The Magic of Ordinary Days

Was Livvy’s father right to insist on her finding a husband before she gave birth? What other options were available to her? What would have been the repercussions of these options?

It takes Livvy awhile to warm up to Ray, let alone love him. Do you think she was too hard on him? Were you surprised that she could come to love him at all?

What are some of the qualities that make Livvy and Ray such well-developed characters? How does Creel make them human? How does each surprise you?

Creel reveals the story behind Livvy’s pregnancy gradually; we don’t find out what really happened until more than halfway through the novel. How does knowing she is pregnant change the opinions you had begun to form about her?

Why is it so easy for Livvy to make friends with Rose and Lorelei? How are their situations similar?

How did you feel about Rose and Lorelei after they used Livvy to help the POWs escape? Did they betray Livvy’s friendship? Did you, like Livvy, feel any sympathy toward them because of their feelings for these soldiers?

Do you think the girls befriended Livvy because they knew she could help them with their plan? Why or why not?

What is the significance of Rose and Lorelei’s fascination with butterflies?

What did you learn from this book about World War II and its effects on the home front?

Did Livvy make the right choice in remaining with Ray? What was she giving up by not returning to Denver? What do you think you would have done in her situation?

Would you attribute her whirlwind romance and pregnancy to grief over her mother’s death? Why would a sensible, self-assured, independent woman “strip away the petals of her future to let them catch wind, and fly away?” Why is this metaphor so suitable to the book?