Hannibal Free Public Library
Angel Falls
by
Kristin Hannah
March 27, 2012
|
Hannibal Free Public Library Angel Falls by March 27, 2012 |
When Mikaela
Campbell, beloved wife and mother, falls into
a coma, it is up to her husband, Liam, to
hold the family together and care for their
grieving, frightened children. Doctors tell
him not to expect a recovery, but he believes
that love can accomplish what medical science
cannot. Daily he sits at her bedside, telling
her stories of the precious life they have
built. When Mikaela Campbell, beloved wife
and mother, falls into a coma, it is up to
her husband, Liam, to hold the family
together and care for their grieving,
frightened children. Doctors tell him not to
expect a recovery, but he believes that love
can accomplish what medical science cannot.
Daily he sits at her bedside, telling her
stories of the precious life they have built
together, hoping against hope that she will
wake up. But then he discovers evidence of
his wife’s secret past: a hidden first
marriage to movie star Julian True.
Desperate to bring Mikaela back at any cost,
Liam knows he must turn to Julian for help.
But will that choice cost Liam his wife, his
family, and everything he holds dear? One of
Kristin Hannah’s most moving novels, Angel
Falls is a poignant and unforgettable
portrait of marriage and commitment, of an
ordinary man who dares to risk everything in
the name of love.
Discussion Questions
1. Angel Falls begins with a flashback about Ian and Fiona, Liam’s grandparents. Why do you think Kristin Hannah chose to start the book in this way? What tone does it set for the novel as a whole?
2. How do Liam’s
grandfather and father both motivate and
intimidate him?
3. The novel unfolds from the points of view
of four distinctive narrative voices—Bret,
Liam, Julian, and Mikaela. How is this
narrative technique effective in propelling
the novel forward? Did you identify with one
voice more than another, or consider the
novel to be the story of one particular
character? Which one?
4. After Bret sees his mother’s accident,
how does he cope with the ensuing trauma? How
do his reactions differ from those of Jacey?
How does each of them grow up within the
course of the book?
5. What do Mikaela and Liam consider the most
important elements of parenthood? How does
their approach to child-rearing differ from
that of their parents? How does Liam deal
with winning Jacey over when he comes into
her life and becoming a single dad after Mike’s
accident?
6. How does Rosa’s "bad love"
influence her daughter? What do you think
motivated both Rosa and Mikaela to choose the
inappropriate men that they did? Have you or
a friend ever been in a similar situation?
How did you resolve it?
7. Why do you think Mikaela saved the
remnants of her former life in a pillowcase?
What about that time did she cling to? Were
you surprised by Liam’s response to the
discovery? Why do you think that he behaves
as he does? How might you have reacted?
8. Why won’t Mikaela tell Liam about her
previous marriage to Julian? Why doesn’t
Liam press her? What would you have done on
either side of the same situation?
9. Why does Liam involve Julian in his quest
to awaken Mikaela? What are Liam’s initial
feelings about Julian, and do they change
over time? Why do you think that Mikaela
murmurs Julian’s name and then responds to
it while she’s in the coma? What about his
memory haunts her?
10. Why can’t Liam turn to music after
Mikaela’s accident? What does he turn to
instead to combat his anxiety and worry?
Adapted from http://goodreads.com