Would these instances be surprising today? Why or why not?ģ. Discuss how racism affects both women and their families, such as when Ruby goes stocking shopping with Aunt Marie or how she’s treated at the House of Magdalene. The novel takes place before the Civil Rights movement in the mid-50s and 1960s. How does this set the tone for the opening section? Who do you think are the monsters in this story, if any?Ģ. Consider the epigraph from Toni Morrison. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.ġ. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. This reading group guide for The House of Eve includes discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives. But having a baby-and fitting in-is easier said than done. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright.Įleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. “A triumph of historical fiction” ( The Washington Post) set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.ġ950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. I was completely surprised by the ending of this beautifully told and written book.” -Reese Witherspoon

“Amazing…These two women’s lives intersect in the most wonderful and unlikely of ways.

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson