Flight Patterns (43 page)

Flight Patterns

Karen White

1. The title
   Flight Patterns
   has many layers of meaning that become clear only after you've read the novel. What do you think the title represents?
   
2. Many people collect china or have pieces that have been handed down in their family through generations. Do you have a china collection? If so, do you know its history? Is knowing its history particularly meaningful to you?
   
3. Georgia and Maisy grew up knowing that their mother, Birdie, was mentally ill, but it doesn't seem to be something that is openly discussed in the family, even between the sisters. Is there a stigma in talking about mental illness? Is it something you think you would be able to discuss with either family or friends?
   
4. One of the subjects of
   Flight Patterns
   is family—what people do in the name of family and to protect their families. Many of the characters have done extreme things to protect their families, such as Giles's sending away Colette, Georgia's gift to her sister, and Ned's protecting his wife even long after her death. Do you feel that this is realistic? Would you go to the same extremes for your family?
   
5. Bees and beekeeping are important elements throughout
   Flight Patterns
   . What do you think the bees represent to the different characters?
   
6. After caring for the bees almost religiously for most of his life, Ned does something destructive toward the bees, nearly burning down the house and killing his granddaughters. Why do you think Ned acted the way he did?
   
7. Birdie has acted for most of her life, despite not having a career on the stage or screen. Who do you think the real Birdie is?
   
8. Becky accidentally discovers a secret about herself. Is this something that Maisy should have told her about before? Why or why not?
   
9. We find out that Ned is the one who sent in Giles Mouton's name to Yad Vashem to be recognized and honored for what he did during World War II. Do you think this helps to mitigate some of the guilt he bears concerning Giles's death?
   
10. Birdie's inability to cope with her past and her emotional instability lead to her being a neglectful mother to Georgia and Maisy. Do you think she deserves forgiveness from her daughters now that they know the truth about her damaged personal history?
    

Author photograph by Claudio Marinesco

Karen White
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of nineteen previous books, including
The Sound of Glass
,
A Long Time Gone
, and
The Time Between
, and the coauthor of
The Forgotton Room
with
New York Times
bestselling authors Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. She grew up in London but now lives with her husband and two children near Atlanta, Georgia.

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