Malia is available to participate in book clubs in person when possible or remotely at any time. We have put together a list of questions to help start your discussion.
*SPOILER ALERT: Some questions below contain story details.
Download a printable version of the Dragonfruit Discussion Guide.
- Dragonfruit opens with a terrible choice Eliza must face – which one did you hope she would make?
- Had Kalakaua not died, do you think Ben and Eliza would have married?
- How do Hawaiian and Western views clash in Eliza’s world? Has her childhood with Mehana left her caught in the middle or able to negotiate both?
- Dragonfruit is full of twists and turns. Which did you find surprising? Were there others you suspected were coming?
- Who were your favorite characters? Why? Who would you cast as them in a movie?
- Which location in the book would you most want to see/visit?
- Were there any details of Hawaiian history described in the novel that were new to you?
- Did you want Eliza to end up with Ben, or was Webster the better match for her?
- Leprosy stripped those stricken of all dignity, yet many wrote letters like Clara’s, describing love and grace in their lives. How do you think they were able to find that?
- How might Emilie have been a different person had she lived in modern times? Is her ambition simply frustrated by social constraints, or misguided?
- How does Hina evolve throughout the story? Do you sympathize with the choices she’s made?
- If you could hear Dragonfruit told from another character’s point of view, who would you choose?
- What questions do you still have about this period of time? These characters?
Malia is available to participate in book clubs in person when possible or remotely at any time. We have put together a list of questions to help start your discussion.
*SPOILER ALERT: Some questions below contain story details.
Download a printable version of the Dragonfruit Discussion Guide.
- Dragonfruit opens with a terrible choice Eliza must face – which one did you hope she would make?
- Had Kalakaua not died, do you think Ben and Eliza would have married?
- How do Hawaiian and Western views clash in Eliza’s world? Has her childhood with Mehana left her caught in the middle or able to negotiate both?
- Dragonfruit is full of twists and turns. Which did you find surprising? Were there others you suspected were coming?
- Who were your favorite characters? Why? Who would you cast as them in a movie?
- Which location in the book would you most want to see/visit?
- Were there any details of Hawaiian history described in the novel that were new to you?
- Did you want Eliza to end up with Ben, or was Webster the better match for her?
- Leprosy stripped those stricken of all dignity, yet many wrote letters like Clara’s, describing love and grace in their lives. How do you think they were able to find that?
- How might Emilie have been a different person had she lived in modern times? Is her ambition simply frustrated by social constraints, or misguided?
- How does Hina evolve throughout the story? Do you sympathize with the choices she’s made?
- If you could hear Dragonfruit told from another character’s point of view, who would you choose?
- What questions do you still have about this period of time? These characters?