The Paris Daughter

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Did you sympathize with Juliette’s actions? Why or why not?
• How does this book compare to others by Kristin Harmel (The Sweetness of Forgetting, The Winemaker’s Wife, The Book of Lost Names)? What are some new choices or experiments she made with this novel?
• How did this book influence your understanding of WWII?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• Juliette and Elise take contrasting views of a mother’s responsibility toward her child. Which of these views resonates more truthfully to you, and why?
• Several of the characters are artists or are connected to art in some way. What role does art play in your own life?
• One recurring theme is the fallibility and malleability of memory. Have you ever had an experience in which you mistrusted your own memory? Can memory be trusted in day-to-day life?
• Juliette recreates her bookshop in America in an attempt to create a safe place reminiscent of her past. Which place in your life represents this for you?
• Compare this novel to other WWII historical fiction you have read. What commonalities do you see?

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• Consider the contemporary issue of banning books with challenging social issues. What elements of this novel might be important in creating empathy and understanding in readers?
• The Holocaust is considered one of the most inhuman and tragic events in recorded history. How are the attitudes that led to the Holocaust still being propagated today? How can we dissuade and subvert them?

4. Literary Analysis 

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Elise and Juliette’s friendship begins strong and rapidly erodes over the course of the novel. What inherent personality traits lead to this divide?
• Consider the “nature” and “nurture” of Mathilde/Lucie’s character in the third part of the novel. Does she exhibit more of Elise’s or Juliette’s maternal influence? Cite examples from the text.
• Fate plays an important role in several scenes in the story, with external events powering many of the characters’ actions. Was Juliette’s demise a result of fate or a natural culmination of her choices? Explain your reasoning.
• Both Elise and Juliette deal with the loss of a loved one over the course of the novel. Compare and contrast their ways of managing grief and how it changes them.

5. Creative Engagement 

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Write a scene that happens during the novel’s time jump.
• Design your own mural of the night sky, incorporating techniques discussed in the novel.

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