Synopses & Reviews
Cautious, conventional Anne shares a deep bond of friendship with the outspoken and eccentric Ruth, building an honest, open relationship that evolves into something deeper when Ruth is diagnosed with cancer. Reader's Guide included. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.
Synopsis
-Until that moment, I hadn't realized how much I'd been needing to meet someone I might be able to say everything to.-
They met at a party. It was hate at first sight. Ruth was far too beautiful, too flamboyant. Not at all Ann's kind of person. Until a chance encounter in the bathroom led to an alliance of souls. Soon they were sharing hankies during the late showing of -Sophie's Choice, - wolfing down sundaes sodden with whipped cream, telling truths of marriage, mortality, and love, secure in a kind of intimacy no man could ever know. Only best friends understand devil's food cake for breakfast when nothing else will do. After years of shared secrets, guilty pleasures, family life and divorce, they face a crisis that redefines the meaning of friendship and unconditional love.
From the Paperback edition.
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "Unforgettable . . . Truth rings forth clearly from every page. . . . One minute you're laughing, the next you're crying. . . . You'll want to give a copy to every good woman friend you have."--The Charlotte Observer What do you say when you know you don't have forever? Ruth has been Ann's closest friend for years--her confidante, her solace, her comic relief, her tutor in life's mysterious ways. So when Ruth becomes ill, Ann is there for her without question. After all, it is Ruth who encouraged Ann to become who she is, Ruth whose rebellious, eccentric spirit provided the perfect counterpoint to Ann's conventional, safe outlook. And so the friends go on as they always have . . . gossiping, consoling, and sharing intimate secrets--but with the knowledge that each shared evening could be their last.
Acclaimed author Elizabeth Berg has created a searing novel about the strength and salvation of women's friendships. Deeply moving and surprisingly funny, Talk Before Sleep is an intimate, uncensored portrait of love and loss, struggle and resilience.
"Tender and irreverent by turns, Talk Before Sleep] offers mature, intelligent and buoyant spirit, like a very good friend."--Houston Post
"Entertaining, finely crafted . . . Berg tackles serious issues with grace."--San Francisco Chronicle
About the Author
Elizabeth Berg is the
New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including
We Are All Welcome Here,
The Year of Pleasures,
The Art of Mending, Say When, True to Form, Never Change, and
Open House, which was an Oprahs Book Club selection in 2000.
Durable Goods and
Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for the ABBY Award in 1996. The winner of the 1997 New England Booksellers Award for her body of work, Berg is also the author of a nonfiction work,
Escaping into the Open: The Art of Writing True. She lives in Chicago.
To schedule a speaking engagement, please contact American Program Bureau at www.apbspeakers.com
Reading Group Guide
1. What were your first impressions of Ann and Ruth? Who do you identify with more? Who do you think would be more fun to be around? Who would make a better friend?
2. What did you think of Elizabeth Bergs decision to construct her novel by going back and forth between the past and present? What did you like,or dislike,about this narrative structure?
3. How would the book have been different if Ruth was the narrator, instead of Ann? Would the story have been the same? Why or why not, and in what ways?
4. As she reflects on the male/female dynamic, Ann thinks, “The truth is, we usually only show our unhappiness to another woman. I suppose this is one of our problems. And yet it is also one of our strengths” (page 29). What do you think about this statement? Is it true for Ann and the other women in this novel? Is it true for you and your friends?
5. Berg gives us such rich, vivid, eclectic female characters.What did you make of L.D, Sarah, and Helen? How do these women, along with Ann and Ruth, interact as a group? Do they seem like women you would like to spend time with? Why or why not?
6. Ann and Ruth have many discussions about Ruths extramarital affairs. Ann confides that she has thought about cheating, but that she worries she would get caught. Ruth tells her, “But after the first lie, it gets so much easier. Its disappointing, in a way, how easy it is” (page 47). Is Ruth right, does lying get easier as you go along? What do you think Ann really thinks about her best friends behavior? Do you think Ann would every cheat on Joe?
7. Are Ann and Ruth really so different? Ann tells Ruth, “I mean, youre my best friend. I admire you. But were very different” (page 138). Do you believe her? Or do Ruth and Ann have more in common than they might care to admit? Why are the women hesitant to admit their similarities? Discuss.
8. Ann and Ruth have very different relationships with their husbands, Joe and Eric, and their children, Meggie and Michael. Discuss these relationships and how they help shape the two women.
9. After Ruth reveals a huge secret about her marriage, Ann reflects, “How can I love a woman I basically disapprove of?” (page 97) Does Ann really disapprove of Ruth? Why or why not? Have you ever loved someone you didnt approve of?
10. What did you think of Ruths decision to go stay with her brother in Florida, at the end of her life? How did her friends react? How would you have reacted?
11. This novel is unique in that we know what the ending will be before we even start our reading. Was there anything about Ruths death that surprised you? Were you upset by the end of the novel? Uplifted? Both?