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Book Club Questions

I'm so glad you have chosen to read one of my books for your bookclub. Of course you will have your own discussions and your own way of doing things. But here are a few more questions to consider, just in case. If you let me know you are reading my books, I am happy to send you additional information. And, just so you know, every dollar of my royalties will go to charity—so thank you for making a difference. Welcome to Maggie's world!

If you have a book club in the Arlington, VA, or Washington, DC, area and would like to discuss my talk on the craft of writing, please contact me at helaine@helainemario.com.

Shadow Music

Download a pdf of the questions

Of course you will have your own questions for discussion after reading Shadow Music. But here are a few questions that have been asked of me recently, that I found particularly intriguing or insightful, and sure to initiate a good discussion.

• The author has described Shadow Music as a 'Genre-Blend' of Suspense, Mystery, WW2 History, Romance, International Settings, Humor, Music and Art. How would you describe it? Do you think any genre conventions are challenged by this book?


• Readers either love or hate Prologues. Helaine always begins with a Prologue because she is fascinated by decades-old choices that ripple over generations, like a stone thrown into water. And oh, the questions they raise. Did the Prologue propel you to keep reading?

About the Characters...

The author has said she is 'all about character, character, character.'

• Who was your favorite character? Why?


• Maggie O'Shea is in her late 40s—a young grandmother with a grown son. How do you feel about a character of this age, whose experiences will be quite different from those of a younger heroine?


• All of the main women characters in Shadow Music—Maggie, Donata, Rose, and Amelie—are faced with huge life-changing and sometimes life-threatening decisions. Did you find yourself asking, "What would I have done?"


• How did you feel about Dov, the new foster-care teen with a devastating secret? Did his character help to illuminate another side of Colonel Beckett's character as well? Did he add humanity, and humor?


• How are these characters shaped by their pasts?


• Woven into the suspense and action scenes are the unfurling of smaller, every day moments. Did this add to the story for you, to the characters? How?


• Did you have a favorite chapter or scene?


• What were the most pivotal moments in the story for you?


• How do you feel animals as pivotal characters, such as Shiloh the Golden and Lady in Black? What did they bring to this story?


• Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised or shocked you, when you read this book?


• Several authors have incorporated the Pandemic into their recent novels, others have not. Would you have preferred to see Covid-19 realistically included in this story to impact the characters' lives? Why, or why not?


• Do you feel that Classical Music tells a story and, in this book, mirrored Maggie's journey? Did you want to listen to some of Maggie's favorite pieces?


• Think about the challenges of writing a series for a moment. Do you think this series should be read from the beginning? Why?


• And finally... What do you think will happen in the next chapter of Maggie's story?

Dark Rhapsody

Download a pdf of the questions

The Big Picture

• How do different people handle grief and loss? How do these characters find a way to move on? How does the personality of each character as much as the loss suffered determine which path is taken?
  (Note: you might not want to begin with this question since many clubs report that it takes over the whole evening. ☺)


• The author says, "I wrote the book that I wanted to read. That means writing about something that I love—classical music. In The Lost Concerto, and in Dark Rhapsody, it is music that sets the story apart, music that tells Maggie's story." Does the author succeed? What are you passionate about? What would YOU choose to write about?


• What is your definition of courage? How was Maggie courageous? Hannah?


• The author says, "While there are many moments in life that we cannot change or control, I know that it's how we deal with what happens to us that matters. This is when we learn who we truly are. This always will be a theme in my novels. The heart of my story is about how we move on." What do you think are the themes of the book? Are they fully explored?


• How do the choices that we make shape our lives?

About Characters

• The author says she wants to write deeply felt and complex characters, characters who resonate long after the last page. Did you care about the characters? How have the characters changed by the end of the book?


• Do you feel close to any of the characters? Which ones? Why?


• What did you think of Finn? His character, his choices, Maggie's complex feelings about her father? Why did he do what he did? Did you respond to the deepening familial connections?


• Maggie is a 48(ish) woman. How does her maturity dictate a different story than if she were childless or younger? Did you enjoy a story about a more mature woman?


• Gigi and the Cardinal are brand new characters, chosen by the author in part to explore aging, guilt, faith and redemption. What did you learn from them? Feel? How has his war experience shaped the colonel? Did Shiloh give him the humanity he needed?


• What is your opinion of Dane? Is the history the author shares an explanation for his behavior or an excuse for it? (Most of Dane's history is given in The Lost Concerto. Did you feel you learned enough about him in Dark Rhapsody?)


• What did you think of Sugar and Hannah's romance? Shiloh and Jac? Would you have included more explicit sex scenes (for the humans...) or did you enjoy the old-fashioned romance?

About Plot

• Was the plot contrived or formulaic—or believable?


• Did the author give us too much, too little, or just enough background on the topics of music and looted art?

About Settings

• The author believes that an unusual or evocative setting can greatly enrich the story or scene, sometimes even becoming a 'character' in its own right. Did the 'less well known' settings in New York City add to the story? The Lipizzaners in Vienna? The lanes of old Salzburg? Backstage at the theater? How did the settings add color, mood or emotion to the story?


• How did you feel about the flashbacks to WWII? Did they enrich the story as a whole?

And finally

• Which scene resounded the most deeply with you in either a positive or negative way?


• Why did the author end the book this way?


• Will you read future books by this author, or recommend her books to a friend?

Note: many of these questions are the same as for The Lost Concerto, below, because Maggie and the Colonel are major characters in both books. But different questions specific to Dark Rhapsody have been included, since your members may not have read The Lost Concerto, which began Maggie's story.

The Lost Concerto

Download a pdf of the questions

1. How do different people handle grief and loss? How do these characters find a way to move on? How does the personality of each character as much as the loss suffered determine which path is taken?
   (Note: you might not want to begin with this question since many clubs report that it takes over the whole evening. ☺)


2. Little was known about the huge quantity and value of treasures "lost" in WWII detailed in the movies Monuments Men and Woman in Gold. Were you aware of the loss of musical manuscripts as well?


3. Helaine Mario says, "I wrote the book that I wanted to read. That means writing about something that I love—classical music. In The Lost Concerto, and in Dark Rhapsody, it is music that sets this story apart, music that tells Maggie's story. What are you passionate about? What would YOU choose to write about?


4. How do the choices that we make shape our lives?


5. What is your definition of courage? How was Maggie courageous? Sofia?


6. How do you think you would you respond to learning someone you thought dead was still living?


7. Do you think that Sugar's deception was justified? Is he conflicted about asking for Maggie's help? Why or why not?


8. What do you think are the themes of the book? Are they fully explored?


9. Which scene resounded the most deeply with you in either a positive or negative way?


10. What is your opinion of Victor? Of Dane? Is the history the author shares of their early lives an explanation for their behavior or an excuse for it? What about Victor's last exchange with Maggie? Was he remorseful or did he feel justified for the horrors he caused?


11. How did Michael's experiences in the Middle East make him more likely to help Sugar? How do you feel about the relationship between the Colonal and Shiloh?


12. Maggie is a 48(ish) woman. How does her maturity dictate a different story than if she was childless or younger?


13. How have the characters changed by the end of the book?


14. Will you read future books by this author, or recommend her books to a friend?