Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
The introduction, discussion questions and suggested reading list that follow are intended to enhance your groups reading of
Any
Human Heart, by William Boyd, author of
Armadillo,
The
Blue Afternoon, and
Brazzaville Beach. William Boyd, who has been
called "a master storyteller" (
Chicago Tribune) and "one of the
most skillful and appealing writers at work today" (
The Atlantic Monthly),
now gives us his most entertaining, sly and compelling novel to date, a novel
that evokes the tumult, events and iconic faces of our time, as it tells the
story of Logan Mountstuartwriter, lover, and man of the worldthrough his
intimate journals.
Reader's Guide
- Is Logan a likeable and engaging character? If so, what are the qualities
that make him so? Is he a risk-taker? Is he egotistical? What qualities does he
bring to his friendships? How does he change as he grows older?
- What is the purpose of the "challenges" that Peter, Ben and Logan
impose upon each other in their last year at Abbey? How is Logans approach to
his challenge indicative of his approach to life? Why is Logan so unhappy at
Oxford, and why does he receive only a third-class degree?
- Logans father is the manager of a corned-beef factory; his Uruguayan
mother was his fathers secretary but claims descent from the Spaniard who
first entered Uruguay in the sixteenth century. What are Logans assumptions
about his own class status while at Abbey, at Oxford, and in his first marriage
to the daughter of an Earl? Is he a snob or just the opposite? To what degree is
Logans life determined by the solid bourgeois values his father instills in
him?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Vintage.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.