by Dorothy Love
2. Hickory Ridge is a small town tucked beneath the mountains. How does geography influence the townsfolk’s customs and attitudes? What role does geography play in defining your city or town?
3. Griff and Carrie both experience great loneliness in their lives. How do they cope with it?
4. Carrie tells Caleb that it was not forgetting that helped her heal after a great loss, but remembering. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
5. After Mary’s baby is born, Carrie muses that people’s lives rarely turn out as they planned and that the secret of happiness is to want the life one has. Do you agree or disagree?
6. In Charleston Griff realizes he has spent years roaming the world looking for what he needed, then returned home to find it. Have you ever had a similar experience? How did it change your view of yourself or the world?
7. On her visit to Hickory Ridge, Ada Caldwell tells Carrie to pray “the prayer that never fails.” What prayer, above all others, sustains you?
8. Deborah believes Carrie is frightened by the thought of complete surrender to God. What causes us to be fearful of such a commitment? What are its implications?
9. Near the end of the story, Mary realizes God has changed her and Carrie. How does each woman grow and change over the course of the story?
10. Carrie’s friends disapprove of her relationship with Griff. Have you ever had to choose between keeping someone’s approval and following your heart?
