The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth is told through two points of view–Veronica’s and Mariah’s. We also hear about Henry’s life through the perspective of these two women, and we learn about Rachel through these characters as well as her letters. In the telling of this story, we learn about the four main characters, but whose story is it? Why?

What do you want your life to be? Veronica asks herself this question on her first night in London, navigating new experiences on her own. Veronica, Mariah, and Henry are all in positions of having a second chance at life, though due to unexpected circumstances that were imposed on them. Do you think they would have sought out these new directions if they hadn’t been pushed by other forces in their lives? If not, what do you think keeps us stuck or trapped in the everyday-ness of our lives? Are there ways we can break out of those mundane days without having a massive shock jolt us into action?

When we meet Mariah, she is deep in the grief of losing her mother as well as the career and physical activity she loved. Throughout the story, she tells Veronica that she does not need a mother with her on the trip, but as we read we realize that she could certainly use a maternal figure in her life. Veronica and Mariah help heal each other, making it possible for each of them to move forward once this quest comes to an end. What do you think comes next for Mariah? If Barbara were to write a sequel (no plans for a follow-up book at the moment), what do you think Mariah’s story would entail?

We learn about Rachel through her letters and from Mariah and Henry as they share their memories and stories about her, but we only get to know her on a surface level. What do you think of Rachel? What kind of person was she?

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth is a female-driven story…and then we have Henry. What did you think of him as a character? What did his presence contribute to the story? Would it have been just as effective a narrative without him in it? Why or why not?

Who was your favorite character in the story? Who was your least favorite? Why?

Had you heard of Parsi Cafes before reading The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth? What is your impression of them?

Barbara O’Neal is known for her evocative writing style, especially when it comes to food, places, and character descriptions. This book takes the reader to five very different parts of the world. Which of the settings was your favorite? Why? Did you have a favorite descriptive passage in the book?

Barbara uses Rachel’s letters to give Veronica–and readers–clues about what happened in India long ago and what may have sent Rachel on a mission to document Parsi cafes in the book she never had the chance to finish. What do you think of this storytelling device? Did you like hearing Rachel’s point of view through the letters? Would you have preferred that Barbara weave these clues into the story in another way? What are your ideas to unveil this information differently?

Veronica finds this job with Mariah on LinkedIn, as if the job description had been written with her in mind. The basic requirements, the travel, and the timing made the empty parts in Veronica hopeful and the yearning parts in her come to life. If you could write the perfect job description for a job that seemed too good to be true and spoke to your every wish, what would that job posting say? Be bold, outlandish, and have fun with the idea!

Travel is one of Barbara’s passions. She not only weaves her travels into her books but she also actively shares photos and stories from her trips on her Facebook and Instagram accounts. Have you ever been influenced by the settings in the books you read and then planned a vacation around them? Where did you go and who or what influenced you to go there?