by Nina Darnton
6. The decision Marcia makes moving forward after the tragedy threatens her marriage and the welfare of her new baby. Why did she do it? Do you think she made the right choice? What would you do?
7. How do you feel about Jeff’s desire to help Danny financially but not take him into his home? Given that Jeff said from the beginning that he didn’t want an ongoing relationship with another family, is his reaction reasonable?
8. Marcia is shocked that Jeff has an affair. Do you think that she is partly responsible for alienating him by not considering his feelings or point of view and fighting so hard for Danny’s? Do you think he should have remained faithful and tried harder to work things out, regardless of his feelings that she had chosen Danny over him?
9. Is there anything that Marcia could have done differently to help Jeff accept Danny?
10. At first, Marcia wants to adopt Danny because she feels guilty and responsible for him. Later, even though he is difficult and creates problems, she starts to love him. What do you think is the explanation for this?
11. When Danny gets sick, Jeff goes to the hospital because he feels he has to. When he leaves, he has undergone a major change and so has his relationship with Danny. What happened?
Also by Nina Darnton
The Perfect Mother
An African Affair
About the Author
NINA DARNTON is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, An African Affair and The Perfect Mother. She has written for The New York Times, Elle, House & Garden, Travel + Leisure, the New York Post, and Newsweek. She has a BA from the University of Wisconsin, an MS in psychology from the New School for Social Research, and an MFA from Columbia University. Nina and her husband, John Darnton, have three children and five grandchildren and live in New York City and New Paltz, New York. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Reading Group Guide
A Conversation with Nina Darnton
An Original Essay by the Author
Reading Group Questions
Also by Nina Darnton
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
RISKING IT ALL. Copyright © 2017 by Nina Darnton. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Olga Grlic
Cover photographs: family © KidStock/Getty Images; texture © Borja Andreu/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-07525-3 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4668-8664-3 (ebook)
eISBN 9781466886643
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: September 2017