The Brunswick: A Book Club Guide

Dear Book Club, 


I wrote THE BRUNSWICK with the hopes of creating my favorite kind of book—redemptive but layered, historical but still relatable, and full of the tension and banter of great love stories but with the values I’m hoping to instill in my daughters. 

I hope I did it! (And I hope you like those kinds of books too.) 

The quick synopsis of The Brunswick is this: When a woman in small-town Georgia offers to house Jewish refugee children in her family’s old hotel, she must confront the choices her own parents made in order to finally feel worthy of love herself. 

This book also grapples with the complexities of fostering and adoption and—unbeknownst to me—prepared my heart for our own wild foster and adoption story, which I share about in the book’s author’s note. 

Below, in addition to a few deep questions, you’ll find cute little place cards for your book club with a quirky little take on the croissants you’ll soon read about. I’m also including a watercolor, created by my friend Elena Balkcom, which you can use as a phone background or can print and frame as a nod to the ‘grafting’ the characters discover. 

If your book club decides to read The Brunswick, I'd love to know about it! Post a photo on social and tag @calliemurray or email a photo to me at callie@calliemurray.com. What an honor! And, feel free to Request a Book Club Appearance below. I’d love to meet you if schedules align. 

Welcome to The Brunswick, 

Callie Murray

“A delight, and a beautiful bit of art.”

-Allen Levi, Theo of Golden

“A brilliantly executed debut.”

-Lisa Wingate, Before We Were Yours

Book Club Questions

  • Which character did you most identify with? 

  • What were you scared was going to happen? What were you surprised by?

  • What parallels do you see between the happenings in 1939 and what is going on in our world today? 

  • Cora reflects often on John's words about not paddling a sailboat and instead waiting for the wind. What's been a situation where you've "paddled a sailboat"? What has "the wind" been for you? 

  • Where have you experienced the benefits of hope despite the circumstances in your own life? 

  • "Home was a soft place to land, where you were loved, safe, and free. It was your own tilled row where your roots could grow deep and your branches could spread wide, where others could rest in your shade until they had land of their own." Have you experienced home like this? Where or with whom? 

  • Have you ever considered fostering or adoption? What have been the barriers? (If you found yourself thinking about the present day and how you might get involved in the lives of vulnerable children, I'd invite you to check out this resource page with my thoughts and best recommendations for getting involved.) 

Downloadables

Right Or Control click > Open image in new tab > Save > Print or use as you see fit

Watercolor tree by Elena Balkcom // Croissant by Maru Design

  1. A croissant place card

  2. A grafted tree phone background

  3. A grafted tree 4x6 art print

Request a Book Club Appearance

I wish I could join every single discussion, but with our adoption, our current family situation puts some pretty significant caps on my availability. I do have a handful of lunch hours and evenings blocked off though and would love to join you virtually if it lines up. Just send an email to callie@calliemurray.com introducing yourself/your book club, and we'll respond with a link to book something directly. 

Media Kit

Access images, bios, and summaries here.