Eight Hundred Grapes

Discuss the myth of the yellow VW bug and the Ford family’s belief in “synchronization” as opposed to fate. How does this theory evolve over the course of the novel?

Do you think Georgia feels she has agency in the beginning of the story? The end? Is she right?

Georgia has made a lot of life choices to avoid repeating an upbringing that involved unpredictability. How does your life resist or yield to your own childhood? Discuss how that relates to the definition of “concerto” and its varying degrees of cooperation and opposition.

As twins, Finn and Bobby are often at odds with each other. In what ways do you think they are alike? Why do you think it’s so difficult for them to connect?

The one common denominator for the Ford siblings is love of their mother’s lasagna. Do you have a similar tradition in your family? What brings you together, no matter what?

Discuss the role of the contract that Georgia asks her brothers to sign. Why is she so afraid of the vineyard? Can you relate?

How does forgiveness play into this story? Could you forgive Ben for hiding Maddie? Could you forgive Finn for kissing Margaret?

Georgia insists on doing everything in her power to stop her loved ones from doing something they’ll regret. Discuss her mother’s response, “But which way is regret?” What do you think she means here?

Why is Jacob unexpectedly appealing to Georgia? Discuss their similarities, both in personality and life paths.

Georgia’s father has many rules of winemaking, like: “If you do your job,” then, “you make good soil.” He also has “a theory that what was equally as important as the wine you presented in your vintage was the wine you left out of the vintage. In winemaking, this was known as declassification.” How do these rules apply to decision making on a larger scale? Do you think Georgia abides by them?

Who are Georgia’s “have-to-haves” at the end of the novel? Who are the have-to-haves in your own life?

Ben takes full responsibility for lying, but Finn points out that Georgia wasn’t necessarily tuned in to her fiancé. Discuss whether there are two sides to every conflict, even when something seems black and white.

Do you think that Georgia will be happy running the vineyard and being with Jacob? Why or why not? What’s the biggest lesson she has learned?