February 2011 - Diary of an Ordinary Woman by Margaret Forster

Discussion Questions:

1. General impressions – did you like the book? Why or why not?

2. This novel is described as a ‘fictionalized memoir’ - how authentic did you find it to be? Does the social, political and historical background of change within the novel seem realistic?

3. How did you find the diary method as a form of narrative structure? Does it provide us with the necessary elements to create an interesting and absorbing story?

4. What is your view of Margaret Forster’s authorial interventions between the entries? Are these necessary to give us another viewpoint and voice aside from Millicent’s own? What do these add to the novel?

5. After the first few diary entries, Margaret Forster describes Millicent as ‘outspoken, quite selfish, restless, ambitious and inclined to self-pity’. How much does Millicent’s personality change throughout the years? Which events and circumstances affect her character the most?

6. How is Millicent different from other women of her time? Do you see her as a modern woman in terms of her career and her views on pre-marital sex? How are Millicent’s views different to Tilda’s?

7. Margaret Forster’s work casts light upon the depths of difficulties in apparently ordinary lives. How is Millicent’s life both ordinary and extraordinary? Is Millicent herself extraordinary or is it simply the events she lives through that make her so?


Meeting Details:
Where: Erin House, 3206 Pinemeadow Dr., Burlington, ON L7M 2N7
When: Thursday, February 17th at 7:30pm (Discussion to begin at 8pm)

Menu: "Victory Garden Dinner"
Cabbage Soup
Bread
Mashed Potatoes & Carrots
Rhubarb pie/crisp - Tessa
Mincemeat pies - Kate
Drinks - Erin