

How do the settings-Boston, Concord, New York-act as characters within the story?ħ. How has this scenario changed or not over time?Ħ. Discuss the choices presented to Ivy when she found out she was pregnant (sent away, adoption, runaway, marriage to the father). The theme of choice is brought up throughout the story. Helen tells Mia that Ivy “should have had the choice to decide what to do with her own body and her own fate” (p. How do they mirror each other? What, if any, are the major differences of these relationships?ĥ. The relationship between Helen and Ivy feels similar to Mia’s with Sarah and Constance. What drew him to her and what were her motivations for accepting?Ĥ. Joel proposes to Ivy very quickly upon her arrival at The Community. Ivy tells people she grew up “west of the moon.” Where does this phrase come from and why do you think this is her response?ģ. How does the prologue set the tone for the rest of the story?Ģ.

We first meet Mia in the prologue as she tries to escape The Community. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.ġ. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. This reading group guide for The Invisible Hour includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Alice Hoffman. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote: “A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.” But what if Nathaniel Hawthorne never wrote The Scarlet Letter? And what if Mia Jacob never found it on the day she planned to die? Now as a young woman she falls in love with a brilliant writer as she makes her way back in time. She learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.Īs a girl Mia fell in love with a book. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways. Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her? The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community-an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden, and books are considered evil. One brilliant June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her.
#99 invisible invisible women lesson plan series
From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and the Practical Magic series comes an enchanting novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.
