D.

DIS
CUSS. REPE
AT EVEN IN
PARADISE
A .
RE

CHELSEY P HILPOT

About the Book Book

When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Club
Charlotte Ryder already knows all about her. Most people do . . . or think
Pick!
they do.

Charlotte certainly never expects she’ll be Julia’s friend. But almost

immediately, she is drawn into the larger-than-life new girl’s world—a
world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes,
and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins
falling for, Julia’s handsome older brother, Sebastian.

But Charlotte soon realizes that behind her self-assured smiles and toasts
to the future, Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the
Buchanan family has kept hidden . . . until now.

Discussion Questions
1. Reread the prologue. How does knowing the outcome of
the story change the way you read this passage? Why do you
think the author chose to open with a foreshadowing prologue
instead of jumping right into the story?
2. Charlotte and Julia become fast friends; as Charlotte says, “It
was so easy to fall into Julia’s world” (pg. 44). Why do you
think Charlotte is enticed by Julia’s friendship, above her other
relationships? What attracts Julia and Charlotte to each other?
3. What is the significance of Charlotte’s memory box? Do you
consider Charlotte to be a sentimental character? What about
the members of the Buchanan family?
4. Piper tells Charlotte, “You either are an artist or you’re not.
It’s not something you become” (pg. 22). Do you agree or
disagree with Piper? How does Charlotte’s identity as an artist
change over the course of the story?
5. The narrator draws attention to the different social classes at
St. Anne’s, along with the wealth of the Buchanan family. Do
social classes factor into the way characters treat one another?
If so, which character seems most trapped by his or her social
class?
6. Why is Charlotte so drawn to the Buchanan family as a
whole? Which member of the family do you think she loves
most? Does that change over time?
7. Charlotte is reading The Great Gatsby for her summer reading
assignment. What does the Gatsby discussion add to the
story? What similarities and differences do you see between
Even in Paradise and The Great Gatsby?
8. After learning more about Gus’s true identity, Charlotte notes,
“Like with any legend, the real version of her could never
live up to the memory” (pg. 320). How are our perceptions
of people and events distorted by memories? Is it possible to
have an unbiased memory?
9. The Buchanans put a lot of pressure on Charlotte to take
care of Julia. How does that affect Julia and Charlotte’s
friendship? Why is Charlotte willing to take responsibility
for Julia’s mistakes?
10. A few years pass before Charlotte returns to Arcadia and
reunites with Sebastian. Do you think they will get the fresh
start that Sebastian wishes for? What do you think is next for
the characters?

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