Questions for Book Clubs
- Why do you think the book is entitled The Balcony?
- How do the recurring characters change from one story to another?
- If you were to pick one character to accompany you on a long road trip, who would you choose and why? Which character would be your last choice for a companion?
- The Balcony is a novel-in-stories. How is that form different from a novel and a regular story collection?
- How does the book depict France?
- How is The Balcony a book about women? How is it a book about everyone?
- How can a house affect the lives of the people who live in it?
- What is the most significant event in the history of the manor house?
- Do the changing fortunes of the house reflect events in society at large?
- Is it a house you could imagine living in?
- What is the book saying about the choices we face in life?
- What questions linger after finishing The Balcony?
Some of these questions were taken from The Daily Mail’s reading group guide.
Timeline of Inhabitants in the Stories
|
Manor Inhabitants |
Cottage Inhabitants |
Story Title |
|
|
1880s |
Jean-Paul Léger, père, builds manor and cottage |
||
|
1890s |
Jean Léger (son of JP Léger) and wife, Giselle Léger, a former courtesan |
Pierre Frontin, gardener |
“Eclipse” |
|
1910s |
Emile Vouette, mill owner, and Geneviève Vouette, wife, with sons, Charles and François |
Empty |
“The Pond” |
|
1920s |
Geneviève Vouette(“The Widow Vouette”) |
Empty |
|
|
1930s |
Geneviève Vouette (Garden used by Madeleine Blanchard to meet her boyfriend, Gabriel.) |
Empty |
“Plunder” “Nothing of Consequence” |
|
1940s |
Geneviève Vouette Upon death of Geneviève Vouette, manor bought by Nicholas and Sonya Altman, Russian Jews. Sonya is pregnant with a daughter who will be named Olga. |
Bought by Simone Blanchard, village laundress, with her young daughter, Charlotte, after her other daughter, Madeleine, runs away. |
“Nothing of Consequence” “Plunder” |
|
1950s |
Abandoned after arrest of the Altmans |
Simone Blanchard |
|
|
1970s |
Olga Altman (daughter of Nicholas and Sonya Altman) reclaims her parents’ manor as a weekend house |
Simone Blanchard |
|
|
1980s |
Weekend house of Olga Altman with her husband, Hugo Boyer, and, in late 80s, their daughter, Élodie. |
Henri Havre (former schoolmaster) and wife, Augustine Havre (grown sons, Jacques and Guy) |
“A Place in the Country” |
|
1990s |
Hugo, Olga, Élodie Boyer Brigitte visits one summer Manor rented out when Boyers go to USA |
Jacques Havre and his wife, Hélene (grown sons, Alexis and Emmanuel) |
“Au Pair” “Half Life” “Ants” “Tintin in the Antilles” |
|
2000s |
Élodie Boyer with her husband and children. |
Stephen Maxwell, an American cardiologist, and wife, Emilie, a French nurse. |
“Between” |