Five for Sorrow,
Ten for Joy
By Rumer Godden

368 Pages • $13.95

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
AND REFLECTION

Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy
By Rumer Godden

[Open a pdf version]

Use the following questions as guides to deeper individual understanding of the novel or for group discussion.

1. Is Lise a heroic figure or a tragic figure?

2. Who is the stronger personality: Vivi or Lucette?

3. Why did Lise kill Patrice: out of anger, out of jealousy, out of honor? Does it make any difference spiritually?

4. Discuss prostitution. Some people say that prostitution degrades and exploits women. Some say that sex work is no worse than any other. Some say that prostitution is a male business, not a female busines. What is Rumer Godden’s attitude toward it? What do you say about it?

5. Discuss Patrice’s hold on Lise and the other women in the story. Does he appear as charming to you as he does to others? Have you encountered people like Patrice?

6. Discuss the community life of the Sisters of Bethany. Is it realistic for the innocent and the streetwise to live together in community? Can this be a good place spiritually for either group? How do the sisters conduct their common life?

7. Would the story be different if Lise were not a nun? Why or why not?

8. If you had to pinpoint three things that this book made you think about, what would they be?

9. How did the conversions of Lise and Lucette come about?

10. The title of the book is a reference to the mysteries of the rosary. What does it mean in connection with the story?

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