The Housemaid Book Club Kit
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden is the official October 2024 pick for the Peanut Blossom Book Club for Recovering Readers.
There are few books that hold my attention so strongly that I am able to finish them in under 48 hours.
Once I got into this month’s book pick, I simply couldn’t put it down until I knew how the story finished. I think you’ll find The Housemaid to be a very easy read that is just perfect for this season.
Suspense, plot twists, intriguing characters, and a very relatable setting all make for a very fun book club book to enjoy chatting about with friends.
P.S. Just joining us? Don’t miss the full 2024 line-up for our book club picks.
Peanut Blossom Book Club
This book club pick is one of the awesome books from our tenth year of book club.
We’re still going strong! Want to join us?
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What is The Housemaid About?
“Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am. They don’t know what I’m capable of…”
The Housemaid Discussion 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 to get you started.
The trouble with a suspense thriller book like The Housemaid is that it is very difficult to write book club questions without spoiling the plot.
If you’re hosting an in-person book club discussion, double check that everyone finished the book before you dig in and warn them that your conversation will likely have lots of spoilers, it’s nearly unavoidable!
I’ll keep my suggested questions quite vague. You’ll know where each question leads if you’ve finished the book . . .
Question 1:
The book changes perspective about half way through the story. Which perspective did you enjoy reading the most? Why?
Question 2:
If you were Millie, at what point might you have considered quitting your job?
Question 3:
If you were Nina, how do you think you might have handled her situation differently?
Question 4:
Besides the obvious details from the plot twist, what do you think is the worst part about being a housemaid to the Winchester family?
Question 5:
Which part of the story made you feel the strongest emotion? Did you feel fear, anger, shock, or something else?
Question 6:
There are several characters mentioned in the book that we never see in a scene within the story, who do you think had the greatest impact on the plot? Were there any of them you would have liked to read more about? (Hint: Parents, ex-Fiance’s, friends, and more . . . )
Question 7:
How did you feel about the ending? Would you have written it differently? Where do you see the characters a year from now?
Book Club Party Menu
I think it is so fun to plan your book club dinner menu or dessert list based on the theme of the book.
There’s a funny scene where Millie is instructed on the finer points of how to prepare chicken nuggets properly for the daughter of the family. Bake a sheet pan of dino-shaped chicken nuggets and serve them with my copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce for dunking.
A turning point moment happens at a French restaurant where the characters eat steak au poivre (or steak with peppercorns.) Steak may not be in your book club budget but you could make my roasted pork loin with this elegant green peppercorn sauce. Serve it with mashed potatoes for a delicious book club dinner.
Mimic the scene where the PTA moms meet and serve platters of delicate finger sandwiches and lemonade.
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