Like Mother, Like Mother

These book club questions are from the publisher, Penguin Random House. A full book club kit can be found here.

Book club questions for Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

At the center of Like Mother, Like Mother is the unforgettable Lila Pereira. Lila reaches the pinnacle of American political power as the brilliant editor of D.C.’s famous muckraking newspaper, The Washington Globe. She does this by being completely unapologetically married to her job. Her loving partner, Joe, knows what he signed up for: he will be both the mom and dad. How did you feel about Lila’s choices? Is liking a character essential to liking a book?

Do any of the book’s characters remind you of your own family? How does the book force you to contend with your own lineage?

How did you react to Grace? Are her choices understandable? Do you think she is right to be upset?

What purpose does Zelda serve in bridging the gap between Grace and Lila?

What was the purpose of Grace’s novel, The Lost Mother? How does her writing reinforce or challenge her character?

Would Lila’s choices be judged differently if she were a man? How so? How does gender influence our ideas of who makes a good parent?

How did the political landscape underscore the themes of the novel? What purpose did the elections serve?

What do you think causes the blockages in Grace’s relationship with Xander? Do they navigate these challenges well?

Discuss Grace’s relationship with her sisters, the Starbirds. How are they alike? How are they different?

How did you feel about the end of the book and the resolution of the central mystery?

Like Mother, Like Mother Book Club Questions PDF

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