Thank you to Lizzy Kremer, the world’s most dedicated agent, always on the end of the phone, even during maternity leave!
To Maggie Crawford and the fantastic team at Simon & Schuster and Pocket Books, thank you for believing in me and my book.
And to my dear friends who keep me going, Jenny Matthews, Rosie Wooley, Sarah Boswell (and her mum, Mrs. Darby), Clare Winter (and her mum, Mrs. Smith), and Cathy Carter (and her mum, Mrs. Bell). You all give me so much encouragement.
Finally, thank you to my wonderful husband, Erol, whose love and faith never waver, and to my daughter, Lily, who is so clever, beautiful, funny, and kind that I can scarcely believe I’m her mother!
Readers Club Guide
INTRODUCTION
Sophie Mills has worked her Manolo Blahniks off to reach the top of her profession. She seems to have it all: a glamorous job as a corporate events planner, a designer apartment, and her cat Artemis for company. After all, relationships only get in the way of work, and as for starting a family—Sophie hasn’t even begun to think about that yet. Until one day, an unexpected visitor brings the news that her best friend Carrie is dead, Carrie’s husband Louis has disappeared, and Sophie is now in sole charge of two children under the age of seven. But child care can’t be all that hard, can it? Sophie soon finds she is woefully under-equipped to be suddenly thrown into motherhood. But through the eyes of two little girls she learns more about loss, commitment, and true love than she had ever realized existed.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Accidental Mother opens with Sophie in her office, obsessing over Jake Flynn’s lunch invitation. What is your first impression of Sophie Mills, based on this beginning? How does she handle her career? What is her approach to romance?
Discuss Sophie’s relationship with her coworker Eve. Are the two women friends or enemies? Eve tells Sophie, “You didn’t choose this career…it chose you.” (See Chapter 7.) What does Eve mean? Is she right about Sophie?
“There were a lot of things that Sophie was very good at…. She was extremely good at pie charts. But she’d always said that when she discovered her limitations, she’d be happy to admit them. That time had come.” (See Chapter 2.) Which of Sophie’s personal “limitations” come to light, when Bella and Izzy arrive in her life?
When Sophie receives a copy of Dr. Robert’s Complete Dog Training and Care Manual from her mother, she “tossed the book to the floor in disgust.” (See Chapter 4.) What unexpectedly handy lessons does Sophie learn from the dog manual? What do you think of this funny statement from Sophie’s mother: “That’s the trouble with you cat people. No imagination.” (See Chapter 4.)
The promise “Always, forever, whatever” comes up several times in the novel. What did this promise mean to Sophie and Carrie when they were teenagers? What did it mean for Carrie and her children? What does it mean to Sophie now?
Cal tells Sophie, “Taking risks is what life is all about, Sophie…I thought you would have known that, wearing that shirt with that lipstick. Right out on a fashion limb.” (See Chapter 28.) How does Cal’s bold sense of humor inspire Sophie?
Sophie’s cat Artemis hasn’t purred in years, until Bella pets her. Sophie thanks Bella “For making Artemis feel safe and happy.” (See Chapter 8.) What does Artemis teach Sophie about taking care of Bella and Izzy?
Sophie is fully aware that Jake is “practically perfect.” (See Chapter 28.) He’s handsome, successful, and very interested in Sophie. So why isn’t Sophie interested in Jake?
After her father died, Sophie learned from her mother, “you have to practice being happy, even when you’re not, because otherwise you might forget how altogether.” (See Chapter 18.) How does Sophie help Bella and Izzy practice happiness? How do the girls help Sophie? Do you think Sophie has forgotten how to be happy, since her father’s death?
What is Sophie’s first impression of Louis? How does her opinion of Louis change over the course of the novel? Were you as surprised as Sophie at the real reason why Louis left Carrie? Why or why not?
“Carrie made choices decisively and rode them out no matter what happened. Sophie never chose what happened in her life—she let fate choose for her and never questioned how different things could be.” (See Chapter 25.) Discuss Sophie and Carrie’s different approaches to making choices. What are the advantages to Carrie’s approach? What are the disadvantages? What does Sophie learn from her friend’s example?
Sophie feels guilty about her attraction to Louis, as if she were trying to steal Carrie’s life. But Cal believes, “If Carrie is up there right now, she’s probably shouting at you, ‘Go to him, you stupid cow!’” (See Chapter 28.) Do you agree with Cal, that Carrie would be happy for Sophie and Louis? Why or why not?
When Bella and Izzy first come home with Sophie, she thinks, “A passion for chocolate and an eye for shoes. Maybe she did have something in common with the girls after all.” (See Chapter 3.) Besides a sweet tooth and good fashion sense, what else does Sophie have in common with Bella and Izzy by the end of the novel?
The ending of The Accidental Mother is romantic, but also open to interpretation. What do you think the future holds for Sophie, Louis, Bella, and Izzy? What new challenges could they face?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
According to Sophie, “shoes were like fashion magnets. The right clothes would simply be drawn to them.” (See Chapter 5.) Find a picture of your ideal pair of shoes in a magazine or catalog and bring a copy to your book club meeting to show off your fantasy “fashion magnets!”
Sophie, Bella, and Izzy bond over Carrie’s favorite song, “Motorcycle Emptiness” by the Manic Street Preachers. Play the song at your book club meeting to set the mood for The Accidental Mother. You can find “Motorcycle Emptiness” on www.itunes.com or pick up Manic Street Preachers’ greatest hits album, Forever Delayed, at your local music store.
In the book, Louis worked at a charity for homeless children in Peru. Do some online research to find an organization that helps homeless children in a community you care about—it can be in your town, or halfway around the world. Bring information to your book club meeting and discuss how your club can volunteer or contribute to a children’s charity.
QUESTIONS FOR THE AUTHOR
The Accidental Mother is largely about coping with loss, and yet there’s so much humor. How did you manage to balance tragedy and comedy in this novel?
It’s a fine balance. If you are asking readers to trust you as you lead them from a scene that might make them feel sad to another that you hope will make them laugh then you have to be careful to maintain the integrity of the plot and the characters. I don’t have a clever way of doing this, however! I trust my instincts and I have a sort of invisible reader sitting on my shoulder who soon tells me if I’ve got the balance wrong.
One hilarious moment is when Sophie’s mother pulls out Dr. Robert’s Complete Dog Training and Care Manual, which turns out to be very useful to Sophie! Does this manual actually exist? Do you think we can learn something about children from studying animals, and vice versa? Are you a cat person, like Sophie, or a dog person, like her mother?
I am a pet person and would have cats if it weren’t for my asthma. I have a Standard Poodle called Polly (named by my daughter when she was two, although I wanted to call her Holly Golightly) and until a hypoallergenic breed of cat is discovered, Polly will be my only pet. When Polly arrived, she and my two-year-old daughter seemed to have a very similar mental age and attitude toward life, which was very carefree, happy, and mildly destructive. (Fortunately, only one of them ate shoes.) Not long after we brought Polly home both dog and daughter suffered a terrible fear of cars due to a minor, but very loud, traffic accident that we were all in. I got the idea from my dog-care manual to use the same technique that Sophie uses on Izzy to help them both get over the fear (tiny hand clutching trembling paw). That’s where the idea of using a dog-care manual for tips on child care came from.
On the subject of communication
with children, Cal says, “It’s sort of like learning another language…Once you let yourself go enough to get hold of the accent, you’ll be fine.” (See Chapter 8.) Bella and Izzy’s dialogue is incredibly realistic. How did you prepare to write in “child language”?
I just listen to people and how they talk, the nuances and rhythms in their voices. As for Izzy and Bella, well, my daughter was the same age as Izzy when I wrote the book so I was fluent in three-year-old, and Bella was a mixture of me as a child and my niece. I have very strong memories of my childhood, so referencing that version of me is quite easy.
The Manic Street Preachers’ song “Motorcycle Emptiness” is featured prominently in the novel. What significance does this song have for you?
I love this song—listen to it if you can. It reminds me of a road trip to Wales I went on in my twenties (a good few years after the song was released!) with my best friend Jenny. We went with the intention of finding ourselves, preferably somewhere up a Welsh mountain, and decided Welsh rock would be the perfect soundtrack. We didn’t have the epiphany we were hoping for, but we played this song over and over again as we drove in our banged-up old car singing along at the top of our voices. It was in the spirit of that kind of wonderful, close, and lifelong friendship that I decided to use it in this book.
Sophie struggles to balance her career with taking care of the children—and she isn’t even a mother. Do you think women must choose between motherhood and career, even in the twenty-first century? Is it possible to find a balance between the two?
It’s so hard to have a career and be a mother. The truth is that many women don’t have a choice; they have to do both and they do it amazingly well. The work/life balance for all of us, men and women, in this day and age is difficult to achieve. But I think we should make it a priority to stop and take a breath and appreciate our families—the people we love and the people we are working so hard for. I count my lucky stars that my work as a writer has allowed me to spend more time at home with my little girl as she grows up. I admire both women who choose to be homemakers and those who follow careers; neither choice is an easy one to make. I believe that the trick is to follow your heart and then you’ll be a happy and fulfilled person.
Cal is a great source of comic relief in the novel; he always tells Sophie exactly what he thinks, with hilarious results! Who was the inspiration for this character?
Cal is loosely based on a very dear, very witty, very honest, and sometimes slightly over-the-top friend of mine.
Ben Nicholson’s painting St. Ives Version Two (1940) helps Bella cope with the death of her mother. When did you first see this painting? Are you a fan of the St. Ives school of art, like Carrie?
I first found out about the St. Ives School of Art when reading a book called The Fatal Englishman by Sebastian Faulks. His description of one ill-fated St. Ives artist led me to find out more and I first saw the painting Version Two where it actually hangs in the Tate Gallery in St. Ives. I fell in love with it and the work of Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, and other St. Ives artists on the spot. I love the idea that they were trying to do something new, create a new world of hope and beauty. St. Ives is a still a wonderful place with a magical kind of light that to this day is chock-full of artists and craftspeople inspired by its unique properties.
The Accidental Mother was a big hit in the U.K. Are you excited to bring this book to the U.S.? Do you think Americans can relate to Sophie Mills as strongly as British readers have?
I am hugely excited that my book is being published in the U.S. and I truly hope that the American audience will relate to Sophie Mills as strongly as U.K. readers have! I’m fairly certain they will, though, because Sophie’s story is a universal one and her dilemmas are ones that women all around the world experience.
Although the novel ends on a romantic note, we don’t know exactly what lies ahead for Sophie, Louis, Bella, and Izzy. Do you envision their living happily ever after in Cornwall? Have you considered continuing the story of this “accidental” family?
Curiously I hadn’t thought about writing a sequel until you asked. Now I’m wondering why I haven’t had that idea! I’d love to write a sequel and if circumstances and my existing writing commitments will allow, then I certainly will. For now I see them happy and together, facing the future united.
Table of Contents
"But what will we do then? If we can't stay here?"
Epigraph
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Twenty-six
Twenty-seven
Twenty-eight
Twenty-nine
Readers Club Guide
Acknowledgments
The Accidental Mother Page 37