BKMT READING GUIDES
This One Is Mine: A Novel
by Maria Semple
Published: 2010-03-24
Paperback : 320 pages
Paperback : 320 pages
6 members reading this now
2 clubs reading this now
1 member has read this book
2 clubs reading this now
1 member has read this book
Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life--except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she ...
No other editions available.
Jump to
Introduction
Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life--except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David's hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the ESPN sportscaster savant who falls into her trap. For all their recklessness, Violet and Sally will discover that David and Jeremy have a few surprises of their own. THIS ONE IS MINE is a compassionate and wickedly funny satire about our need for more--and the often disastrous choices we make in the name of happiness.
Discussion Questions
1. How does the title, “This One Is Mine,” interplay with the story? The poem at the beginning of the book opens with the image of a slave block. Are any of the characters in the book “enslaved” in a way?2. In the first chapter, David is upset with Violet for what he perceives to be her lack of interest in maintaining the household. Is his anger justified?
3. What does Violet find sad about Los Angeles? Where do you think this sadness stems from?
4. Why do you think Violet is drawn to Teddy? What makes her risk “losing everything,” as David puts it?
5. Los Angeles could be said to be a city of ambition. How do the characters’ ambitions relate to one another’s? What fuels those ambitions, and when do they get out of control?
6. In some ways, Sally seems to want everything that Violet has: a successful husband, financial security, a nice house, and classy friends. Do you think Sally would be happy if she suddenly had everything she wanted? What similarities to you see in Sally and Violet?
7. Conversely, do you see any similarities between David and Jeremy?
8. Teddy seems to have a set of problems that make Violet’s (and everyone else’s) pale in comparison. Do you think Violet is drawn to him because of or in spite of these traits?
9. Why is Violet happy when Sally tells her that she never really liked her?
10. At the end of the book, Violet, Sally, and David all go to visit Teddy in the hospital. In what ways did Teddy’s entrance in their lives bring them all together? How would this story have turned out differently if Violet had never met him at the health fair?
11. In Leo Tolstoy’s classic, Anna Karenina, Anna is miserable in a loveless marriage and recklessly succumbs to her desire for the dashing Vronsky. What similarities do you see between Tolstoy’s novel and This One Is Mine?
=
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
I used to write for TV. I worked on good shows, like Ellen, Mad About You and Arrested Development. And bad shows that nobody needs to know about. During those years, I never actually watched TV, though. All I did was read. After I had my daughter, I didn't want to go back to the grueling twenty-hour work days, so I decided to try the thing I feared most: write a novel. I asked myself a simple question. "If someone came up to me holding a book and said, 'Oh my God, Maria, you are going to absolutely love this book,' what would that book be?" I was in the middle of rereading Anna Karenina for the millionth time, so I took that as a cue. I literally wrote a list of what I'd want in a novel and taped that list to my desk. Here's the exact list I wrote almost three years ago to this day: - about marriages/relationships - someone having an affair - characters are real & grounded & funny, but acting crazy, like I'd be afraid to - emotionally and psychologically detailed - living in nice houses - you have no idea where it's going - lots of characters who end up affecting each other And so I began. Unlike in television, where you're always thinking, "Is this what the network wants? Is the actor going to object?", at every juncture I asked myself, "What would I want to have happen here, if I was reading this book in bed after a long day with my baby? What would make me keep reading instead of going to sleep?" That was my only criteria. It was a joy to write. I hope that comes across.Book Club Recommendations
Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 1 members.
MEMBER LOGIN
BECOME A MEMBER it's free
Book Club HQ to over 88,000+ book clubs and ready to welcome yours.
SEARCH OUR READING GUIDES
Search
FEATURED EVENTS
PAST AUTHOR CHATS
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more
Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more
Please wait...
