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Discussion Name 2020 Book Club Discussions
Topic Name The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
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The Exiles


The author of Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant ...
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Discuss The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

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Mathinna feels her people don't believe in record keeping, believing that "time doesn't move in a line from past to present but instead is continuous." What do you think she meant by this? Do you agree?

8

Nov. 06, 2020
by dianaps

'Living in a new world accords one certain freedoms. Social hierarchies are not as rigidly enforced.' Is this true for all the characters? What are the limitations of these freedoms? What does freedom mean to you today?

8

Nov. 08, 2020
by dianaps

What connections do you see between the historical world of The Exiles and today?

9

Nov. 08, 2020
by dianaps

Mathinna thinks to herself 'She was tired of feeling as if she lived between worlds. This was the world she lived in now.' How do you see Van Diemen's Land acting as a "between world" for the different characters?

4

Nov. 08, 2020
by dianaps

Evangeline's father compares the rings of a tree trunk to the important events in life. Mathinna's mother makes a similar comparison to the shells on the necklace. Are the analogies apt? What "rings" exist in your life?

4

Nov. 08, 2020
by dianaps

What is the significance of Mathinna losing her language? Of all the ways she changes after leaving Flinders, why do you think this loss feels the most important to her, and marks such a clear divide from her old life?

15

Nov. 12, 2020
by laurap

On the ship, even though the male convicts are also being punished, they are in a position of authority over the female prisoners. What do you think this says about British society in the 1800s?

20

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Evangeline is told, '[T]here's no man you can count on. No woman neither. The sooner you understand that, the better off you'll be.' Do you think this is true for Evangeline? Is it true in general?

10

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Ruby meeting her dad. Would you have expected it to go like that?

16

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Who sent the letter to Dr. Dunne?

10

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Ruby thinks about her "many mothers." What role do found families, and found mothers in particular, play throughout the story? How has your mother influenced the person you became?

7

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Could you identify with Evangeline? Have you ever been swept away. By circumstances beyond your control?

9

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Did you think the timeline of the story was too compressed?

14

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Do you think Hazel really could have forgiven Buck if he had let her? Do you think her actions toward him at the end of the book were justified?

22

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

How do you think Mathinna, Evangeline and Hazel's stories would have been different if their families were present?

10

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

The Franklins make Mathinna feel like she doesn't belong in Hobart Town, yet Mrs. Wilson tells Mathinna that they are the ones who don't belong. What do you feel it mean to belong to a place? Who decides who belongs?

6

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Evangeline asks Dr. Dunne what he'd do if he could do whatever he chose. What would you choose to do, if you could start over and pick any occupation? Why?

16

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Were you familiar with this part of Australia's history before reading? Was there anything new you learned that particularly surprised you?

24

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Do you think that Mathinna had other options after leaving the orphanage for the second time? How much of the way one's life turns out is under our control, and how much is chance, in your opinion?

14

Nov. 16, 2020
by gerryp

Evangeline's father preaches that a woman's greatest possession is her chastity. Is this still the case? Why and how do you think this has changed over the decades?

12

Nov. 18, 2020
by mariec

The missionary, Mrs. Fry, tells Evangeline, "Only through sorrow do we learn to appreciate kindness." Do you believe this is true?

14

Nov. 18, 2020
by paulagb

Ruby believes that Hazel made a life in Hobart Town for herself that wouldn't have been possible in Great Britain. Do you agree?

14

Nov. 18, 2020
by paulagb

Throughout the book, multiple characters reference and find comfort in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Why do you think the author chose this work in particular?

10

Nov. 24, 2020
by meggieg

If Hazel lived in the present day, what type of job or profession might she have?

12

Nov. 24, 2020
by meggieg

Was anyone else nervous when Mathinna gave Ruby the beads?

25

Nov. 25, 2020
by Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

Were you surprised by Evangeline's fate? Why or why not?

36

Nov. 30, 2020
by BuffaloGirl

Overall, what do you think of The Exiles? (no spoilers in this thread please)

42

Nov. 30, 2020
by BuffaloGirl

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