Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The bestselling author of
Before Women Had Wings spins a wild new tale about
the ties that bind a group of friends together after the loss of its quirkiest member, Murmur Lee.
When Murmur Lee Harp drowns in the Iris Haven river, her friends are grief-stricken and haunted by the mysteries surrounding her death. But as her circle of friends sets out to discover what really happened to her, they end up learning as much about her failings and triumphs as they do their own.
After years of self-exile in the North, Charlee Mudd returns to set her best friend's affairs in order, only to confront her own ghosts. Edith Piaf, a former marine who underwent a sex change at the age of sixty-two, must find the confidence to carry on without the encouragement of her friend. Lonely widower Dr. Zachary Klein plummets into the depths of depression at the loss of the second woman he has ever loved. As for Murmur Lee: in death she experiences her own journey as she is plunged into her familial past and discovers the truth about who she really is.
With poignancy and humor Fowler weaves the voices of Murmur and her friends into a compelling narrative. Part family saga, part murder mystery, The Problem with Murmur Lee is Fowler's most rewarding and engrossing work yet.
About the Author
Connie May Fowler is an essayist, screenwriter, memoirist, and novelist. Her novels include Remembering Blue and Before Women Had Wings, which received the Southern Book Critics Circle Award and was made into an Emmy-winning Oprah Winfrey Presents movie for television. She founded the Connie May Fowler Women with Wings Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding women and children in need. She is the Irving Bacheller Professor of Creative Writing at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.
Reading Group Guide
1. On the frontispiece is a quote from John Berger: “There is never a single approach to something remembered.” What does that mean, in terms of this novel? Why do you think Connie May Fowler chose that quote? Discuss Fowlers use of multiple narrators and multiple perspectives, and especially Murmur Lee as narrator after death.
2. Aside from the first-person narration of the characters themselves, Fowler also intersperses written ephemera-diary entries, a shopping list, a note passed during childhood. What purpose do these scraps serve to the progression of the story, and our understanding of Murmur Lee?
3. Murmur Lee describes herself on page 9 as “the lover to many men, a good friend to a well-chosen few, a daughter whod been secretly wild but openly obedient, a mother whod never stopped viciously mourning the loss of her only child, a woman who despite some tough breaks and lapses in judgment had made her own way in the world.” Is this an accurate description? Compare it to the “lessons Ive learned since dying,” on pages 162 and 163. How has Murmur Lees perspective on herself changed?
4. Birds appear over and over throughout the novel, from a swan feather on the first page to a seagull on the last. Why? What do the various bird images mean to you?
5. Murmur Lee is a witch, and her status is presented very matter-of-factly throughout the book. Why do you think she began to practice witchcraft? Did it have anything to do with her religious upbringing? Do you believe in the power of spells?
6. Discuss Murmur Lees experience with childhood religious visions. As she says on page 73: “How astounding to be the focus of my mothers ecstatic passion, how bone-breaking delicious to be the object of her approval!” How much of Murmur Lees seizures do you attribute to medical causes, and how much to the desire to please her mother? What effect did they have on her as an adult, aside from the obvious one?
7. Charlee Mudd left the South behind, hoping to transform herself into a Northerner. Was she successful? In what ways did she fail? And what about the novel itself-would you consider it a “Southern” novel?
8. The circumstances of Murmur Lees death are questioned and discussed throughout the novel, and the truth is revealed only at the end. Does that make this a mystery? How does the novel fit into the conventions of classic mystery writing, and how does it break them?
9. According to Murmur Lee, her great-great-grandfather named their island Iris Haven after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, but without realizing that Iris also “had one hell of a job: She received the souls of dying women.” Murmur Lee asks, “Did his ignorant foray into the world of nomenclature curse this place? Is that why we keep dying out here, again and again, so young?” (pg 32) What do you think of Murmur Lees assessment of the situation? Is it possible for a name to curse a place like that?
10. Murmur Lee didnt know that she was the product of a rape until after her own death. In what ways did it affect her while she was still living?
11. Compare and contrast Zacharys behavior while Katrina was dying with Eriks during Blossoms illness. Do you see a parallel? Does Murmur Lees compassion for Zachary result from her own experience with Erik?
12. On page 120 Charlee wonders about Murmur Lees will: “Did she know her time was up? Had she made a decision-watery and vague, but a decision nonetheless-that shed best set her affairs in order? How does a healthy thirty-five-year-old woman come by that sort of precognition?” How would you answer those questions? Does the existence of a relatively young womans will indicate a subconscious readiness to die?
13. After Murmur Lee has sex with Billy for the first time, she asks him if he loves his mother; he replies that he was happy when she died. Murmur Lee is tremendously upset by his response, recognizing an old pattern of hers. What is the significance of this? If Murmur Lee hadnt died, do you believe she and Billy would have ended up together? Why, or why not?
14. Discuss the characters of Lucinda Smith, Edith Piaf, and Ariela van den Berg. What purpose(s) do they serve in the novel?
15. Why does Zachary punch Billy?
16. Throughout the novel there are countless references to ghosts, and wind. After death, in fact, Murmur Lee is surrounded by gusts and flows. What do you think this means? What do you think happens to us after death?
17. What does the title mean? What is the problem with Murmur Lee?
1. On the frontispiece is a quote from John Berger: “There is never a single approach to something remembered.” What does that mean, in terms of this novel? Why do you think Connie May Fowler chose that quote? Discuss Fowlers use of multiple narrators and multiple perspectives, and especially Murmur Lee as narrator after death.
2. Aside from the first-person narration of the characters themselves, Fowler also intersperses written ephemera–diary entries, a shopping list, a note passed during childhood. What purpose do these scraps serve to the progression of the story, and our understanding of Murmur Lee?
3. Murmur Lee describes herself on page 9 as “the lover to many men, a good friend to a well-chosen few, a daughter whod been secretly wild but openly obedient, a mother whod never stopped viciously mourning the loss of her only child, a woman who despite some tough breaks and lapses in judgment had made her own way in the world.” Is this an accurate description? Compare it to the “lessons Ive learned since dying,” on pages 162 and 163. How has Murmur Lees perspective on herself changed?
4. Birds appear over and over throughout the novel, from a swan feather on the first page to a seagull on the last. Why? What do the various bird images mean to you?
5. Murmur Lee is a witch, and her status is presented very matter-of-factly throughout the book. Why do you think she began to practice witchcraft? Did it have anything to do with her religious upbringing? Do you believe in the power of spells?
6. Discuss Murmur Lees experience with childhood religious visions. As she says on page 73: “How astounding to be the focus of my mothers ecstatic passion, how bone-breaking delicious to be the object of her approval!” How much of Murmur Lees seizures do you attribute to medical causes, and how much to the desire to please her mother? What effect did they have on her as an adult, aside from the obvious one?
7. Charlee Mudd left the South behind, hoping to transform herself into a Northerner. Was she successful? In what ways did she fail? And what about the novel itself–would you consider it a “Southern” novel?
8. The circumstances of Murmur Lees death are questioned and discussed throughout the novel, and the truth is revealed only at the end. Does that make this a mystery? How does the novel fit into the conventions of classic mystery writing, and how does it break them?
9. According to Murmur Lee, her great-great-grandfather named their island Iris Haven after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, but without realizing that Iris also “had one hell of a job: She received the souls of dying women.” Murmur Lee asks, “Did his ignorant foray into the world of nomenclature curse this place? Is that why we keep dying out here, again and again, so young?” (pg 32) What do you think of Murmur Lees assessment of the situation? Is it possible for a name to curse a place like that?
10. Murmur Lee didnt know that she was the product of a rape until after her own death. In what ways did it affect her while she was still living?
11. Compare and contrast Zacharys behavior while Katrina was dying with Eriks during Blossoms illness. Do you see a parallel? Does Murmur Lees compassion for Zachary result from her own experience with Erik?
12. On page 120 Charlee wonders about Murmur Lees will: “Did she know her time was up? Had she made a decision–watery and vague, but a decision nonetheless–that shed best set her affairs in order? How does a healthy thirty-five-year-old woman come by that sort of precognition?” How would you answer those questions? Does the existence of a relatively young womans will indicate a subconscious readiness to die?
13. After Murmur Lee has sex with Billy for the first time, she asks him if he loves his mother; he replies that he was happy when she died. Murmur Lee is tremendously upset by his response, recognizing an old pattern of hers. What is the significance of this? If Murmur Lee hadnt died, do you believe she and Billy would have ended up together? Why, or why not?
14. Discuss the characters of Lucinda Smith, Edith Piaf, and Ariela van den Berg. What purpose(s) do they serve in the novel?
15. Why does Zachary punch Billy?
16. Throughout the novel there are countless references to ghosts, and wind. After death, in fact, Murmur Lee is surrounded by gusts and flows. What do you think this means? What do you think happens to us after death?
17. What does the title mean? What is the problem with Murmur Lee?