Discussion Guide

Use these questions to discuss A Beautiful Fall in a reading group, or simply to explore the story from a new perspective.

1. Three love stories are shared in the pages of A Beautiful Fall: Emma and Michael’s, Samantha and Jim’s, and Christina and Bo’s. Which story did you like best? Why?

2. What are Emma’s personal strengths and weaknesses? Samantha’s? Christina’s?

3. The small town of Juneberry is a place of beauty and strong community. Have you ever known a place like Juneberry? What about the town did you identify with?

4. There are five strong male characters in A Beautiful Fall: Will, Bo, Michael, Noel, and Jim. What personal characteristics did they exhibit by their actions?

5. The theme of community, where neighbors help neighbors, runs throughout the story. Do you have a community that exhibits concern for others in your own life? What appeals to you about that sort of community?

6. Home is another major theme in A Beautiful Fall. Both Emma and Janette Kerr left home to search for a place where they belonged. In what ways can you relate this idea of leaving home in order to find it?

7. Michael and Samantha vowed to watch over Emma after her mother died. How did you react to two children making such an important pledge?

8. Parenthood is an important aspect of the story (e.g., Emma grows up without her mother, Will raises Emma as a single parent and endures twelve years of estrangement, Jim and Samantha help shape Noel into the faithful servant he becomes). Why do you think the author placed special emphasis on the role and experiences of parents in the story? How do your experiences compare to those of the characters?

9. Bo realized that Christina was an exceptional woman. Why do you think he hesitated before asking her to marry him? What caused him to change his mind?

What are other examples of this hesitancy in relationship?

10. Noel is an especially responsible and mature young man. Do you think it’s realistic that a twenty-two-year-old could make such a positive impact in a community? What do you think contributed to Noel’s maturity?

11. Christina Herry loves a man who for the longest time wouldn’t commit to her. Was she right to hold on for so long? How did she find the patience to wait?