A special thanks to Pat Taylor, author of Paducah’s ’37 Flood Rivergees , who sent me the January 25, 1987, fiftieth anniversary issue of the Paducah Sun , containing many first-person accounts of the flood of 1937. And finally, thanks to my family, friends, and fans, especially my dear neighbors and friends in Kentucky. I apologize in advance for creating the Branches—you are nothing like them!
BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
1. In the opening chapter of The River Widow , Adah kills Lester in self-defense, and yet she refers to herself as a murderer throughout the book. Today, would you consider Adah a murderer, and why or why not? Do you feel sympathy for her despite what she has done?
2. In the 1930s, domestic abuse had not yet been named or described. In those days, Lester would have probably been called a wife beater . How have views regarding domestic violence changed in the last eighty years? Is Adah justified in feeling that, had she confessed, she would never have received fair treatment by the justice system?
3. After Adah survives the flood, she faces a moral dilemma. Flee or go back for Daisy? At surface value, Adah would probably not have been considered a righteous or ethical person, and yet she makes an unselfish choice that could’ve resulted in her demise. How does her decision affect the way you feel about her? Do you think you would’ve made the same choice?
4. In the aftermath of losing Lester, the Branches are highly suspicious of Adah’s story and aim their rage at her. As the reader knows, their suspicions are fundamentally correct. They don’t know the circumstances, but Adah did kill their son and brother. What are the beliefs that drive the Branches toward exposing Adah and enacting revenge? While reading, did you ever feel any sympathy for them? If so, why?
5. For some time, no one is willing to help Adah. How do you feel about the attitude of the townspeople, who prefer to look the other way? Do you see them as basically good but too fearful to risk themselves? Or do you see them as basically selfish and hiding behind the social norms of the day? Which attitude do you think is most typical of human behavior?
6. Adah has very different relationships with each of the other characters in the book, among them Daisy, Mabel, Esther, and Jack. How do each of them view Adah and define who she is? How is she changed by each of these relationships?
7. The events depicted in The River Widow are triggered by the Ohio River flood of 1937. Had you heard anything about the flood before reading this book? C onsidering recent natural disasters, have you ever thought that humanity could be seen as constantly in battle with nature? If so, why?
8. What do you think of Jack? Why is he drawn to Adah? Why is she drawn to him? Had they met under different circumstances, would the same pull have existed? If Adah had not asked for Jack’s help, would the love between them have developed anyway?
9. How would you describe Adah’s relationship with Esther? Antagonistic? Trusting? Suspicious? How do you feel about Esther’s determination to get married, have her own child, and turn a blind eye to the Branches’ sordid history and reputations? Would you have been able to make such a choice?
10. Discuss the theme of secrets in The River Widow . Many of the characters are hiding something. In what ways does this drive each character? Is Adah’s secret portrayed differently from the secrets of others, such as the Branches or Esther?
11. In the end, Adah has to make another life-altering choice between marriage and safety with Jack or escape with Daisy. Clearly she loves them both. How does maternal love motivate Adah? How does romantic love motivate her? Do you like her more or less because of the choice she makes?
12. Would Jack and Adah have been happy had she stayed and married him, or would Adah have been haunted every day knowing that the Branches had custody and were possibly still harming Daisy? How would the relationship with Jack have evolved, and would it have endured the test of time?
13. The ending of The River Widow may be described as bittersweet, in that Adah loses Jack but saves Daisy. How do you feel about such endings? Do you find them satisfying? If you were the author, how would you have written the ending?
14. The author leaves a small sense of hope that Adah and Jack could be reunited someday. Would you want Jack to give up his farm and join Adah in a life of hiding? How do you imagine the future for Adah, Daisy, and Jack?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2015 Whitney Raines Photography
Ann Howard Creel was born in Austin, Texas, and worked as a registered nurse before becoming a full-time writer. She is the author of seven books for children and young adults as well as five adult novels, including The Uncertain Season , The Whiskey Sea , and While You Were Mine . Her children’s books have won several awards, and her novel The Magic of Ordinary Days was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie for CBS. Creel currently lives and writes in Paris, Kentucky, where she is renovating an older house. Follow her at www.annhowardcreel.com .
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