• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peanut Blossom Book Club
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Pick a Book
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Pick a Book
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Blog » Book Club Kits

    The Light of Paris Book Club Kit

    Published: Oct 9, 2023 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

    2 shares
    • Share
    • Tell a Friend

    Book Club Kit for The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown includes book club discussion guide and party menu.

    A copy of the book The Light of Paris sits on a table.

    Where is summer going?? I can't believe I'm already sharing the final book in our summer "beach read" line-up!

    As the lazy days are winding down and everyone is getting ready for back to school insanity, I thought it would be fun to take a trip to Paris for our August selection with The Light of Paris.

    Peanut Blossom Book Club

    This book was our official August 2017 pick for the Peanut Blossom Book Club.

    Want to see what we're reading today? Check out our book club book list here.

    Want Free Reminders for Each Book?

    This book club pick is one of the awesome books from our first year of book club.

    We're still going strong! Want to join us?

    You can join our book club for free by signing up for my email newsletter right here:

      Built with ConvertKit

      What is The Light of Paris About?

      Check out the full book description for The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown here:

      "Madeleine is trapped—by her family's expectations, by her controlling husband, and by her own fears—in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. From the outside, it looks like she has everything, but on the inside, she fears she has nothing that matters.

      In Madeleine’s memories, her grandmother Margie is the kind of woman she should have been—elegant, reserved, perfect. But when Madeleine finds a diary detailing Margie’s bold, romantic trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets the grandmother she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict, staid family and spent an exhilarating summer writing in cafés, living on her own, and falling for a charismatic artist.

      Despite her unhappiness, when Madeleine’s marriage is threatened, she panics, escaping to her hometown and staying with her critical, disapproving mother. In that unlikely place, shaken by the revelation of a long-hidden family secret and inspired by her grandmother’s bravery, Madeleine creates her own Parisian summer—reconnecting to her love of painting, cultivating a vibrant circle of creative friends, and finding a kindred spirit in a down-to-earth chef who reminds her to feed both her body and her heart.

      Margie and Madeleine’s stories intertwine to explore the joys and risks of living life on our own terms, of defying the rules that hold us back from our dreams, and of becoming the people we are meant to be."

      Go grab a copy of The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown so you can join us for our book club discussion this month.

      The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown Book Club Questions

      I believe the best book club questions to spark a lively discussion in your group help readers make personal connections to the story.

      You can read about how to write the best book club questions on your own here, but hopefully these will get you started!

      Question 1:

      What did you think of this month's pick? Would you have chosen it on your own?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 2:

      The Light of Paris is based on the author's experience of reading her own grandmother's letters years after she had passed away.

      Do you have any personal artifacts from your grandparents that gave you insight into what they were like in their youth?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 3:

      The experience of a "European Tour" has been a popular thing among young adults throughout US history. In this book, Margie is allowed to travel as her cousin's chaperone.

      Did you ever go backpacking through Europe during or after college? Would you encourage your kids to do it when their time comes?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 4:

      Madeleine felt compelled to get married because of pressure from her mother and then found herself in a marriage both difficult and strained.

      Did you find her plot realistic for someone in 1999?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 5:

      Both Margie and Madeleine meet groups of new friends in Paris and Magnolia that encourage their creative side.

      Are you creative? Do you have friends that bring that out or do you prefer to create quietly on your own?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 6:

      Neither Margie nor Madeleine feel beautiful until Sebastien and Henry take interest in them.

      Do you think they are objectively beautiful but were just raised by overly critical mothers who instilled self-doubt, or do you think beauty is in the eye of the lover and the men were able to see past the physical to the beauty within?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 7:

      Each generation of women in the book has limited career and life options.

      Do you think the options will improve for our daughters' generation as compared to our own experience?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 8:

      Do you think Margie's story could have still happened in a city that was not Paris? Or is there something particularly special about Paris itself?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 9:

      Robert & Sebastien both gave up on their own personal dreams to follow their families' order.

      Do you think men today feel similarly called to hold up the family honor in that way? Or have they become more independent from the family unit?

      See the online discussion here.

      Question 10:

      If you could live in any city in the world for just 3 months, where would you want to go?

      See the online discussion here.

      Book Club Party Menu

      For the book club party menu, channel a Parisian bistro vibe and serve my super easy French onion soup with a crispy baguette topping or the spiral Monte Cristo sandwich pinwheels.

      For dessert, go all out with a decadent lemon meringue tart or simply make the lemon curd for spooning over a croissant from the grocery store bakery.

      You could even make my 3-ingredient chocolate croissant puffs and serve them warm with cafe au lait.

      a white platter has several crescent roll pinwheels next to a bowl of jam.
      Chocolate filled puff pastry bites on a white platter.
      A blue dish of creme brulee has fresh strawberries on the side.

      You May Also Enjoy

      If you enjoyed this book, you'd likely enjoy these other fun book club picks from through the years:

      More Free Book Club Kits

      • A copy of The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan sits on a table.
        The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris Book Club Kit
      • A copy of the book The Maid is on the table.
        The Maid Book Club Kit
      • A copy of the book The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova sits on the table.
        The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina Book Club Kit
      • A copy of the book The Fourteenth Goldfish sits on the table.
        The Fourteenth Goldfish Book Club Kit

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      No Comments

      Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Primary Sidebar

      Hi, I'm Tiffany!
      I believe the best book club should include a fun pick, great friends, and tasty treats. I live by the motto that when life is busy, the greatest fix is an epic page turner.

      More about me →

      Popular Posts

      • Two Kindles sit on a table next to some paper books and a flower vase.
        Starter Kit for Reading on Kindle
      • A pair of over the ear headphones and an iPhone with an audiobook cover on the screen.
        Starter Kit for Listening to Audiobooks
      • A copy of the book Lost Lake is on the table.
        Lost Lake Book Club Kit
      • A copy of the book People We Meet on Vacation is on the table.
        People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
      • A copy of the book Pretty Things sits on a table.
        Pretty Things Book Club Kit
      • A copy of the book The Reading List is on the table.
        The Reading List Book Club Kit

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      About This Site

      • Contact
      • Privacy Policy
      • Disclaimer
      • Terms of Service

      Favorites

      • Book Club Kits
      • Subscribe to Our Newsletter

      Our Team

      • Peanut Blossom
      • Don't Just Fly
      • Happy Family Movement

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

      Copyright © 2023 Peanut Blossom Book Club