CMLE Librarians Enjoying Books discussion

We continue to look around at different genres of books with librarian main characters. This month's book has some interesting looks at a librarian who wishes for more excitement in her life: ice, lightening, and more are the result!

If you have read other Alice Hoffman books, or seen the movie Practical Magic based on her book of the same name, you can compare her images, language, and ideas across novels.

Here are some discussion questions to ponder after reading The Ice Queen
Tell us what you thought of the book, and the librarian's journey!

1. The book begins with the warning "Be careful what you wish for...Wishes are brutal, unforgiving things." Considering the power of wishes as depicted in the novel, do you agree with the narrator's advice?

2. The lines between life and death are unmistakably blurred in "The Ice Queen." Some characters cheat death while others have difficulty embracing life. How do you think the narrator views her own mortality? In her own opinion, has she cheated death?

3. Discuss the roles of fairy tales in "The Ice Queen." What kinds of tales does the narrator express a preference for, and why?

4. The physical effects of a lightening strike are unique to each victim in the novel - the narrator's ability to see red, Lazarus's boiling breath, Renny's hands, the Dragon's fire, etc. Discuss the significance of some of these physical changes.

5. The narrator's two romantic interests, Lazarus and Jack, are very different from each other. What does each of these men offer her, and do you agree with the narrator's choice in the end?

6. Why do you think the author chose not to reveal the name of the narrator in "The Ice Queen?"