A Long Petal of the Sea

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-4

Part 2, Chapters 5-8

Part 3, Chapters 9-13

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Book Club Questions

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Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

What is the significance of Victor’s experience squeezing a human heart back to life? How does this scene inform his characterization as well as his character arc?

Compare and contrast Roser’s love for Guillem with her love for Victor. How does her affection for both men reflect her philosophy on life and love?

How does Isidoro del Solar view the Spanish refugees? Why does he invite Victor and Roser into his home? Does that experience change his views?

How does Felipe del Solar’s character evolve throughout his life? Is he typical or atypical of the Chilean upper class?

Discuss the novel’s presentation of gender roles through the characters of Roser and Ofelia. Contrast their respective levels of autonomy and independence, and how marriage and pregnancy impact their lives.

Do Roser’s affairs, particularly with Aitor, impact her love for Victor? Why or why not?

How does Spanish history repeat itself in Chile in 1973? Was this result inevitable?

Why do Victor and Roser feel so out of place when they finally return to Spain?

Why does Victor return to Chile before Pinochet is out of power? How is he treated upon return?

10.

Why is Victor so happy to learn that he has a biological daughter so late in his life? Why did Ofelia not feel the same way? How might the different social expectations for men and women have affected their reactions?