Table for Two: Fictions

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Consider the novella “Eve in Hollywood” in relation to Towles’s novel Rules of Civility, in which Eve Ross, the novella’s protagonist, is also a central character. How does the novella deepen or complicate your understanding of the novel’s characters and setting?
• Which stories stood out to you as most compelling? What do these standouts have in common?
• How do the stories fit together, even though they feature unrelated characters and take place in different times and places? What makes them work as a single book? 

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences and perspectives.

• Choose a story that made you feel grief, anger, laughter, or any other strong emotion. How did the story evoke this emotional response, and how did your emotional reaction contribute to your understanding of the story’s themes?
• Throughout these stories, characters negotiate social boundaries—seeking freedom and self-expression while trying to maintain the approval of their communities. Reflect on a time when you felt that your identity, desires, or freedom of expression were at odds with social expectations. How did you navigate this tension?
• The ending of “The Line” seems to suggest that Pushkin will resume his life in the US more or less exactly as he lived it in post-revolutionary Russia. Is he a static character? If so, what explains his stasis? If not, what hidden change(s) does he undergo?
• In “I Will Survive,” Peggy suspects that her husband is having an affair, only to learn instead that he has fallen in love with roller skating. Think of a time when you learned something surprising about a close friend or romantic partner. Did it change the way you thought about them? About your relationship? 

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

Examine the book’s relevance to broader societal issues, cultural trends, and ethical dilemmas.

• How does the collection comment on evolving gender roles throughout the 20th century? Do the late 20th-century characters have more freedom and equality in these roles than those who live in the early 20th century? Why or why not?
• In “Eve in Hollywood,” protagonist Eve Ross pursues an extortionist who obtains stolen nude photos of famous actresses and tries to use these photos to blackmail the women. What does this story suggest about the treatment of women in the entertainment industry? Is this critique still relevant today, even though the story takes place in the 1930s? 

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and use of narrative techniques.

• Stories in this collection take place in very different historical periods, with “The Line” taking place in the early 20th century, “Eve in Hollywood” in Hollywood’s 1930s “golden age,” and other stories in or near the present day. How does Towles establish continuity between these disparate periods? What does he suggest about the relationship between past and present?
• Are there any patterns in characterization across the stories? Do the protagonists of different stories have any notable characteristics in common?
• What common themes emerge across the seven stories (including the novella)? How does each story approach these common themes from a different angle?
• How do the key characters in each of these stories navigate social expectations? How do they decide when to break with these social expectations, and what are the consequences when they do? 

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book’s content and themes.

• In “Hasta Luego,” Smitty’s wife plays an important role even though she is only present through the phone. Write a new version of the story from her perspective. Describe what she does, sees, feels, and thinks as she tries to persuade a stranger to rescue her husband from his addiction. 
• Write a continuation of “The Line” imagining how Pushkin and Irina’s lives will proceed in the US. Does Irina find friends and success at the biscuit company? Does Pushkin continue waiting in lines just as he did in Russia? Do they lose contact with each other? 

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