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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
- Describe Delilah White both physically and psychologically. What is her character’s greatest strength? What is her character’s greatest weakness?
- Compare and contrast the portrayal of body image and self-esteem in this novel with another contemporary book featuring a female protagonist (i.e. Bridget Jones’s Diary). What similarities or differences do you notice in the depiction of the characters? How does each character deal with their individual self-esteem and confidence issues? Describe Delilah’s view of herself and how it relates to that of today’s “average” modern woman.
- Cherry Pond is a central setting in the novel. How is it a metaphor for the relationship between Delilah and Jack? How is it a metaphor for the relationship between Sofia and Delilah? How is it a metaphor for life? If you were invited to spend a weekend at Cherry Pond and could bring along one guest, who would it be and why?
- Towards the end of the novel, Delilah shares an important discovery with Sofia, explaining, “The Margo Harts of this world, sadly enough, are a dime a dozen. Our industry’s crawling with them! Hell, the world’s crawling with ‘em!” Are you more or less sympathetic to Margo’s character by the end of the book? Why? What is her character’s greatest strength? What drives and motivates Margo? How does this compare or contrast to what drives and motivates Delilah? Have you ever encountered a “Margo Hart”? If so, how did this person make you feel?
- There’s a large cast of supporting characters in “The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12.” Were there any that you wish were featured more prominently in the novel? If so, who and why? Which character in the book do you most identify with? Why? Which character do you consider to be the least relatable?
- The novel concludes with the words, “The Beginning.” What did you think of this ending? Would you like to see “The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12” turned into a book series? If Delilah’s perfectly true adventure does indeed continue, describe some of the things you’d like to see happen in the next book. What are some of the things that you would not like to see happen? What role do you envision Margo Hart playing in the next installment?
- How would Delilah’s character and the overall story change if she was not a perfect size 12, but rather a smaller or larger size?
- “The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12” explores several main themes including self-actualization and its correlation to personal happiness and fulfillment. What is your own definition of “happiness”? Are you happy? For Delilah to create her own happiness, she acknowledges that she must take a large, frightening risk. She does not accept this fact until she reaches a particularly low point (…maybe, she just had to sink to a certain level of desperation, the kind of desperation that makes one quake first with fear, and then with enlightenment, to find the courage required to face the truth and take the leap into the unknown, having the faith in herself to know she can succeed, if only she’ll let herself try.). Do you believe Delilah would have quit her job at Domestic Bliss in order to pursue her real dream if Margo had not come to Cherry Pond or sabotaged her at work in the first place?
- Discuss some of the ways in which the concept of independence plays a significant role in the book.
- What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
- If the novel were a movie or TV show, whom would you cast as Delilah, Jack, Margo and Sofia?
- Is “The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12” a fairy tale? If so, why?
- “The Perfectly True Tales of a Perfect Size 12” is about:
A.) Personal achievement
B.) Professional achievement
C.) Body size
D.) Dueling domestic divas
E.) A, B, & D
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