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 2009 title, The Necklace. We hope these questions spark discussions of your own.
The Necklace: 13 Women and the Experiment that Transformed Their Lives
by Cheryl Jarvis
Summary:
Four years ago, Jonell McLain saw a diamond necklace in a jewelry store window. The necklace aroused desire first, then a provocative question: What if we shared what we desired? Several weeks, dozens of phone calls, and a leap of faith later, Jonell bought the necklace with twelve other women. With vastly dissimilar histories and lives, the women transcended their individual personalities and politics to join together in an uncommon journey.
Part charm, part metaphor, part mirror, the necklace weaves in and out of each woman's life, and comes to mean something dramatically different to each of them. What started as a quirky social experiment became something far richer and deeper, as the women transformed a symbol of exclusivity into a symbol of inclusiveness. They discovered that sharing the necklace was only the beginning: the more they shared with others, the more profound this experience became.
--Publisher's Description
Discussion Questions
Publisher Provide Questions
What is the significance of the Jean Shinoda Bolen quote that begins the book: “Here we are, women who have been the beneficiaries of education, resources, reproductive choice, travel opportunities, the Internet, and a longer life expectancy than women have ever had in history. What can and will we do?”
The author gives each woman a two-word description in the chapter titles. Why do you think the author created these? What do you think of the different descriptors?
Were you surprised at how open the women were to discussing intimate details of their lives? Do you think they would have been so candid in their twenties? Thirties? Forties? Would you be comfortable revealing your life this way?
Of the thirteen women, which one did you most identify with? Who did you most admire?
Do you think the structure of the book, with each chapter being a profile of one woman, was effective? Or do you think the book would have been better if just a few women had been featured in more depth? If so, who would you have chosen?
What do you think of the disagreements between Jonell and the group in chapters 8 and 12? Were you aligned with Jonell on either one?
The women decided to purchase a luxury diamond necklace five years ago, long before the current financial crisis. Does the country’s economic plight make the story less relevant? Why or why not?
Would the story have been just as compelling if the women had shared a rhinestone necklace or a piece of pottery or a pair of jeans? Is there any significance to a luxury piece of jewelry?
Though some of the women came from impoverished backgrounds, today all thirteen could be called upper middle class. Do you think this story is just as relevant for women from other socioeconomic or ethnic groups?
The subtitle of this book, Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives, indicates that each woman was changed by the experience of being in the group. Do you feel the author effectively showed the transformation in each woman, or not?
At the time the book was written the experiment had already been featured in People magazine and attracted a movie deal. Do you think this media attention affected the women’s staying together? Do you think the group will still be together two/five/ten years from now?
Have you ever shared a valuable possession with friends? If so, how did that work out? If not, would you be willing to? What would you choose to share with a group? Has the book changed your views on personal luxuries?
Is this a decidedly female story, or can you imagine a group of men doing something similar?
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