Questions and Topics for Discussion
1. Valentina experiences two sudden tragedies: Her marriage is over, and the mother who abandoned her has died. What is it about major life changes that spark new beginnings?
2. When she arrives in Primrose Hill, Val is hesitant to emotionally invest in the Book Garden and her mother’s carefully curated flat. How can childhood experiences affect how adults experience emotions and change later in life?
3. Val forms new friendships in London that last a lifetime. Explore the themes of friendship and family as seen in the new lives that Eloise and Val build after tragedy.
4. The Last Winter is a special book to Val and influences her journey in London. Why do you think the novel resonates so much with her—and with Eloise, for that matter? Reflect on a book or story that has inspired you in a similar way.
5. Eloise finds herself involved with two very different men. What do Edward and Frank represent to Eloise? Discuss the pros and cons of each possible path.
6. What were your impressions of Eric when he first appeared in the bookstore and as he and Val began developing a friendship?
7. Val embarks on two scavenger hunts of sorts—one to find her mystery book lover, Daniel Davenport, and one following her mother’s clues—yet she still carries a lot of resentment toward Eloise. Discuss these two separate journeys and the importance of each for Val.
8. Eloise finds passion in collecting antique jewelry from estate sales, but her life still feels empty. Discuss the social constructs of the 1960s and ’70s, the standards set for women at the time, and the drastic change of socioeconomic status that Eloise experiences.
9. Eloise takes Val on a scavenger hunt to all her favorite places in London. Along the way, she shares her story with the hope that Val will understand her better. Map out your own scavenger hunt with places that matter to you.
10. Val asks her Instagram followers, “What’s your big life dream?” Discuss the dreams of each character and then reflect on your own. Whom do you share them with?
11. While looking for one of her mother’s clues, Val is given the advice to accept the invitation to life’s grand second act. Pinpoint this change in the main characters and discuss their evolution. Have you experienced your own second act? If not, what would your second act look like?
12. When Val first arrives in London, it’s obvious that her heart is hardened when it comes to matters of her mother’s life. At what moment in the book did you detect a shift in Val—anger turning into understanding, pain turning into forgiveness?
13. Why is saving the Book Garden so important to Val? How has her relationship with Eloise changed up to this point in the novel?
14. Frank forces Eloise to go back to London, but it is ultimately her decision to stay and build a new life without her daughter. Did Eloise have a choice? Should Val be more forgiving of her mother? Discuss your thoughts on this difficult situation.
15. Val never receives the letters from Eloise, so she grows up confused, believing that her mother had abandoned her. How do you think their story would have been different if the letters had been delivered?
16. In the end, Val realizes that her mother is all around her, in the Book Garden and the streets of Primrose Hill. They’ve never been closer. Think of a loved one you have lost or a friend you’ve lost touch with. What small, everyday moments remind you of them? And if you could choose one person who’s no longer in your life to write to, who would it be, and what would you say?