This reading group guide for Victoire includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Maryse Conde . The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. Introduction In her new novel, Victoire , Maryse Conde, acclaimed author of Segu , examines the relationship between her mother, a black militant, and her grandmother, a light-skinned cook who spent her life working as the servant of a white family. Victoire Quidal did her best to turn her own unfortunate circumstances into a better life for her daughter - a life of choice rather than one of silent compliance. But as Jeanne takes advantage of the opportunities that her mother worked so hard to provide, including receiving one of the best educations available to a female at the time, the two women slowly become emotionally estranged. An intoxicating blend of fact and fiction set in the exotic and sensual swelter of Guadeloupe, Maryse Conde combines her meticulous genealogical research with imagined renderings of significant family events. The result provides the reader with a fascinating account of the tenuous but ultimately unbreakable bond shared between a mother and her daughter, as well as the universal ties that link all parents with their children.
Conde succinctly conveys the emotions and long-simmering disputes that simultaneously hold a family together and pull it apart. Questions for Discussion (1) How does this book differ from other stories you''ve read about mother/daughter relationships? Which aspects of the book affirmed the mother-daughter bond and which aspects highlighted the circumstances that pull mothers and their children apart? How did this novel compare to your own experiences as a child? As a parent? (2) Victoire and Jeanne are depicted as outsiders throughout the novel. They are ostracized from the mainstream black community because of their lighter skin and they''re also discriminated against because of their gender. How does the author focus on and expand upon this sense of not being "normal"? (3) Discuss the ways in which both Victoire and Jeanne overcome their feelings of loneliness and separation from others. What roles do music, cooking, and education play? (4) What did you think of Victoire''s relationship with the Walbergs? Do you believe that Victoire only engaged in extra-marital relations with Boniface and not with Anne-Marie? (5) In reference to Victoire''s relationship with Anne-Marie Walberg the author writes, "As for imagining an intimate relationship between Anne-Marie and Victoire, I refuse to believe it" (p.61). Conde also mentions how she "re-creates" (p.11) information and stories that she does not have.
How does this knowledge affect your reading of the book? Did you read Victoire as fiction or a memoir? (6) Early on in the story, Caldonia cautions against relations with men, warning of their "irrepressible treachery, their fundamental irresponsibility." Discuss the major male characters in the book (Oraison, Dernier, Boniface, and Auguste) in light of this statement. (7) Much of the book focuses on the differences that drive Victoire and Jeanne aâ however, Conde writes, "outwardly so different, Victoire and Jeanne were identical. Like mother, like daughter. Both tormented souls scared stiff by their surroundings" (p. 136). If mother and daughter are so similar, how do you think they ended up leading such different lives? (8)Throughout the novel a lyric from the opera Carmen is quoted, "L''amour est un oiseau rebelle" or, "Love is a rebellious bird". Why do you think the author repeats this lyric? What significance does it have within the larger context of the story? (9) When Victoire left Marie-Galante, she did so suddenly and without warning.
Conde writes, "That''s why, I''m pretty sure, she never knew a single day of happiness. You can''t have a wicked heart and be happy" (p. 55). Later in the book Jeanne, in the company of her educated friends, walks past her mother without acknowledging her and the author believes that this memory, "probably tortured her up to her death" (p.129). Do you think that the decisions we make in life, no matter how big, stick with us? Does making bad choices mean we don''t deserve to be happy? (10) What is a Grand-Negre? Why do you think this notion is continually mentioned throughout the novel? What importance does it hold for the women in the story? (11) There are many moments in the novel that depict scenes of sex and sexuality to a somewhat graphic extent. Did you find that these scenes helped add to the overall atmosphere of the novel or did they distract from it? Was it awkward for you to consider that the author was writing these scenes about her own family members? (12) How did you feel about the way Jeanne treated Victoire once she left for school and, eventually, married Auguste? Do you think she denied her mother happiness with Boniface and forced her to work as a glorified maid? What did you think of the author''s justification that, "Victoire absolved Jeanne almost entirely.torn as Jeanne was between her filial love, her ambition, her pride, her narcissism.
" (13) Although Victoire and Jeanne may have been very different people, they both struggled with many of the same issues. Discuss some themes that you believe span the generations included in this novel. How do circumstances change over time, and how do they stay the same? (14) Why do you think Jeanne chose to marry Auguste when she could have had her pick of men much closer to her own age? Do you think she was trying to rebel against her mother when she chose her husband? Enhance Your Discussion (1) Research the history of Guadeloupe and the West Indies. Using your findings, discuss the novel in the context of the historical climate in which the Victoire and Jeanne led their lives. (2) Attempt to re-create some of the dishes that Victoire became so famous for. Although no measurements are listed in the book, strike out on your own and find some authentic Creole recipes. Websites like guadeloupe-guide.info/food/ are a good place to start.
(3) Music plays an important role in the novel. Artists like Bach, Mozart and Brahms are mentioned alongside less well-known composers like Offenbach. Seek out some or all of these composers and see what you think. Do you find them as moving as Victoire and Anne-Marie Walberg did? (4) This is a novel about relationships between women. Make up a list of other novels with female-centric plots, serious or silly, and compare and contrast. How do they stack up against one another? Which are your favorites? A Conversation with Maryse Conde (1) You chose to title your novel, "Victoire: My Mother''s Mother" rather than, simply, "Victoire: My Grandmother". Why did you choose to make that differentiation? I chose this title as a way of telling the reader that I wanted to involve my mother as well as my grandmother. The lives of these two women are inextricably linked and you cannot understand my mother unless you know her complex relationship with her mother.
I am the result of the tensions and great love which existed between them. The education I received from my mother cannot be understood unless you know her origins and the life she led while she was a young girl. (2) What was the impetus to start delving into your family''s history? Did you always plan to turn your findings into a book or was your novel just a happy accident? I always wanted to turn my family''s history into a book. The transformation of Guadeloupean society, the rise of a black bourgeoisie and the difficulty of living in a colonial society seemed to me very important since the history of my family epitomizes all of that. I had already talked about my childhood in "Tales from the Heart" but I wanted to go further and deeper. (3) Was there anything you came across in your research that surprised you? Any familial secrets that you weren''t prepared for? No. My mother, when she was alive, had suggested to me all the preliminaries of my future research. As a child I did not pay enough attention to what she was telling me and the problem was at a later stage to reconstruct her thoughts and ideas.
(4) People often say that history repeats itself. Do you see any similarities between yourself and the female characters (your relatives) that populate the pages of your novel? With whom do you identify most? That is a very intricate question. As a writer I put myself in all the characters of my books. They have my feelings, my dreams and often experience my failures. In a word they express the complexity and difficulty of life as I see it. If I were to find a character who is very close to me I would choose Veronica in my first nov.