They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life --- steady boyfriend, close family --- who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life --- big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel --- and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy --- but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation, ME BEFORE YOU brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common --- a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks: What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?
(http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/me-before-you)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -- answer in comment section below
1. If you were Louisa, would you have quit working for the Traynors? If yes, at what point?
2. Were you able to relate to the way Will felt after his accident? What about his outlook on life did you find most difficult to understand or accept?
3. Discuss the meaning of the novel’s title. To whom do the “me” and “you” refer?
4. Louisa often finds Mrs. Traynor cold and judgmental. Is there an appropriate way to behave in Mrs. Traynor’s situation?
5. What is your opinion of Mr. Traynor? Did it change after you read his side of the story?
6. Why is Louisa able to reach Will when so many others could not?
7. Were you as surprised as Lou to learn of Will’s plans?
8. Compare Louisa’s relationship with Treena to Will’s relationship with Georgina. Do siblings know one another any better simply because they are related?
9. Would Patrick have asked Louisa to move in with him if he hadn’t felt threatened by Will? If Louisa had never accepted her job with the Traynors, where would her relationship with Patrick have gone?
10. Discuss Louisa’s own secret ties to the castle. Would most girls in her situation have blamed themselves? Should Treena have behaved differently in the aftermath?
11. What did you make of the way Lou’s mother, Josie, judges Lou’s decisions regarding Will. Is Josie’s reaction fair?
12. Before his accident, Will was a philanderer and a corporate raider who would probably never have given Louisa a second look. Why is it that people are so often unable to see what’s truly important until they’ve experienced loss?
(taken from http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/me-before-you/guide)
MS C
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life --- steady boyfriend, close family --- who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life --- big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel --- and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy --- but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation, ME BEFORE YOU brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common --- a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks: What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?
(http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/me-before-you)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS -- answer in comment section below
1. If you were Louisa, would you have quit working for the Traynors? If yes, at what point?
2. Were you able to relate to the way Will felt after his accident? What about his outlook on life did you find most difficult to understand or accept?
3. Discuss the meaning of the novel’s title. To whom do the “me” and “you” refer?
4. Louisa often finds Mrs. Traynor cold and judgmental. Is there an appropriate way to behave in Mrs. Traynor’s situation?
5. What is your opinion of Mr. Traynor? Did it change after you read his side of the story?
6. Why is Louisa able to reach Will when so many others could not?
7. Were you as surprised as Lou to learn of Will’s plans?
8. Compare Louisa’s relationship with Treena to Will’s relationship with Georgina. Do siblings know one another any better simply because they are related?
9. Would Patrick have asked Louisa to move in with him if he hadn’t felt threatened by Will? If Louisa had never accepted her job with the Traynors, where would her relationship with Patrick have gone?
10. Discuss Louisa’s own secret ties to the castle. Would most girls in her situation have blamed themselves? Should Treena have behaved differently in the aftermath?
11. What did you make of the way Lou’s mother, Josie, judges Lou’s decisions regarding Will. Is Josie’s reaction fair?
12. Before his accident, Will was a philanderer and a corporate raider who would probably never have given Louisa a second look. Why is it that people are so often unable to see what’s truly important until they’ve experienced loss?
(taken from http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/me-before-you/guide)
MS C
35 comments:
Even though I am not a fan of romance, I really liked this book. Because of the twist and the main character, Louisa.
Question #1:
If I was Louisa I would not have quit working for the Traynors. I would have realized that there was a bigger reason that I was needed and I would have stayed.
Question #2:
I definitely could relate to how Will felt after his accident. He felt like he not only lost everything he loved about the world, but he also lost himself. I have had that feeling before. I don't think I really found any of his feelings difficult to accept. If you felt like you lost the one thing you aren't supposed to lose (yourself), could you go on?
Question #3:
I think that the title refers to both Louisa and Will. I think the title references to the Will and Louisa before they met each other. I think it also gives way to the fact that neither one of them want to go back to the person they were before the other.
Question #4:
I think that in a way it's acceptable the way Mrs.Traynor is. Her son has given up on life based on something he didn't have control over. I don't think she really know how to handle that, so she shuts down and pretends not to care when in all reality in my opinion she is broken because she can't fix her son and give him a reason to live.
Question #5:
In all honesty I didn't really like Mr. Traynor. He in a way seemed kind of fake to me. After I heard his side story I think I came to an understanding of him. I had mixed feelings about him.
Question #6:
I think that Louisa was able to reach Will because she didn't real rely on the person that he once was. She cared about the kind of man he was when they met, but at the same point wanted to bring out the man he used to be. I also think it helped that Louisa brought a little touch of colored chaos to Will's life, which I think he desperately needed.
Question # 7:
I was surprised that Will actually told Louisa his plan, that's what I found surprising. He was so shut off and careful of the world, that I didn't quite expect him to tell her the plan.
Question #8:
I don't think that just because you are related you automatically know each other. You have to be around that person and get to know them. You can't just say "oh that's my sister or brother, I know everything about them.", when in all reality you haven't seen them in years. You must get to know them and also watch them grow in order to call yourself family.
Question #9:
I don't believe that Patrick would have asked Louisa to move in if he didn't feel threatened by Will. There would be no need to because there wouldn't be a threat of him losing hi "property". I think if Louisa hadn't accepted her job with helping Will, Louisa would have broken up with Patrick. She would have left him after she realized that there was no point in continuing if she didn't love the guy.
Question #10:
I probably would have blamed myself for the incident at the castle. I don't think I could find any reason not to I mean if I was in Louisa's shoes.
Question #11:
I think that Josie's reaction was interesting. in a way I understand it but then in a another way I don't really understand it.
Question #12:
I think that people don't see what's important until they experience loss, is because they believe that they have everything they wanted and are comfortable. Once they experience loss however, they begin to see that once mattered really had no meaning and that there are new possibilities that could effect them far greater than anything they once had. Loss brings out the need to find what truly matters to ourselves, and it also brings out the possibility of changing for the better.
1.) If I were Louisa, I would have not quit working for the Traynors. I would have been afraid to lose my job, and I would not give up on it.
2.) I could relate to the way Will felt after his accident. He is only 35 years old and he became quadriplegic after his accident. I can say that he is very intelligent and rich, but he has so much sorrow on his outlook on life and it makes him moody, angry, and quite spiteful. He cannot get the thought out of his head that he will never by the active and adventurous man he was before.
3.) I believe the title "Me Before You" refers to BOTH Will and Lou. They were on separate paths in their lives. Will, to be successful, rich, adventurous, handsome.... all the "worldly things" people strive for in their lives. And Lou, having little or no self esteem, living in the shadow of her more accomplished, smarter sister, giving her life in service to others. Their lives are thrown together. Bringing out the best of each other through their unique bonding. But, I also think "Me Before You" is Lou's life before she met Will. Think of the way her life was before she met Will. She is a changed person after having met him... and never again will she be the "me" that she was.
4.) I believe that it is very understandable the way Mrs. Traynor acts. Her son who she loves and adores doesn't know how to cope with his life anymore and it's affecting her. She has a stressed relationship with Will. She is very stern and strict but she will always care about her son's well-being.
5.) I do not like Mr. Traynor. He is very idiotic and tends to run away from all of his problems. He wants a divorce from Mrs. Traynor and he was absent from Will's and his sister's life and Mrs. Traynor blames him for destroying their family. Honestly, I would have blamed him as well.
6.) At first, Will resents Louisa's every presence. When he destroys a shelf full of pictures, Louisa tries to repair the damage. Furious, Will lashed out, "It would be nice - just for once - if someone paid attention to what I wanted. Me smashing those photographs was not an accident." (Page 56). That blowout is a turning point. I believe Lou was able to reach him because Lou was showing him a new life.
7.) I was surprised that Will told Lou of his plans. But, when Lou learns that Will has these shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living. She begins researching technologies that can give him more structure and looking for outings that he might find appealing. For each other's sake, Louisa and Will push beyond their comfort zones, and change each other in ways that neither of them would have anticipated.
8.) I think if you are related you have a special connection with one another, but it does not have to mean that you automatically know each other. Treena Clark who is Lou's younger sister is an unemployed single mother. She has always been regarded in the family as the most intelligent sibling. Even though the sisters have always competed with one another, they still support each other in the harsh situations. Georgina Traynor is Will's sister who doesn't care much about her brother. She is concerned only about her life and her accomplishments. Georgina considers that she shouldn't let Will's sorrow affect her success.
1. If I were Louisa, I think I would have wanted to quit but would not have done it. I'm sure its frustrating having the whole family relying on you but I would still want to do as much as I could to help if i were her.
2. I definitely understood why Will was so depressed. I think anyone would be in that situation. I'm extremely outgoing like Will and I love only having to rely on myself. I can't imagine having to go from being totally independent and having an amazing career to having to quit and rely on everyone else to take care of me. The only is if i were Will i think i would want to get out of the house more. I understand him not necessarily wanting to be around other people much because I know I'd feel like people were just staring at me. But I'd definitely want to be out of that house.
3. I definitely believe that Me before You could refer to either way. I think Will had to let a lot of his fear and pride down to let Louisa in. On the other hand, i think Louisa had to step out of her comfort zone in order to become closer with Will and see him as more than his disability.
4. I honestly think I'd be just like Mrs. Traynor in her situation. If i had seen my son try to kill himself and had to find someone to stay with him, I'd want someone who could actually try to keep him alive. I wouldn't want someone who might stick around then leave. I'd want someone to make him see the value of life again, like Louisa was trying to do. Plus if I had to go through everything she did, I can't say I would be the happiest person to be around.
5. Definitely did not like Mr. Traynor. He didn't help at all and legitimately left his wife with all the hardships and doctors appointments and just the gnereal care of their son while he went out and continued on with his life. Your son should be worthy enough for you to stop and try to help your family. Not run away from your problems and decide to want to divorce your wife because things got a little hard.
6. I think Louisa makes Will step back and see a different perspective that no one else has really tried to get him to see. He was so used to having things handed to him and being loved by everyone that he was lost after his accident. I think Louisa showed him what its like when a real person cares for you and wants to make you see how truly beautiful life is.
7. I was blind sided i honestly was not expecting that. It honestly broke my heart because I understood where Will was coming from. If i were in his situation, i wouldn't want to burden my family with having to care for me their whole lives. I think it's definitely hard to understand that families are usually happy to take care of their loved ones because they don't want them gone.
8. In Lou and Treena's relationship, i believe that actually know each other very well, whether they want to acknowledge that or not. I don't think Will and Georgina know each other at all or really want to. I think they have a love for each other really only because they are related. I think Georgina is only worried about how Will's death could effect her when she found out his plan and didn't even try to consider how hard all this could be on him.
9. I really don't think Patrick would have made any advance in his relationship with Lou if he didn't feel threatened. He didn't try to make an advance in the relationship and was solely focused on his training and his life without really trying to make Lou a permanent part of it. I honestly think Lou and Patrick would've ended up getting married at some point and having kids and having an okay marriage if she hadn't met Will. I think they would've just been together because that was what was expected, not necessarily what they both thought was best for them. their relationship is mostly comfort, not happiness or love.
1. I would have quit working for the Traynors' the moment I realized Will's condition. With his fragile state, it would have just caused pain to drag it out and keep seeing him.
I completely agree with Sarah on question #10
10. I think anyone would've blamed themselves if they were in Lou's situation. I think Treena could've handled it differently and treated Lou differently as well.
11. I understand how his mother reacted because she was in a tough situation. I think she let him do what he wanted because she hated seeing him so unhappy all the time and i don't think she would have wanted to come home to him trying to kill himself again.
I didn't think his sister handled it well at all, but honestly what sister would if you were really love your brother. I think she was being way too selfish about it and wasn't trying to understand how hard his life was because she was still off in her perfect world. I don't think her reaction was very fair. I would be extremely upset if my brother presented that idea to me and i would get really angry but i don't think that would lead to me calling him things and making it all about myself.
She should've tried to understand things from his perspective.
12. People don't understand how great their life is until they lose something because they want to think about the next best thing. That's why people can constantly throw people out of their life or break someones heart or not fully appreciate things because they're focused on what great thing is next. It isn't until all is lost or someone amazing leaves your life that you realize they were something worthy of effort and appreciation.
Post a Comment