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Book club questions for The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman explore the themes of love, self-discovery, the transformative power of literature, the impact of oppressive communities, the fluidity of time, and the connections between authors and readers.
I loved this book! Life sometimes gets tough and we forget to believe in magic. However, Alice Hoffman reminds us to remember that magic and love will always be there for us.
What were your impressions of this novel? ✨
The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
I hope you will enjoy the thoughtfully crafted book club questions tailored for The Invisible Hour in this blog post. You can also access a downloadable PDF version designed for your book clubs (available at the bottom of the post), along with supplementary suggestions for books that share similar themes and narratives.
I hope you find these book club questions useful. I’m excited to hear your unique perspectives during your book club discussions.
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section!
Book Club Questions | Additional Recommendations | Printable List
About the Story
The Invisible Hour follows the story of Mia Jacob, who is trapped within an oppressive cult called the Community, but finds solace in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. The book seems to mirror her mother Ivy’s experiences, prompting Mia to question the origins of its insight.
Through heartbreak and self-discovery, Mia breaks free from the Community’s constraints, discovering the transformative power of reading and the connections between readers and writers. She embarks on a journey through time, falling in love with a writer and altering the course of events.
The story explores the magic of books, the fluidity of time, and the strength of love, as Mia’s dreams come to life and reshape her reality.
About the Author
Alice Hoffman, born on March 16, 1952, in New York City, is a prolific author known for more than thirty works of fiction, including popular novels like Practical Magic, The Dovekeepers, and The Rules of Magic.
She graduated from Adelphi University and pursued her passion for writing at Stanford University’s Creative Writing Center. Her debut novel, Property Of, was published while she was still in her early twenties. Over the years, she has gained recognition for her novels, short stories, and books for young adults. Her writing often weaves magical elements into stories of love, loss, and human resilience.
Hoffman’s work has been translated into multiple languages and received acclaim from various publications. She continues to captivate readers with her storytelling from her home near Boston.
Book Club Questions for The Invisible Hour
1. The story begins with Mia’s escape attempt from The Community in the prologue. How does this opening scene establish the mood and themes that resonate throughout the rest of the novel?
2. Ivy frequently refers to her upbringing as being “west of the moon.” Where does this phrase originate, and what significance might it hold in her narrative? Why do you think she chooses this particular expression?
3. Joel’s swift proposal to Ivy upon her arrival at The Community raises questions about their motivations and connections. What factors might have attracted Joel to Ivy, and what might have influenced her decision to accept his proposal?
4. The relationships between characters like Helen and Ivy, as well as Mia’s connections with Sarah and Constance, exhibit certain parallels. In what ways do these relationships mirror each other? Could you identify significant divergences between them?
5. Helen emphasizes Ivy’s right to decide her own fate and choices regarding her body (p. 99). The theme of choice is woven throughout the narrative. Explore the options Ivy faced upon discovering her pregnancy, such as adoption, escape, or marriage. How have these options evolved or persisted over time?
6. The various settings of Boston, Concord, and New York seem to take on roles akin to characters in the story. How do these locations contribute to the narrative and impact the characters’ journeys?
7. Each female character, from Ivy’s bold restart to Constance and Sarah’s navigation of loss, showcases her unique brand of strength. Are there any characters you particularly relate to among these women? Discuss the reasons behind your choice.
8. Nathaniel’s persistent need to write, even amidst his bouts of depression, raises questions about his relationship with his craft. Do you think writing served as a source of solace or dread for him? How did his sisters contribute to his accomplishments?
9. Elizabeth leads Mia to the Hill of Death (p. 167). What could be her motivation for this action? Why does Elizabeth harbor doubt and suspicion toward Mia? Are there underlying reasons for her lack of trust?
10. Delve into Joel’s ultimate downfall. How do women play a decisive role in his final moments of defeat?
11. What do you think compelled Mia to return to Nathaniel’s era? What were her aspirations for this journey into the past?
12. Mia’s decision to raise her daughter as a single parent echoes Ivy’s past choice. In what ways do these choices align, and how might Mia have learned from her mother’s experiences and mistakes?
13. The relationship between Mia and Nathaniel Hawthorne adds an additional layer to the story. How does their connection bridge the gap between the past and the present? What insights or lessons do you think Mia gains from this relationship?
14. Mia’s journey involves connections with strong women who support each other in various ways. How do these relationships contribute to the character development and the overarching themes of empowerment and sisterhood in the novel?
15. The themes of magic and time travel are present in the story. How do you think the inclusion of these fantastical elements impacts the exploration of real-world themes, such as women’s rights and the struggles faced by the characters?
16. The story is praised for its portrayal of strong female characters and its exploration of their journeys. Which character’s journey resonated with you the most, and how did their experiences contribute to your engagement with the novel?
Selected Reviews
“I was immediately immersed in The Invisible Hour. It’s a wonderful story of love and growth, but it’s also a narrative engine of great power. Alice Hoffman is wonderful on stories and writing.” — Stephen King
“Alice Hoffman’s The Invisible Hour is a rich, immersive, magical reading experience. This beautiful novel is about the stories women tell each other and the ones that save us, about the price and peril of motherhood, and the difficulties women have faced throughout history in controlling their own fates. Alice Hoffman, the reigning queen of magical realism, takes her readers on a fantastic, mystical journey that celebrates the joy and power of reading and dares to believe in the impossible.” —Kristin Hannah
Additional Recommendations
Hope you enjoyed the book club discussion questions and reading guide for The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman!
Here are some more of my book club recommendations related to this book:
Hotel Cuba by Aaron Hamburger
From the award-winning author of The View from Stalin’s Head, a stunning novel about two sheltered Russian Jewish sisters, desperate to get to America to make a new life, who find themselves trapped in the sultry, hedonistic world of 1920s Havana.
Fleeing the chaos of World War I and the terror of the Soviet Revolution, practical, sensible Pearl Kahn and her lovestruck, impulsive younger sibling Frieda sail for America to join their sister in New York. But discriminatory new immigration laws bar their entry, and the young women are turned back at Ellis Island. With few options, Pearl and Frieda head for Havana, Cuba, convinced they will find a way to overcome this setback.
At first, life in big-city Prohibition-era Havana is overwhelming, like nothing Pearl and Frieda have ever experienced—or could have ever imagined in the rural shtetl where they grew up. As the sisters begin to adjust, their plans for going to America together become complicated.
Frieda falls for the not-so-dreamy man of her dreams while Pearl’s life opens up unexpectedly, offering her a taste of freedom and heady romance, and an opportunity to build a future on her own terms. Though to do so, she must confront her past and the shame she has long carried.
A heartbreaking, epic family story, Hotel Cuba explores the profound courage of two women displaced from their home who strive to create a new future in an enticing and dangerous world far different from anything they have ever known.
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
The profound and compelling story of a personal quest for meaning and faith from Wally Lamb, #1 New York Times bestselling author of She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True
When 47-year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his younger wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, Caelum returns home to Connecticut to be with his aunt who has just had a stroke. But Maureen finds herself in the school library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed, as two vengeful students go on a murderous rampage.
Miraculously she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm back east. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.
In The Hour I First Believed, Wally Lamb travels well beyond his earlier work and embodies in his fiction myth, psychology, family history stretching back many generations, and the questions of faith that lie at the heart of everyday life. The result is an extraordinary tour de force, at once a meditation on the human condition and an unflinching yet compassionate evocation of character.
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
A bestseller that has come to be regarded as an American classic, The Bean Trees is the novel that launched Barbara Kingsolver’s remarkable literary career.
It is the charming, engrossing tale of rural Kentucky native Taylor Greer, who only wants to get away from her roots and avoid getting pregnant. She succeeds, but inherits a three-year-old Native American girl named Turtle along the way, and together, from Oklahoma to Arizona, half-Cherokee Taylor and her charge search for a new life in the West. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in seemingly empty places.
This edition includes a P.S. section with additional insights from the author, background material, suggestions for further reading, and more.
Printable PDF
Feel free to distribute these discussion questions to your book club members before your meeting. Simply click the link below to download and print the PDF file.
Happy reading! ❤️