For those of you that haven't or couldn't attend book club lately, we'll be publishing the previous months' discussion questions here. I hope eventually to post discussion questions for all of the books we've covered since I took over a couple of years ago and beyond, all the way to the beginning over a decade and a half ago. It will take a while. Until then, we will be posting discussion questions on a weekly basis. Here are the questions from a 2007 title, Honeymoon with My Brother. We hope these questions spark discussions of your own.
Honeymoon with My Brother
by Franz Wizner
Summary:
This is the true story of Franz Wisner, a man who thought he had it all- a high profile career and the fiancée of his dreams- when suddenly, his life turned upside down. Just days before they were to be married, his fiancée called off the wedding. Luckily, his large support network of family and friends wouldn't let him succumb to his misery. They decided Franz should have a wedding and a honeymoon anyway- there just wouldn't be a bride at the ceremony, and Franz' travel companion would be his brother, Kurt.
During the "honeymoon," Franz reconnected with his brother and began to look at his life with newfound perspective. The brothers decided to leave their old lives behind them. They quit their jobs, sold all their possessions, and traveled around the world, visiting fifty-three countries for the next two years. In Honeymoon With My Brother, Franz recounts this remarkable journey, during which he turned his heartbreak into an opportunity to learn about himself, the world, and the brother he hardly knew. -- Publisher Description
Discussion Questions
Why did Annie, the love of Franz's life, wait until a week before their scheduled wedding to end their relationship? Was her decision a kind act or a malicious one?
Franz's 98-year-old grandmother, LaRue, and her friends at the Eskaton retirement home embraced the idea of a worldwide trip immediately. How do different generations view extended travel differently, and why do you think this is?
What was Franz's state of mind at the beginning of the trip, in the middle, and at the end? Which questions about life did the two-year honeymoon help answer, and how?
What did Franz learn from Kurt during the honeymoon? And what did Kurt learn from Franz?
Did the book inspire you to visit a foreign country? If so, which one(s) and why? Which foreign cultures do you most admire?
Honeymoon with My Brother has been purchased by Sony Pictures to be turned into a movie. What kind of a movie should it be?
Why does travel help people who have suffered setbacks?
And finally: If you were going to travel with a relative for two years, who would it be? Why?
Questions as used by the original discussion group