2018 Reading Guide 2018 Reading Guide THE PURCHASE If you enjoyed The Purchase, you might also like: BY LINDA SPALDING Cold Mountain (1997) by Charles Frazier After Inman escapes from a war hospital in 1864 and starts walking to Cold Mountain, Ada struggles to save her mountain farm with the help of Ruby, an illiterate but efficient farmer. About the Author
Transatlantic (2013) by Colum McCann Spanning 150 years and two continents, this literary family saga from National Book Award- Linda Spalding is a Kansas-born writer who winning author Colum McCann ties Frederick Douglass' 1845 journey to Ireland with the first makes her home in Canada. She is the author of trans-Atlantic flight made in 1919 by two British aviators and the work of U.S. Senator George both fiction and non-fiction works, and often Mitchell on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. These great men and the events they're explores world cultures and the clash between connected to are also linked to a servant girl named Lily, who in 1846 leaves Dublin for New contemporary life and traditional beliefs. York, and her descendants. Transatlantic is a complex meditation on time, memory, freedom, and war. Spalding was awarded the Harbourfront
Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017) by Jesmyn Ward Festival Prize for her contribution to the An intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle, Sing, Unburied, Sing Canadian literary community in 2003, and is examines the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power – and limitations – currently an editor for Brick, a literary of family bonds. journal. Linda lives in Toronto with her husband, Michael Ondaatje, her dog Jasper Wash (2013) by Margaret Wrinkle and her cat Jack. When a troubled Revolutionary War veteran requires his slave, Washington, to become a
breeding sire, an ensuing power struggle and Washington's resolve to stay faithful to his West African spiritual legacy lead to a loving relationship with an enslaved healer woman Find out more about the author by visiting who imparts her own experiences and inspires Washington to forge a new understanding of lindaspalding.com. his heritage. To place a hold, visit the library catalogue: search.ocl.net. Also by the Author • A Reckoning (2017) • Who Named the Knife: A Book of Murder and Memory (2005) • The Paper Wife (1994) • Mere (2001) • The Follow (1998) - nonfiction • Daughters of Captain Cook (1988) An evening with Linda Spalding The Purchase The Follow Thursday, October 25, 2018 at Thistle Theatre, Embro. Governor General's Literary Awards Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Fiction (2012) Tickets are limited and will be available starting in the fall. Awards for Nonfiction Nominee (1998) Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Trillium Book Award Shortlist Nominee (2012)
About The Purchase Reading & Discussion Questions
1. In what ways does Daniel’s religious background shape the way he thinks about the world around him? How does the way he sees himself differ from the way other characters see him?
2. Divine intervention and fate are strong themes in The Purchase, and later the sequel, A Reckoning. Discuss these themes and their context within the novel. What parallels can be drawn between In 1798, Daniel Dickinson, a young Quaker father and widower, leaves his Spalding's books and Virgil's Aeneid, a title that has a significant influence on the characters in The Purchase? home in Pennsylvania to establish a new life. He sets out with two horses, a wagonful of belongings, his five children, a 15-year-old orphan wife, and 3. Would Daniel have been a different father (and man) had his first wife lived? How? a few land warrants for his future homestead. When Daniel suddenly trades a horse for a young slave, Onesimus, it sets in motion a struggle in 4. Discuss the importance of the lack of mothers for the women in this novel. his conscience that will taint his life forever, and sets in motion a chain of 5. What in the importance of trees in the novel? What do trees represent to Onesimus and Bry? events that lead to two murders and the family's strange relationship with a runaway slave named Bett. 6. Compare and contrast Mary and Ruth at the beginning and at the end of the novel. Describe their relationship.Do they share any traits? Which of the two women is a more sympathetic character? Stripped down and as hard-edged as the realities of pioneer life, Spalding's writing is nothing short of stunning, as it instantly envelops the reader in 7. What does it say about Daniel that he marries Ruth? Since his Quaker community disowns him because Ruth is Methodist, why didn’t he marry a Quaker woman instead, and employ Ruth as a maid? the world and time of the novel, and follows the lives of unforgettable characters. Inspired by stories of the author's own ancestors, The 8. What role does pacifism play in this book? Discuss the importance and role of both Quaker and Purchase is a resonant, powerful and timeless novel. Methodist Christianity on Daniel, Mary and Ruth, and the spirituality of Bett. How similar/different are the versions of faith each character has?
Continue the journey with... 9. Discuss the depiction of Quakerism in the novel. Is it sympathetic? Why or why not?
A Reckoning 10. Which Quaker traditions does Daniel hold on to as the story progresses, and how do they impact his relationships with others? Why do you think Daniel loses so many traditions along the way? It opens in the spring of 1855, when John Dickinson is involved in a shameful secret that will require a tragic 11. What are the differences between slavery in The Purchase and modern slavery? The similarities? decision. The family's resources have been wasted by a reckless brother who holds all of them hostage and, adding 12. What is the importance of remembering childhood stories and traditions for Mary (both of her mother and her nanny, Luveen), Onesimus, and Bett. How useful are these stories out on the frontier? fuel to John's desperation, the enslaved workers have been visited by a Canadian abolitionist who pushes them to 13. Describe Mary’s relationship with Bett and with Onesimus. Who is she trying to save when she hits escape. Bry does, and his pursuit of freedom will involve a Jester Fox? How does she become closer to them than to anyone in her own family or, as time goes on, dangerous quest to find his mother and child in Canada. her husband? Why does she refuse to free Bett?
14. The novel starts and ends with Daniel. Why do you think, when there are so many strong female Meanwhile, the Dickinsons become fugitives of another characters, that the author chose to do this? Do you believe this is ultimately Daniel’s story? Why or why kind, escaping their losses in a wagon en route to the West not? that will eventually be loaded onto a Missouri river boat for a dark adventure. 15. Is John fated to repeat his father's mistakes? Read A Reckoning to find out.
Images and summaries courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada, Linda Spalding, NovelistPlus & Book Browse.