ABOUT THIS GUIDE
Rich with the bohemian romance, music, and ethnic melding of 1962
San Francisco, Beautiful Inez beguiles even as it explores such explosive issues as sexuality, obsession, and authenticity. The title character, Inez
Roseman, is a leading violinist with the San Francisco Symphony, a noted beauty, and a dedicated wife and mother. As charmed as her life may appear, however, Inez is preoccupied with thoughts of suicide.
Enter Sylvia Bran, a waitress and showroom pianist ten years Inez’s junior, who sees the violinist perform and develops a fierce attraction to her. Her seduction is shockingly simple. But based as it is on a series of harmless—though unsettling—lies, their love affair forces each woman to face her demons, with lasting, deeply moving repercussions.
The questions that follow are designed to enhance your reading of Beautiful Inez.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
We’re told that “Sylvia Bran’s career as a voyant is about to begin.” What did you imagine that meant when you read it? What do you think it means now? Who turns out to be the more successful voyant, Sylvia or Inez?
What part does language and etymology play in the story? How does Sylvia use language as a barrier? Or a weapon?
Throughout the novel, questions of role and identity are raised: Sylvia pretends to be a reporter to meet Inez; Jake wears Bermuda shorts to court as a sort of costume; Christine dresses like a hooker for her final rendezvous with Jake. What role does Inez assume? Is she convincing?
Inez admits to herself that “she doesn’t care who Sylvia is. Let her be whoever she wants.” Why is Inez willing to continue the affair after such a grave deception? How does their relationship change as a result?
How does the Cuban Missile Crisis impact the various characters? Do you think they might have behaved differently if it weren’t for the specter of imminent death?
Do you believe in Hy’s concept of a “mind lasso”? Which characters wield it best? Do they know they’re doing it?
Music is woven throughout the novel: Inez plays Paganini for Sylvia on their first meeting, then plays with the symphony; Jake whistles jazz everywhere he goes; Sylvia plays piano in the showroom, and for Bibi in the mental hospital. What does each character’s relationship to music tell us about him or her? (To hear a recording of the Goldmark concerto—the music that Inez plays shortly after meeting Sylvia for the first time—go to www.randomhouse.com/crown/inez/concerto.htm. This recording of the second movement—the Andante—was made in 1920 by Jascha Heifetz.)
Inez thinks, “A woman like her isn’t brave enough to walk away from her family, her children, and go on living. She cannot make so sharp a left turn in her life, nor can she sit idle.” Why do you think Inez feels this way and continues to contemplate suicide, even while she seems so happy?
Food has a different significance for each character, seen, for example, in Inez’s fluctuating appetite or Jake’s gourmet assignations with Christine. How does Sylvia’s simple, sensual attitude compare? What does Isaac’s disdain for “goyish” mashed potatoes reveal?
Was it wrong for Jake to bring Isaac home to live with them? Did he have any other options?
How does Bibi’s benediction alter the relationship between Inez and Sylvia?
How does the fact that Sylvia’s mother committed suicide influence her response to Inez’s initial confession? How does it influence her response when Inez announces her “irreversible decision”?
What role does religious belief play in the story? Is it a help or a liability?
Consider the theme of betrayal in the novel. Christine has a speech in which she says, “Who’s betraying whom. Isn’t that the question we’re always at the point of asking our spouse? Or have we already decided? It’s them.” Who is betraying whom?
What do the chapter titles signify? Why do you think the author chose to use chapter titles?
Did the ending surprise you? How might it have been different if the story took place in our era, or in a different era?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bart Schneider is the author of the novels Blue Bossa, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Secret Love, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He was the founding editor of the Hungry Mind Review (later Ruminator Review) and now edits Speakeasy magazine.
NOVELS BY BART SCHNEIDER
Blue Bossa
Secret Love
Copyright © 2005, 2006 by Bart Schneider
Reader’s Group Guide copyright © 2005 by Shaye Areheart Books, an imprint of the
Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of
the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living
or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the
Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
THREE RIVERS PRESS and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of
Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schneider, Bart.
Beautiful Inez: a novel / Bart Schneider.— 1st ed.
1. San Francisco (Calif.)—Fiction. 2. Suicidal behavior—Fiction. 3. Women
violinists—Fiction. 4. Married women—Fiction. 5. Waitresses—Fiction.
6. Seduction—Fiction. 7. Lesbians—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3569.C522374B43 2005
813’.54—dc22 2004016227
www.randomhouse.com
eISBN: 978-0-307-41985-9
v3.0
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