Discussion Questions: Butterfly Weeds

READING GROUP GUIDE
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
BUTTERFLY WEEDS

1. Julia and Will are each other’s first loves. Do you think that this affects how they interact with each other throughout the story? Do you think that your first love is more impactful than some other loves? Why?
2.  Julia and Will have their first “big” fight when Julia tells Will that she is thinking about moving away for college. Do you feel for Will or do you think he might have over-reacted?
3.  During Will and Julia’s senior year of high school, Will discovers that he wants to pursue firefighting. What are Julia’s hesitations? Are they justified?
4.  In Julia’s freshman year of college, she and Will break up. Do you believe that Julia’s thoughts are reasonable? How much do you think the distance or change of environments played into the outcome? Do you think that Will’s demanding job played a part?
5.  At the New Year’s Eve party, Julia sees Will with another girl. It had been two months since she had last seen him. Would you have shown up to the party with someone else? Was it too soon?
6.  After Julia graduates from college, she is urged by Will’s aunt to visit Will. She does. What do you think of this reunion? Will still seems to have feelings for Julia. Do you think it’s possible to still be in love with someone, even if you haven’t seen them in years?
7.  What does Julia see in Brady? Why is she drawn to him more than she’s pulled to Will?
8.  On a Saturday morning, Julia sees Will singing on the television? Do you believe it’s possible that she could have somehow missed his rise to fame? Is it believable that a country singer could have “overnight” success, like Will seemingly did?
9.  Why do Julia and Will call each other every year on their birthdays? Do you think it’s possible for two people, after having dated, to be friends?
10.  When Brady proposes to Julia, Julia seems a little shaken. Why do you think she feels this way? Is she justified in her response? Should she have been prepared? Why do you think she wasn’t?
11.  After Julia gets engaged, she goes back to her hometown for a visit and sees Will at an old hangout. While they dance, Will starts to say that he had been doing some thinking. What do you think he was going to say? Do you think there was more Will could have done to get Julia back before she got engaged to Brady?
12.  Why do you think Julia breaks off her engagement with Brady? Do you think it’s possible to commit to an engagement and then realize the two of you are not as similar as you once thought? Do you think Julia and Brady were ever compatible?
13.  When Julia is in South Carolina, she discovers the lyrics to the song Will had sung to her years ago. What would be your response if you heard “your” lyrics? Would you think the lyrics still held any meaning years later?
14.  During the concert in New Milford, Will sings a song for Julia, and afterward, Julia gets in her car and starts driving. What would have been your reaction to his song?
15.  After the concert, Will finds Julia and confesses his love to her. Do you think he has waited too long to tell her? Do you think Julia was justified in believing that Will had not “fought” for her? Would you have let Will walk away that night?
16.  Julia is on her way back to South Carolina. What do you think ultimately made her change her mind and turn around? What had changed in her?
17.  How do you interpret the novel’s ending? Did Julia and Will make the right choices, in the end? Could they have made the road easier for themselves or do you think their path was just a part of life? And how do you imagine the life that Will and Julia had?

 
*Discover more about Will and Julia’s story in My Butterfly.