A Summer Affair
by Elin Hilderbrand
List Price: $14.99
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780316018616
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Claire Danner Crispin, mother of four young children and nationally renowned glassblower, bites off more than she can chew when she agrees to co-chair the Nantucket's Children Summer Gala.
Claire is asked to chair the benefit, in part, because she is the former high school sweetheart of rock star Max West. Max agrees to play the gala and it looks like smooth sailing for Claire-until she promises a "museum-quality" piece of glass for the auction, offers her best friend the catering job, goes nose-to-nose with her Manhattan socialite co-chair, and begins a "good-hearted" affair with the charity's Executive Director, Lockhart Dixon.
Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this riveting story of one woman's attempt to deal with loves past and present, family, business, and high-powered social pressures. Elin Hilderbrand's unique understanding of the joys and longings that animate women's lives will make this her newest summer bestseller.
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1. Discuss the character of Claire Danner Crispin. What ultimately leads her to have an affair?
2. How does the author juxtapose Claire’s relationship as a young girl with Matthew “Max West” Westfield with her current relationship with Lock Dixon? How are the two loves connected, if at all?
3. Discuss the role of friendship in the novel. Which character proves to be the greatest friend by the summer’s end? Does the way Claire values friendship change as a result of the gala?
4. There are several working mothers in A Summer Affair, including Claire and her sister-in-law, Siobhan. Discuss the ways in which the pressures of being a working mother are portrayed in the novel. Does the book’s depiction of working mothers seem accurate and realistic to you?
5. A Summer Affair is told from multiple points of view. Who, aside from Claire, impressed you as the most compelling character? Did you find that your favorite character changed in the
course of the novel?
6. Discuss the role of glassblowing in Claire’s life and its importance to her identity. How does resuming her former passion affect Claire’s life as a wife and mother?
7. How does the island of Nantucket act as a character in A Summer Affair? Discuss the tension between the island’s summer residents and those who live there year-round.
8. What do you think the future holds for Claire, Siobhan, Lock, and Max? How do you think Claire will come to view the affair, and the gala, in the years to come?
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