"The Game of Love and Death" summary, info, etc. found at: novelnovice.com
The Game of Love and Death
Martha Brockenbrough
Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now . . . Henry and Flora.
For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.
Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?
Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured — a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.
The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.
Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Death is a love story you will never forget.
Join In the discussion...
1. A few examples of Love & Death’s previous “games” are mentioned throughout the book. What other famous couples in history or literature do think might have been subjects of their “game”?
2. Research Seattle’s Hoovervilles in the 1930s, and compare your findings to how the Hooverville in the book is presented. How does the author use the Hooverville to further the plot of the book?
3. Flora and Henry face plenty of hurdles in their relationship, even without Death’s meddling. look at the challenges they faced, and explore why these were issues in 1937. Which challenges would they likely still face in present day Seattle?
4. Explore various portrayals of “Death” in other literature, and compare it to Brockenbrough’s portrayal in The Game of Love & Death. Compare the similarities & differences, and discuss what you think these mean in terms of culture, religion, etc.
5. It rains quite often in Seattle. However, Brockenbrough also uses rain to punctuate emotional moments through out the novel. Find at least three rainy scenes and analyze how rain is used to give insight to emotion.
7. Henry tells Flora, “shouldn’t isn’t the same as can’t” What does it mean in relation to Flora and Henry? Is there some situation in your own life where this statement applies? If so, what?
6. Throughout The Game of Love and Death Brockenbrough refers to the moon and its many phases. What do you think the moon might serve as a metaphor for?
8. Throughout the novel, Brockenbrough depicts Death as a ravenous predator who is always hungry, while Love doesn’t need to eat unless in disguise and trying to fit in. Search the text to find many examples of Death’s predatory hunger, whether in guise or not. Why do you think Brockenbrough chose this characterization for Death? Why do you think Love doesn’t need to eat? Look closely at the text to support your opinion.
9. What is the symbolism in having both Love and Death present at the deaths of Flora and Henry? Death and Love act as symbiotic partners in this final chapter. How so?
10. What are some of the themes you noticed as you read through the book? What can readers take away from The Game of Love & Death in relation to these themes?