Book Club Questions for Amidst the Stones of Celtic Ireland

Abby and Mark like the idea of being away from the watchful eye of friends and family as they explore their relationship.

What benefits do you see? Is it realistic?

What do you think of where they end up?

Lighthouses have intrigued Mark since he was a boy.

What do you think of his reasons?

In what ways are lighthouses a metaphor for life?

Stone Circles have a similar draw for Abby.

What do you think of her initial interest? Of what develops?

How would you interpret her experiences? Is your interpretation more in keeping with Mark? With CynDee? Or with Abby? Or different?

The description of traveling by car along the southwest coast of Ireland provides the fabric that holds their experiences together.

What did you observe or learn about Ireland? About travel in general?

Have you had similar experiences? Have you seen any of the places they visited?

The idea of story is another central theme of the book.

Mark especially talks about the power of story and his desire to start a new story. Do you see the characters moving into new chapters or new stories in their lives as they return home?

What do you think of Abby’s mandate to “tell the story” of the Divine Feminine and of the women in ancient times?

Balancing male/female energies, honoring the Mother/Father God/Goddess as each individual views the Divine and the sacred places visited is another important theme. Mark and Abby come at it differently.

Describe how they differ and how they complement each other.

What are your views on the subject?

CynDee says she isn’t as serious and academic as Abby and Mark; yet, she enjoys hanging out with them.

What did you think of her approach and reaction to events?

In what way does she add to the story of the stones?

“May ye find yourself amidst the stones” can be both a Celtic blessing and/or a challenge for Abby, for all for us.

In what ways did the characters find themselves?

In what ways did you as a reader find yourself in their stories?