Quantcast Marion McGilvary: Reading Guide: A Lost Wife's Tale:
HarperCollins Publishers | More Fun Stuff Reading Guide A Lost
Wife's Tale  Questions for Discussion  1. Some main themes in
the book are envy, guilt, and isolation. Would you say the
isolation is self-inflicted because of the envy and guilt? How
do these play off the others?  2. Edith's self-perception and
her perception by others is often very different. What do you
think she actually looks like?  3. Does the fact that Edith
doesn't like children make her an unlikeable character?  4. We
are all influenced to some degree by our parents. Edith's family
is comprised of a detached father, a cold, critical mother, and
older absent siblings. Were they instrumental in her low self
esteem and, correspondingly, her desire to be wanted by someone,
anyone?  5. Edith seems to associate food with a pleasure that
she won't allow herself to enjoy. In what ways does food serve
as a metaphor for love and loss in the novel?  6. How does Edith
use sex, and herself