Memoir · Book club
A Moveable Feast book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
A Moveable Feast is Hemingway's posthumously published account of his years in Paris during the 1920s, when he and his first wife Hadley lived cheaply in Montparnasse while he apprenticed himself to the work of becoming a writer.
Ernest Hemingway · 1964 · 4h 0m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
Hemingway says he holds himself responsible for the end of his first marriage. Does the book actually earn that self-accusation, or does it shift blame while performing honesty?
- 2.
The portraits of Stein, Fitzgerald, and others are memorable and occasionally unkind. Do you read them as insight or score-settling?
- 3.
Hemingway argues that poverty and hunger were good for his writing. Is there any evidence in the text that he actually believed this, or is it retrospective romance?
- 4.
The book was assembled and edited after Hemingway's death. Does the posthumous nature of the publication change how you assess it as autobiography?
- 5.
The prose style is immediately recognizable. Does the style feel like an honest voice, or does it get in the way of disclosure?
- 6.
What does Hemingway's account of Paris tell you about the role of place in creative work? Do you think where he lived actually mattered to what he wrote?
- 7.
His relationship with Gertrude Stein is rendered with a mix of admiration and contempt. What do you think actually happened between them?
- 8.
Fitzgerald appears as a brilliant but damaged friend. Does Hemingway seem to understand Fitzgerald, or does he seem frustrated by him?
- 9.
The restored 2009 edition differs from the 1964 version. What does it mean that multiple versions of a memoir exist, and which should a reader treat as authoritative?
- 10.
The book describes a writers' world that no longer exists in the same form. What has been lost, and what is the equivalent now?
- 11.
Hemingway describes a specific daily writing practice. Does his discipline seem admirable, obsessive, or both?
- 12.
Is A Moveable Feast primarily about writing, about Paris, or about the loss of youth? What is the book actually about?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for A Moveable Feast?
Here are 12 book club questions for A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on writing, paris, friendship.
How long should a book club discussion of A Moveable Feast last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in A Moveable Feast?
Writing, Paris, Friendship, Craft, Memory. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like A Moveable Feast or questions for other book club picks.
