Discussion Guide

  1. Of all the “Anne” stories, which scene from the books or movies is your favorite? (Or, if you are new to Anne, which anecdote shared in this book makes you most want to read the series and/or watch the movies?)
  2. Growing up, Lorilee loved Anne’s humor, vigor, and unsinkable spirit. Who were some of your own childhood heroes or heroines from books and movies? What “clicked” for you about those characters? In what ways were they similar to or different from you?
  3. Think of some examples of orphanhood in stories for children and young adults. Why do you think it is such a prevalent theme for these age groups? What feelings does it tap into; what situations does it set up; what questions does it provoke?
  4. Lorilee associates the words bereft, left behind, and left with orphan. Do you agree with her that, by that association, we’ve all been orphans at one time or another? If yes, how has that been true in your own life?
  5. How do Lorilee’s trips to two special places—Prince Edward Island and Korea—inspire her and alter the course of her life? What has been the most meaningful trip or adventure you’ve ever taken, and what made it so significant to you?
  6. Lorilee traces Anne’s connections to her first “bosom friend,” Diana Barry, as well as the snarky Josie Pye, and shares parallel relationships from her own life. Who was your first “bosom friend”? What drew the two of you together? And were you ever targeted by a Josie Pye? What did each relationship teach you about the meaning of friendship, the sense of belonging, and how to treat others? If you are a parent, how do those relationships inform your reaction when your own kids form new friendships or get picked on?
  7. When she was lonely as a child, Lorilee fantasized about being rescued by her birth mother, saying, “There has always been a pattern with me: Whenever my confidence and heart are at a low ebb, I wish and wonder the most about lost connections and what might have been.” Can you relate? What “lost connections” in your own life come to mind?
  8. What difficulties do Lorilee and Doyle encounter in their marriage, and what happens to lead Lorilee to her “book of Revelation”? How does it connect to Anne’s? What do their reactions and decisions reveal about their personal characters, how they have grown, and what becomes most important to them?
  9. When actor Jonathan Crombie died in April 2015, the outpouring of love and grief proved how much the character of Gilbert Blythe (and Crombie’s portrayal) meant to people. Why do you think there was such an enormous response? How did you respond when you heard that Crombie had died?
  10. Why does Lorilee struggle with the question, “Are you Phoebe’s real mom?” What does she mean when she says she loves her adopted daughter “biologically”? What do you personally think it means to be a “real” mom, and why?
  11. When Lorilee reaches out to her biological parents, what does she fear or hope will result? What does she learn about herself through her contact with Dora, and later, Tom? How is her faith in God affected by what happens? How do you think you might have responded if you were in her shoes?
  12. The title of this book links Lorilee and her daughter with one of their favorite stories. If you and your own mom or daughter were going to write about an adventure together (based on a literary classic or otherwise), what do you think it might be called? Why?
  13. Describe Lorilee’s relationship with her adoptive parents and brother. How would you compare it to the role that Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert play in Anne’s story? How do Matthew and Marilla balance each other to give Anne what she needs at different times and in different ways, and what can this teach us about our own role in the lives of the people we love?
  14. Describing Phoebe’s “Korean mama” to her daughter, Lorilee says she “did the right thing by taking wonderful care of you when you were in her tummy. . . . She loved you very much and was so brave.” What difficulties did Moon face as a young, unwed mother-to-be? What choices did she make, and what support (or lack thereof) did she experience? Why do you think Lorilee senses she is “bestowing a great gift to [Phoebe’s] heart” through sharing this story of her birth mother?
  15. What common threads do you see in Lorilee’s, Anne’s, and Phoebe’s journeys? What links do they share with your own life? What do the three orphans’ stories ultimately reveal about what it means to find your family?
  16. Why do you think Lorilee chose two Bible verses, John 14:18 and Isaiah 49:15-16, as the opening epigraphs for this book? How do they tie in to the overarching theme of the book? As you read them, what do they say to you personally?
  17. What would you say is the central question this memoir asks—and how would you answer it?