THE BIRD HOTEL Book Review Questions

1. For over 20 years, the author has had a house on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala where she goes to write as well as offer writing workshops. The country depicted in the Bird Hotel is fictional, but her actual home has both a lake and a volcano. What do you think inspired her to draw on this location for The Bird Hotel?

2. The Bird Hotel’s opening line “I was twenty-seven years old when I decided to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge” is gripping. Did you have any initial perceptions of what direction the book would take after reading this line? Were you surprised at the direction the book took after this revelation by the narrator?

3. Following a devastating tragedy, the main character, Irene (formerly known as Joan) is transported to the La Llorona (The Bird Hotel), a run-down but beautiful hotel which is located on a lake at the foot of a volcano in Central America. She initially intends to simply fix up the decaying hotel and sell it and continue on with her miserable life. What events and people cause her to change the trajectory of that initial decision?

4. Upon arriving at La Llorona, Irene is introduced to Leila, the owner of the hotel and her long time employees, Luis, Maria, Elmer and Mirabel. There are no other guests at the hotel besides Irene, which is not unusual. Why does Leila continue to employ these individuals?

5. La Llorona sits at the base of an active volcano which had not erupted for hundreds of years. Leila says “It will happen one day, of course. But I like to think that living this way, in the shadow of an active volcano, serves as a daily reminder of the preciousness of my days. One day I’ll be gone. We all will. Why worry about that? In the meantime, let’s make sure the fish is cooked just right and the wine is French.” p. 64. What do you think about Leila’s perspective on life?

6. Irene starts to experience the beauty of the town of La Esperanza and La Llorona and describes it to Leila as a peaceful and safe retreat. Leila responds by saying “You remember the story of the Garden of Eden. Every paradise has its serpents.” p.116. Who and what is she referring to?

7. Similar to several of the books we have discussed, this author wrote this book while quarantined, this time in Guatemala, during the pandemic. Do you see any similar themes drawn from the other books we have read that were written during the pandemic such as Pineapple Street or All Our Missing Hearts?

8. Recently, some authors have been chastised for cultural appropriation, the idea of writing outside of their ethnic heritage and background. Maynard, who is an American, finds this to be a dangerous trend as it limits an essential part of the creative process, which is imagination, and the freedom to express more than what is actually known and familiar. Do you agree?

9. The author initially used her small home in Guatemala as a venue where women writers could come and attend workshops while staying in the local village which was a haven both for the indigenous workers as well as a tourist venue for “hippies.” When the pandemic hit, while the town was not affected by the epidemic, the villagers were because the tourists left. Unemployment skyrocketed so she started a project to employ workers at her home. This work eventually led to the creation of Casa Paloma. What do you think about the author’s endeavors and is there a connection to events that happened in the Bird Hotel?

10. The cover of the book is from a painting the author commissioned from an indigenous painter. It tells the story of a volcanic eruption that occurred in 2018. There is a volcanic eruption in The Bird Hotel. We have discussed book covers for our other books. What do you think about this one?

11. Jeanine Cummins, the New York Times best selling author of American Dirt wrote that, “In The Bird Hotel, Joyce Maynard imagines a glorious landscape where one broken woman, Irene, must lose herself in order to find the hope of survival. Although it’s Irene whose heart-stopping tale drives the narrative, this is also a rich ensemble novel about endurance, courage, healing, and the salvation of human generosity--the glittering, unexpected ways we save each other every day, despite all the reasons not to…” Do you find that this book provided a meaningful message about hope and discovery after great loss?

12. Joyce Maynard is above all else a storyteller. She hosts memoir-writing retreats both at Casa Paloma and at her home in New Hampshire. She has posed the question in several of her interviews “Do you have a story you are burning to tell?” She further opines that it doesn’t matter if your story ever gets published as long as you have “told your truth.” Do you have a story that you are burning to tell, and would you put in the time and effort to write it even if you knew it would never be published?

13. The Bird Hotel provides us with a vast array of characters, both good and bad. Who was the character you liked the most and who was the most despicable?

14. Some of the guests who visited La Llorona experienced its natural beauty and left with life-changing experiences. Others viewed the hotel only for its potential financial windfall. Which of the guests do you believe had the most memorable experiences?

15. Carl Edgar, the hotel businessman from Dallas, is the first guest to arrive seeking to buy the hotel. Leila is in severe financial straits but refuses to sell. She chooses instead to “sabotage” his hotel room by planting scorpions in his bed. It is at this point that Irene realizes that Leila wants the hotel to outlive her. P.124. Shortly after this, Leila dies. How does the trajectory of Irene’s life change from this point?

16. Gus and Dora turn out to be scoundrels, getting control of La Llorona from Irene and previously defrauding Leila as well. At what point did you realize that these two were up to no good?

17. Amalia comes to the town as a dramatic figure; a former activist and prison inmate, with wild curly hair and outfits with fringe and beads that she makes herself. She realizes that there is a huge problem with garbage in the town and she employs a workforce of children to stuff wrappers into bottles as a recycling project with the result of the creation of houses, a classroom and even a health center. p. 177. Why do you think the author incorporated this character into her story?

18. Jun Lan (Pretty Orchid) comes to La Llorona from China seeking a magic plant that she has been told will allow her to finally become pregnant. She remains at La Llorona for over 3 weeks and locates the plant. After her return to China, she becomes pregnant. Why do you think the author includes this fanciful tale?

19. Jerome Sapirstein travels to La Llorona simply to study birds. He becomes immediately entranced by Irene and wants her to travel and illustrate his book on birds, in addition to marrying him. They spend a day and night on the volcano. Sapirstein offers her a life filled with adventure and the possibility of children. She chooses to reject his offer. Why?

20. Jerome reads her a poem while on the volcano “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”. Years later, Jerome writes her a letter p. 314 and references the same poem. Why is this poem important?

21. Helen and Jeff Boggs travel to La Llorona with their daughter, Sandra in an attempt to reunite with Sandra’s birth mother. It turns into a disaster. If you were in that family, how do you think you would have felt?

22. Elmer has been in love with Mirabel all his life, but he steals from Irene and Mirabel rejects him. He later has the chance to redeem himself. Were you rooting for Elmer?

23. Rosella dies in childbirth but delivers twins (Alicia and Mateo). Wade, the father, has difficulty managing fatherhood. How do you see the role of the women who step in to help raise these children?

24. Bud and Victoria Albertson travel to La Llorona from Arkansas to buy property. During their stay, Victoria comes upon Andres, the Mayan Astrology. Her interaction with him leads to devastating consequences and Andres is never seen again. Do you think Bud killed him?

25. Irene eventually accepts an offer for the hotel, but just as the deal is signed, a hurricane hits the area and destroys much of La Llorona, with the seller backing out of the deal. Irene’s response to this turn of events is relief. p. 277. Why did she initially decide to sell and why did she then have regrets?

26. Dora becomes interested in the “herb” that helped Jun Lan become pregnant p. 287. Did you have any suspicion at the time as to why she was so interested?

27. Irene confronts Gus and Dora after she realizes her property has been taken away from her. She thought that these two had been her friends, which is why she signed legal documents in a language she did not understand. Under the circumstances, can you see why Irene would have made such a dreadful mistake?

28. La Llorona and its environs are idyllic. Its inhabitants are, for the most part, kind and generous but impoverished people. However, The Lizard Men (who rape Mirabel) and Andres (who rapes Victoria) are clearly evil. Would you be interested in visiting a place such as this?

29. At what point in the book did you think that the volcano was going to erupt?

30. Did you anticipate the ending of the book and how it would come back full circle to the explosion that took place with the Weather Underground?

Book Club questions THE BIRD HOTEL

Do you agree with Irene’s grandmother’s choice to make Irene swear she would never tell what happened to her mother?

When Irene first arrives at La Llorona, she barely cares whether she lives or dies. What, for you, represented the turning point for her? Do you believe that a person can endure great tragedy and still find joy and hope in the world? Could you do this?

The country in which the novel takes place is never named. Why do you think the author made the choice NOT to name a specific country (for instance, Guatemala….where she owns a home)?

How did you feel about Tom when it turned out he had deceived Irene concerning his motives to come to La Llorona?

A number of the women in this novel make the choice NOT to marry a man who asks them to be his partner. Do you have thoughts on why the author made this choice in her storytelling?

How do you feel about Irene’s mother? Would you have forgiven her?

Can you understand why Irene never told Lenny the truth about her background?

When you first encountered Gus in the story, what did you think about him?

Which characters in the novel come across more sympathetically—the gringos or the local indigenous people?

Which character in the novel would you most like to have dinner with?

If you have read other novels by Joyce Maynard, you probably know that until this one, they were all grounded in very realistic-seeming family drama. Why do you think she chose to insert the element of magical realism in this novel—and how do you feel about that choice?

Would you like to stay at La Llorona? Does reading The Bird Hotel make you more or less likely to want to travel to Central America?

In the afterword of the book, Joyce Maynard writes about resistance in the current world of publishing to her having written a novel located in Central America. How do you feel about this? What does the term “cultural appropriation” mean to you—and did you witness examples of it in the novel?

As you may know, Joyce will be publishing a sequel to her novel, Count the Ways, next June (2024.) Would you like to read a sequel to The Bird Hotel, or do you feel it’s best to end this story where Joyce left off?

Zoom Book Club discussing THE BIRD HOTEL

Background reading material you may enjoy: THE NEW YORK TIMES

And if you’d like to see photographs of the REAL Bird Hotel built by the author, after she finished writing this novel: www.casapalomaretreat.com