Wed 9/18 Book Club – talking about The Grace Kelly Dress (fiction book)

Here are the book club questions that the discussion  will start with, along with the Zoom meeting link.  Any members are welcome to attend to check out this SIG (special interest group)!

Book Club Questions

1) The Grace Kelly Dress is about an heirloom wedding gown that’s been passed down through three generations of a family. Do you have any heirlooms in your family? How important are these items? How did they become heirlooms?

2) What does the dress mean to each woman in the novel? What impact does it have on their lives, and how does it shape their expectations for love, marriage, and family?

3) How does the dress reflect the times in which each woman is living? Discuss the role fashion can play in forming (or performing) identity and in pushing societal boundaries.

4) Which woman’s version of the dress was your favorite? Why? How did you feel about the alterations each generation made? Do you think the women should have made changes or kept the original version?

5) Family roles define many of the women in this book: Rose is an orphan, Joanie is an only child following her sister’s death, and Rocky struggles with her relationships with her sister and mother. How can familial expectations define a person? Can you ever step outside of these roles?

6) Discuss how each woman in the story is touched by loss. How does the death of a loved one affect our daily lives? How do you keep those you’ve lost in your life and honor their memory?

7) In chapter twenty-four, Diana tells Rose that her friends are like family to her. Discuss what this phrase means and how it applies to your own life.

8) Do you think Birdie was right in keeping the truth about Michele’s death from Joanie? Have you ever had a family secret you withheld from loved ones? How important is it to shield our children from life’s more difficult moments?

9) Why do you think Grace Kelly—and her wedding dress—have inspired so many? How does her influence live on today, half a century after her wedding and decades after her untimely death?

10) Discuss the importance of tradition. How can family tradition both bond people together and cause tensions and misunderstandings?

11) Would you recommend this book to others to read?  If yes, why?  If no, why not?

12) Was there enough coverage of sewing, dressmaking, needle work, lace work, and other related techniques for you?

13) For those who listened to an audio version, how was the narration?

Zoom Meeting Link

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82866209978?
pwd=RhbTqGAAjahPVvO4SvHIHhgXxPEUS8.1
Meeting ID: 828 6620 9978
Passcode: 527969

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82866209978…
Meeting ID: 828 6620 9978
Passcode: 527969

Ignore the message that you are going to a Facebook page.

Hi again.  Here is a brief book club report from the 9/18 meeting!   10 members were online in Zoom for about an hour.  We discussed the book for about 45 minutes.  Three generations of individuals involved were tthe main characters in the rotating chapters.  Most felt the plots were too predictable.  There were a few individual characters who were interesting.  Rose, who was a very young seamstress in the late 1950s was the character with the most sewing and needlework skills described but we questioned whether Brenda Janowitz, the book’s author, really knew about sewing.  It was interesting to read about different time periods, hear about Monaco and New York City, as well as a little about clothing styles between the late 1950s and late 2010s.

There was a a PowerPoint slide show then shared about Princess Grace’s wedding dress, her outfit for the civil ceremony, and the outfit also for the leaving on the honeymoon cruise.  Please email ASGbookclub@seattleasg.org with a request for the PowerPoint show!

The last 15 minutes included brief chapter announcements, including a reminder about the upcoming Annual Meeting and Fashion Show Fling on Sat Oct 26 and how the Dolls for Kids project is going.  And, there was also brief discussion about the additional Book Club’s Zoom meeting on October 16th.  The group at last Wednesday evening’s meeting talked about having a few themes with anyone attending sharing about about “go to” how-to or technique sewing related books (or podcasts, movies, etc) OR having attendees share about their one to three favorite or go-to resources.  And, what’s highlighted in the last sentence was the unanimous choice!  Teaser here: Marion will be sharing about some fav books about buttons!

And, while it’s fun to have a book club meeting in Zoom which can reach to all corners of the chapter, many of us are thrilled we can see each other in person at the 10/26 annual meeting and fashion show fling!

Please post any feedback, suggestions, or requests here related to the chapter’s Zoom Book Club SIG (special interest group).

Happy reading and sewing!