The Beach House Book Club Discussion Questions

Inside: The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe book club discussion questions

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe is the official book club selection for June 2024 in the Happy Simple Mom Book Club.

This book is a quick read for a lazy summer week on the beach or by the pool. Pack it in your suitcase for your next vacation! Forgiveness, redemption, family dysfunction, and a little romance added in. Check out The Beach House book club discussion questions below.

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Happy Simple Mom Book Club June 2024 Pick: The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe

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Don’t miss out on any other reads from 2024. You can find those in the 2024 Happy Simple Mom Book Club picks.

June 2024 Pick: The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe Book Club Discussion Questions

Genre: Family Life Fiction

Length: 480 pages

Audio Length: 14 hours and 16 minutes

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Publisher’s Description:

Known for her moving characters and emotional honesty, Mary Alice Monroe brings readers a beautifully rendered story that explores the fragile yet enduring bond between mothers and daughters.

Caretta Rutledge thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother — coming just as her own life is spinning out of control — has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a bona fide “turtle lady” and renews old acquaintances with her mother that she will earn life’s most precious lessons — true love involves sacrifice, family is forever and the mistakes of the past can be forgiven.

SPOILER ALERT!!! The following discussion questions WILL give away things from the book. Read at your own risk.

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe Book Club Discussion Questions

Question 1:

Each chapter opened with a fact about turtling.  What are your thoughts on how the chapters began? 

Question 2:

“One day she would recall this very twilit evening and the sight of her children dancing on the shore and then… Yes, then she would wish she had stopped to hold their chubby hands and play tag along with them.” Did this quote make you recall any memories or relate to you in some way?

Question 3

Caretta was estranged from her mother for nearly two decades.  Do you think the author was realistic in how they reconciled after so long?

Question 4

Have you ever had Frogmore Stew (aka Low-Country Boil)?

Question 5

Have you ever been turtling? Tell us about the experience.

Question 6

The book often spoke of favorite childhood memories spent at the beach. What is your favorite childhood vacation memory?

Question 7

Lovie often spoke about societal views on marriage during her early years, as influenced by her mother’s societal views on marriage.  How have you seen the role of the wife change from the time you were a child to now?

Question 8

When Caretta left her home to go to her mother’s beach house, she had just lost her job and her boyfriend.  She drove all the way across the country without her cell phone.  Did you find this realistic?

Question 9

Of all the conflicts in the novel, which one did you think had the greatest tension? 

Question 10

Forgiveness seems to be one of the themes of the book.  Was there an act of forgiveness you read in the book that stuck with you?

Question 11

Did you find the story predictable? Did you enjoy it?

Question 12

Did this book remind you of any other books?

Question 13

Have you read any other Mary Alice Monroe books? Do you plan to read more in this series?

What were your thoughts on the June Happy Simple Mom book club pick, The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe? Let me know in the comments below.