The Gravity of Birds by Tracy Guzeman
Questions for the Author...
Sep. 16, 2013
The story is told from multiple perspectives. How does this narrative style affect your reading experience? Why do you think the author chose to leave out the voices of Natalie and Thomas?
Oct. 02, 2013
Overall, what do you think of The Gravity of Birds?
Why do you think the title of the novel is The Gravity of Birds? What do birds symbolize in the book?
Sep. 27, 2013
Do you have a favorite artist? If so, why do you admire their work?
Sep. 20, 2013
Was there a character you felt you related to more than the others?
What does Alice see in Thomas and Phinneaus? What other forms of love are exhibited between the various characters in the novel?
Do you think the environment in which we see art influences our experience of it?
Other than its obvious role in restricting Alice's physical abilities, how does rheumatoid arthritis affect Alice's life as well as the lives of the people around her?
What factors are at play in Natalie and Alice's relationship?
How do the various locations reflect the people who occupy them? How do settings, particularly homes, preserve memories and emotions?
Sep. 17, 2013
Why did Thomas insist Finch and Stephen be the ones to be the first to view his painting? What characteristics in each made them ideal for the task he assigns them?
Thomas tells Alice that the job of an artist is "to make people look at things in a way other than they normally would." How does Thomas achieve this in his paintings of the Kesslers?
How do you interpret the poem that prefaces the novel? How would Alice relate to these verses?
Sep. 15, 2013