Our Book Of The Month for December is Away With The Penguins by Hazel Prior. For our online Book Clubbers we have some questions below for you to get involved with. Either answer in the comments section or use as discussion points at your next Book Club. If you haven’t read the book check out our Lowdown all about it here.
Penguins – the blurb
Veronica McCreedy is about to have the journey of a lifetime . . .
Veronica McCreedy lives in a mansion by the sea. She loves a nice cup of Darjeeling tea whilst watching a good wildlife documentary. And she’s never seen without her ruby-red lipstick.
Although these days Veronica is rarely seen by anyone because, at 85, her days are spent mostly at home, alone.
She can be found either collecting litter from the beach (‘people who litter the countryside should be shot’), trying to locate her glasses (‘someone must have moved them’) or shouting instructions to her assistant, Eileen (‘Eileen, door!’).
Veronica doesn’t have family or friends nearby. Not that she knows about, anyway . . . And she has no idea where she’s going to leave her considerable wealth when she dies.
But today . . . today Veronica is going to make a decision that will change all of this.
Discussion Points
The following are written with the presumption you have read Away With The Penguins. If you haven’t, bookmark the post and come back to answer the questions later.
- It is nearly 70 years since Veronica had her heart broken. What do you think was the main trigger for her opening up to her past hurt?
- Who did you think Veronica would leave her money to? Did she make the right decision?
- How do you think life for Veronica changes when she returns from the South Shetlands?
- What did you think had happened to Giovanni? Did the book need the Epilogue?
- The book highlights the plight of the penguins amongst a back drop of global warming and lack of funding. Veronica often litter picks and gives up plastic wrapped ginger thins. Hazel Prior encourages us in the Acknowledgments to do ‘something that chimes with us that cares for our world’ Is there anything you could do that helps tackle climate change? What about picking up 5 pieces of plastic next time you visit the beach? Or treating yourself to some metal straws that you can use again and again?
Get Involved
Feel free to answer as many of the questions as you want. Post your replies below, discuss with us on social media using @BookSocialUK, or pose some questions of your own. If you enjoyed the questions, have a go at last month’s Get Involved: Pine.