2. In what ways does the language barrier heighten Rosie's perceptions and make her more instinctual toward her host family in Paris? How does it affect her initial reactions to Nicole, Marc, and the Tivot children? What clues does Rosie rely upon when she fails to grasp the family's French? Recall Rosie's feelings of confidence and superiority when she easily adjusts to Spanish and serves as translator during the family's trip to Spain. Discuss the complex relationship between language and power throughout the book.

3. Discuss the nuanced portraits the author draws of Odile, Lola, and Guillaume Tivot. How does she explore the disparate experiences siblings can have growing up in the same family? What accounts for the children's vastly different temperaments and degrees of allegiance with Nicole and Marc? How does the author use the kids' reactions to the bullfights in Spain as a way of further revealing their different dispositions and approaches toward life?

4. During her time on the Tivots' houseboat, Rosie is terribly intimidated by Nicole, who is critical and difficult to please. But as the novel progresses, similarities are revealed in the characters' pasts. Both Rosie and Nicole, for example, lost their mothers early. How does this loss affect each of the women? What else do Rosie and Nicole have in common despite their differences?

5. Recall the change Rosie senses in Nicole during their travels in Spain and her feeling that the trip had "loosened things" inside Nicole. After their return, Rosie believes that Nicole has come to trust her, yet she also suspects that Nicole knows about her affair with Marc. Is it possible that both of Rosie's insights are correct? Do you think Lola told Nicole that she saw Rosie and Marc holding hands? How do you account for the change in Nicole toward the end of the book? Why do you think she softens toward Rosie and toward Marc?

6. Trace the development of the women's relationship, and discuss how Rosie's presence affects Marc and Nicole's marriage. How does Rosie act as a conduit for Marc and Nicole? How does Rosie's love for Marc change him in Nicole's eyes?

7. Was Rosie really in love with Marc? He with her? Or were they using each other in various ways? Did you think that Rosie is just another au pair under Marc's belt? And did Nicole encourage their affair, want it to happen? What reasons would she have for that? What did Nicole learn from the way in which Rosie loved Marc?

8. What are Nicole's true motives in encouraging Rosie to live with and care for Lucie Quenelle in Plaire? Is she protecting her marriage, helping Lucie, or giving Rosie the gift of a warm mother figure and friend? What is the effect of Rosie growing close to Lucie and learning about Nicole's history? Is it possible that Nicole hoped Lucie would tell Rosie about her past?

9. The book offers detailed portraits of two marriages: Marcelle and Octave's and Nicole and Marc's. Compare and contrast the dynamics of each relationship. Do the similarities suggest that daughters are destined to repeat the marital patterns of their mothers? Why are both women so disappointed in their husbands? How do Octave and Marc react to their wives' emotional distance? Do you think that Nicole and Marc's marriage is as ill-fated as Marcelle and Octave's? Or is there still hope for their relationship?

10. Leslie, the other American fille Rosie meets, says: "The French have a totally different definition of marriage." Do you agree? Can one glean from the marriages depicted in this book what that definition might be?

11. Discuss the theme of unrequited love throughout the novel. Recall Octave's steadfast loyalty toward Marcelle; Père Frederi Lafond's obsession for Marie-Jo; Nicole's passion for her first boyfriend, Stephane; and Odile's infatuation with the sculptor Isabelle. Does the book suggest that we are drawn toward those who refuse to return our love? Compare and contrast these characters' reactions to rejection and loss. How do their disappointments shape their choices and futures?

12. Recall the "psychology test" Rosie gives Nicole and Marc in Spain, asking them to rank the people in a scenario from most admirable to most despicable. Apply the test to the characters in The Pleasing Hour. Which character do you find the most admirable? Which the least? Why? What traits do you most admire in people? What traits do you find the most deplorable or unforgivable?

13. Compare and contrast Rosie's experiences in Paris and in Plaire. What effect does the author achieve in the telling of the story by alternating between the two locales? What kind of refuge does each offer Rosie? What lessons do the two parts of her journey impart?

14. How has Rosie changed by the end of the novel? Do you think she will return to the United States, make amends with her sister, and come to terms with having given away her son? How do you think her experiences with the Tivots will influence how she copes with her own family? What do you envision in Rosie's future?