In Polite Company
Page 27
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About the Book
Reading Group Guide
When Simons presses her father about his membership in an all-male club, he tells her that it’s very normal for the sexes to separate. What is your opinion of single-sex organizations?
As Simons debated calling off the wedding, she considered the financial stability Trip would provide as a husband. Should money be a factor in determining lifelong partnerships? What about parental approval?
While Simons doesn’t invite Kevin into her apartment, she does allow him in. She wakes up to find him sexually assaulting her. She runs from him and kicks him out. If you were Simons, would you have called the police? Pressed charges? Why or why not?
All cultures have both positive and negative aspects. What do you love about your culture? What could be improved? How could you help make those improvements?
Why do people join clubs? What is it about belonging that is rooted so deeply at our core?
As people mature, friendships change. What do you think of the relationship between Martha and Simons? In what ways have you experienced friendships that have changed?
Months after the breakup, Simons was hoping to run into Trip when she was dolled up for a night out. Instead, he discovers her barefoot, rooting through a trash can. Even when we break off a relationship, why would we still want to be desirable to our former companion?
Laudie was shaped by the times she lived in. How does your current culture shape who you are? Are there some aspects of your character that wouldn’t change, no matter the era or circumstance you were born into? If so, which ones?
From statues in public parks to paintings in a private club’s bathroom, art is being viewed with fresh eyes. What should be the standard for removing public art? Should the standards be different for a private setting? How?
Upon meeting her new boss, Simons realizes she never actually enjoyed her job as a news producer at the local TV station. Is your current job fulfilling? What would it take for you to make a radical change? Would you leave your hometown, family, and friends for a better job?
Praise for In Polite Company
“Here is the captivating story of a contemporary young woman navigating the expectations of family, the traditions of Charleston’s elite, and the fierce pull of her own heart. You will revel in her humor and humanness, her poignant takes on love and loss, her stunning look at power and privilege, but mostly in her brave quest to become herself. This is a beautiful debut novel.”
—Sue Monk Kidd, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Reading In Polite Company is like visiting a college friend from downtown Charleston—the one who brings you to all the glamorous, old-fashioned events you might not otherwise get invited to. But it’s not all parties. . . . Gervais Hagerty’s keen insights on the quagmires of the modern South set it apart from other summer reads. I loved this book.”
—Katie Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Embassy Wife and Girls in Trucks
“Gervais Hagerty’s compelling debut novel allows us a fascinating glimpse into an elite Southern society trying to hold on to age-old traditions and values in a rapidly changing world. Caught in the middle is a daughter of old Charleston, a young woman struggling to find her place without rejecting all she holds dear. This is the kind of highly readable, richly populated, and beautifully written book you will be eager to recommend to others!”
—Cassandra King, award-winning author of Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
“In a stunning debut, Gervais Hagerty’s voice rings with authenticity as she reveals a moving story of love, births, deaths, privilege and discrimination behind the veil in historic Charleston. Gorgeously written, heartfelt and true, In Polite Company is a must-read this summer—and any time of the year.”
—Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of On Ocean Boulevard
“This terrific debut lifts the veil on the charming old city of Charleston and a prominent Lowcountry family to deliver an entertaining story about becoming yourself without totally rejecting your past. Plus: debutante balls! I love this novel.”
—Lauren Weisberger, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada and When Life Gives You Lululemons
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
IN POLITE COMPANY. Copyright © 2021 by Gervais Hagerty, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover photographs © alysta/Shutterstock (water); © Sergii Sobolevskyi/Shutterstock (woman); © Viorel Sima/Shutterstock (hair); © B-D-S Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock (woman’s back)
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition AUGUST 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-306887-2
Version 06092021
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-306886-5
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