Marsha Moyer » Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

When Ash?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s daughter Denny shows up unexpectedly on his doorstep in chapter 1, the two have not seen one another in nearly eight years. In what ways has this separation marked each of them? Are they more like one another in those ways, or different?
In The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels, absent parents is a recurring theme. Both Lucy and Ash were abandoned by their fathers as children, and Ash by a mother who gave him up to foster care; and Ash as a young man left behind a wife and child. How much do you think Ash?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s impulses are explained by his missing parents? How has the lack of a father figure in her life influenced Lucy?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s worldview? Does parental desertion figure into Ash and Lucy?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s relationship with one another? How do you think it will affect their efforts as parents to their unborn child?
One reviewer notes that ?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®??¨the suspense of [The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels] is activated by the leading characters?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢ secrets.?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®? Lucy is afraid to tell Ash about her unintended pregnancy; Ash is reluctant to reveal his ambitions in Nashville; and Denny hesitates to disclose her own musical talent. Why are honesty and communication so difficult between these characters? What does each of them have to gain by withholding information? How does each hope the others will respond? Are these expectations realistic, or are their fears of exposure well grounded?
Geneva?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s infertility becomes a source of tension between her and Lucy, whose unplanned pregnancy she sees as being undeserved. Is Geneva?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s resentment justified? Might it become a permanent wedge between her and Lucy, or do you think that they will find a way to resolve it and remain friends?
Denny?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s friendship with Erasmus King provokes racial violence in Mooney. Might their situation have been as likely to occur in an urban area, or is it unique to the rural Southern setting of the story? Do you believe their experience, or Lucy and Ash?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s confrontations with the racists, can change anything in the small East Texas town? Would Denny?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s testifying against the perpetrators and their possible punishment have any lasting influence on the town?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s social climate? How might the family?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s attitude toward the racists affect their standing in the community?
When racial conflicts erupt, Denny runs away to the home of Ash?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s birth mother, Evelyn, a person she?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s never known. What do you think she expects to find by meeting her grandmother? Is the encounter successful in this regard? What are other, less tangible, rewards? Does the visit change Evelyn as well as Denny? Can Denny and Evelyn continue their newfound relationship, or will Evelyn return to her life of solitude?
Which character is the book did you best relate to on a personal level? Which one reminds you most of a friend or relative of your own? Which character would you most like to know? Why?

Several threads are left dangling at the end of the book: Lucy is pregnant; she and Ash have acquired a marriage license; Ash is preparing to go to Nashville; Denny is on the verge of discovering first love and the full magnitude of her musical talent; Geneva and Bailey remain childless; and in spite of Denny?¬¢‚Äö?á¬®‚Äö?ë¬¢s efforts, Ash and Evelyn have not reconciled. Discuss the various directions in which these story threads might go. Is a happy ending always the most fulfilling? The most realistic? Do you enjoy an unresolved ending, with the ability to project for yourself what might happen next? Or do you prefer a more conclusive outcome? Did the ending of The Last of the Honky-tonk Angels leave you feeling satisfied, or wishing for the next installment in the story?