Book Club Questions for Land by Maggie O’Farrell

But it’s also about preserving, despite some of the hardest situations imaginable, and keeping moving forward. There’s also regret, mistakes, and missed opportunities.

However, the central theme surrounds the land itself. And despite all the changes and hardships the humans experience, the land will remain as it is. I thought that was an interesting concept to feature the land as a central character.

My Spoiler Thoughts

While I found this a profound read, I did struggle with aspects. The magical realism elements felt a little misplaced at times. Maybe I just wanted more from it, but I just felt it was a thread left hanging throughout the story.

To me, this novel really takes off when Edna pretends to be Liam and goes on a boat to Canada. I thought her sections trying to survive there were so engaging. And I was also so curious what would happen to Rose and Eugene.

But unfortunately, we don’t get to read much of the tense reunion of Rose and Edna. Rose is bitter and rightfully angry that Edna left the family behind. And Edna feels extreme guilt and perhaps even embarrassment that her situation isn’t better in Canada than it was back in Ireland.

Then the tragedy of Eugene jumping from the ship, and Rose believing he died, was a lot to take. I do feel the author made it clear why Eugene could not leave Ireland, but it was still upsetting too.

The Ending

With Liam, his storyline and leaving his family behind, does make sense on paper. He’s absolutely rebelling against his father. But something about his arc, eventually walking away from his religion and never reuniting with his family again, just felt hollow.

I especially didn’t love the missed chance of Eugene and Liam when Liam returned to Ireland. It just felt too on the nose for constant tragedies. Maybe I’m just looking for some light, but I do feel we needed more closure there.

I did like the resolutions for Edna and Rose, but I would have loved to follow their journeys together. I actually feel we could have had less Tomás and more on his children’s adulthood.

Let me know your thoughts about the book in the comments section below!

Book Club Questions for Land

1. Why was Land the right title for this novel? What did the land represent for Tomás and his family?
2. How did the land itself serve as a central character in the story?
3. What did the copse represent? Why was Tomás changed as a result? How would life have been different for this family if he had never gone in?
4. Did you feel the magical realism elements fit within the larger narrative? Why or why not?
5. In what ways are Tomás and Liam different? And what are the ways they are similar?
6. There are many religious elements from the priest’s exorcism of Tomás to Liam’s aspiration to become a priest. What were some of your key takeaways from this focus on religion in this time period?
7. Maggie O’Farrell provides details of Tomás Cartography work in the region. What were some of the key aspects that stuck out to you? Did you learn something new about that specialty, especially during this time frame?
8. The story changes timelines from the present of 1865 to the years of the Great Hunger. Why was it important for us to have the backstory of Tomás and Phina?
9. Edna aspires for something more than being a wife and taking care of a home. She wants to continue her education and play her music to a crowd. But the circumstances of the time stifle her growth. How did this cause her to take on Liam’s identity and leave her home behind forever?
10. But when she gets to Canada, there are more hardships, and she ends up working at different households. Even there, she wasn’t able to pursue more education and just had to do what she could to survive. But at the same time, she was able to play music and gain a following. What is your overall impression of Edna’s journey? Is it a tragic one as well?
11. Eugene is nonverbal and feels a kinship with the land. Why did Eugene have a deeper connection to the land compared to his siblings? Why did he jump from the ship and swim back home?
12. Rose is the one character who has to consistently hold it together. Is Rose designed to be the most relatable to the reader? Why or why not?
13. What do you believe are the key takeaways from this story? What is the central message?
14. Let’s discuss the following passage: ‘You will never understand how the land remembers, how deep the roots grow.’ What does this passage mean for the story as a whole, and what does it mean to you?

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed the book club questions for Land! Here are some more recommendations and links to book club questions. Both these stories also feature the landscape as a central character.

The story follows a family who moves to Alaska in the 1970s. The father is a volatile man who wants his family to live off the grid in Alaska. As winter approaches, darkness surrounds this family.

This is an epic story of a family in crisis, but mainly about a woman finding her inner and outer strength no matter what comes her way. It’s a must-read. Check out more of my review here. And my book club questions here.

This is an emotional story about pain, secrets, and finding hope in unexpected places. For more about the story, check out my review here.

And my book club questions here.

Happy reading!