Mystic River Study Guide

Topics for Further Study

• In a one-page essay, compare and contrast the film version of Mystic River with the book. What aspects of the novel changed when it was adapted to film? Would you have left in these parts? What was lost and what was gained by adapting the book into a movie? Which version most effectively depicts the basic story?
• Look up the definition for "feminism in literature" and in a one-page essay, examine the complex way in which women are depicted in Mystic River. Would you consider Lehane a feminist author? Are any of the women fem inist in nature? How would you describe the kinds of women depicted in the book?
• The issue of social class underscores the story in Mystic River. Most of the characters in the.....

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