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READING GUIDE
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ONLINE READING GROUP GUIDE
THE DEATH AND LIFE OF CHARLIE ST. CLOUD
A Novel
Ben Sherwood
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
Ben Sherwood captured our imaginations with his magical debut
novel, The Man Who Ate the 747. Now he brings us the
unforgettable story of Charlie St. Cloud, who survived a tragic
accident that would make him see the world in a whole new way.
Though his little brother Sam did not live through the horrific
collision on that moonlit night, Charlie has discovered a miraculous
way to keep him close. Then Charlie meets Tess, a woman so beautiful
and fearless that she makes him yearn to embrace the land of
the living once again. But she doesn’t realize she’s
in terrible jeopardy, facing impossible dangers that only Charlie
can help her defeat. With a love that transcends everything
you may have believed about life and death, Charlie embarks
on a spellbinding adventure to save her, and revive his own
heart as well.
The questions, discussion topics, and author biography that
follow are intended to enhance your reading of Ben Sherwood’s
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud. We hope they
will enrich your experience of this enchanting novel.
QUESTIONS AND SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION
1. The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud opens with
fireman Florio Ferrente’s recounting of several lifesaving
miracles. What role does Florio believe Divine intervention
plays in his rescue work? Do you believe in miracles?
2. The novel’s title and epigraphs capture the notion
that conventional definitions of life and death are tremendously
limited, and many of the characters find themselves “in
between” these realms, literally or figuratively. Which
of the book’s characters do you perceive as being most
alive—in any sense of the word?
3.What does the sustained baseball ritual at sunset between
Charlie and Sam tell us about the power of love, and fear?
4. Discuss the significance of the events leading up to the
car accident. Is it possible to explain the true “cause”
of the crash? How do these ideas affect Charlie in the years
after that night?
5. Compare the various spirits Charlie observes while he’s
on the job in the cemetery. What seems to determine their demeanor?
6. In what ways do Tess and Charlie bear similar emotional
scars when they meet? Why does Tess crave self-sufficiency at
all costs? What motivates her to set off on such a daunting
around-the-world mission?
7. Ben Sherwood worked as a television news producer for many
years. Do you detect any journalistic influences in the novel,
or do you think Sherwood’s fiction reflects the opposite
of a reporter’s point of view?
8. How does Charlie’s experience and special gift compare
with your own beliefs about the afterlife?
9. In each character’s storyline, what distinctions are
made between accident and fate, between chance and destiny?
What ultimately saves Tess? From what was Charlie saved?
10. The novel contains several bullfighting references, especially
in the name of Tess’s boat, Querencia (the spot in the
ring where the bull feels protected and secure). Why is the
matador analogy an apt one for Charlie and Tess? What defines
your querencia?
11. One of the main characters in Ben Sherwood’s previous
novel, The Man Who Ate the 747, goes to incredible
lengths in a case of unrequited love, while the novel’s
protagonist finds his life transformed when he unexpectedly
meets his soul mate. In what way does The Death and Life
of Charlie St. Cloud enhance and deepen these relationship
ideas?
12. Although this novel is given a realistic setting and is
populated by ordinary men and women, the plot is quite extraordinary.
Why did the author choose such an idyllic small-town backdrop?
13. What is the effect of ending the novel with a point of
view other than Charlie’s? Describe Florio’s role
and approach as narrator. Does Florio’s function as storyteller
have much in common with his earthly vocation?
14. If you were able to visit a lost loved one or friend in
the same way Charlie connects with Sam, whom would you like
to see? In the novel, spirits take on an idealized appearance.
How do you think your loved one would appear to you? How would
you spend your time together?
15. Sherwood dedicated to this novel to his new wife and to
the memory of his father. In what ways are the ideas of love
and loss related?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ben Sherwood is also the author of The Man Who Ate the
747, a national bestselling novel that was translated into
13 languages and is being adapted both as a major motion picture
and a musical. An award-winning journalist, he has worked for
NBC and ABC News, and his writing has appeared in The New
York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles
Times. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, he is currently
at work on a third book of fiction. He and his wife divide their
time between New York and Los Angeles. Visit his website at
www.bensherwood.com.
“The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is
a perfect miracle of a love story. . . . Sherwood breaks your
heart and heals it, somehow at the same time. I found the novel
to be almost unbearably wonderful.”
—Luanne Rice, bestselling author of The Perfect Summer
“Ben Sherwood is an amazing writer with the rare gift
of evoking genuine emotion. The Death and Life of Charlie
St. Cloud is touching, wise, and full of hope, everything
a wonderful novel should be. Read it—you’ll be glad
you did.”
—Nicolas Sparks, bestselling author of The Wedding
“Deeply romantic yet profound . . . full of suspense,
intrigue, and the twists and turns of true love. . . . In Tess
Carroll Sherwood has created a real woman of beauty and strength,
a woman readers will relate to and cherish. I loved it!”
—Adrianna Trigiani, bestselling author of Lucia, Lucia
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