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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Sarah's grief not hit her until she was back home in San Francisco?

2. How does Annie feel when she sees Sofie Kahn's name on the announcement board?

3. In Chapter 14, Annie initially does not let herself cry. Why?

4. How does Sarah describe how she felt about her home as a child?

5. Why is Sarah glad that Annie left for Vermont?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Frieda feel, in the end, about hearing Annie constantly vent about Graham's betrayal?

2. How does Frieda believe one can manage in life?

3. How does Annie's feelings towards Mike's behavior change over time?

4. Why does Edith feel sorry for her ex-husband, Mike?

5. How does Annie compare the arrival of Graham's ashes to Annie shutting Graham's office door after Rosemary leaves?

6. How does Frieda acknowledging Graham's affair get her into a tough situation with Annie?

7. Why does Annie feel it was the wrong decision to return to the lake house in Vermont?

8. How does Annie feel as she watches the children scatter Graham's ashes?

9. How does Annie first feel as she flips through Memoir of Bookshop?

10. How does Annie describe the changes that took place when she and Graham were at the lake house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Sarah and Lucas love their father unconditionally. What is it that they love about him? How does this influence their relationships with him? How do their relationships reflect the way that many people feel about Graham? What might Graham have to say about the feelings of others towards him?

Essay Topic 2

Annie knows right away that something is wrong at the beginning of Chapter 8. How does she know that things are not right? How does she react to this horrific event? How does her reaction reflect what the reader already knows about her?

Essay Topic 3

The novel begins with the narrator describing the end of both Annie and Graham's first marriages. What does the reader learn about the ex-spouses, as well as both Annie and Graham? What might be the purpose for starting out the book this way? What tone does it set? Are these details about Annie and Graham's lives important? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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