Synopses & Reviews
Thirty-three-year-old Julia Daniel doesn't really feel at home anywhere. Her life in L.A. is lonely, and her career as a food stylist for a struggling gourmet magazine falls well short of her desire to be a photographer. Although she liked growing up in Kentucky, ever since her mother's death and her father's remarriage, her birthplace hasn't felt like the right fit either. After the tragic deaths of her father and stepmother in a plane crash, Julia's true odyssey begins. Orphaned and adrift, she tries to find her way in the world while fending off a crazy boss, a pilfering stepsister, and a looming depression.
Though shored up by two good friends and an excellent psychologist who helps her work through her grief, it is an unexpected-and comically disastrous-trip to Sedona for the magazine that finally enables Julia to move forward. Returning to L.A., she searches for the strength to strike out on her own, take a chance on love, and seek a tentative peace with her wayward stepsister.
Both humorous and heartbreaking, Blue Plate Special serves up an uplifting exploration of the courage it takes to embrace life after loss.
Synopsis
"
Blue Plate Special is so smart, so wry, so beautifully written and so astonishingly observed that I want to invoke whatever rating--five stars, A-plus, standing ovation--best conveys the message,
You must not miss the great pleasures of this wonderful novel and the talents of Frances Norris."
- Elinor Lipman, author of The Pursuit of Alice Thrift and The Inn at Lake Devine
"Frances Norris leavens her moving story of a thirty-something's struggle to secure a place for herself with a hilarious send-up of pretentiousness in many guises from L. A. to Appalachia."
- Christina Schwarz, author of Drowning Ruth
About the Author
Frances Norris is a teacher and writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly and other magazines. She was raised in Kentucky and currently lives in Los Angeles, CA, where she teaches English and Creative Writing at the Harvard-Westlake School.
Reading Group Guide
1. How does Julia view her journey home? What do you think shes looking for beyond the estate business and the family reunion?
2. What are some of the reasons for the tension between Julia and Constance? How are their personalities different? How are their approaches to grieving different?
3. What role does Trudy play in Julias life? Why is Trudy so important to Julia at this time? Why do you think Constance is so opposed to Trudy being a part of her family?
4. As a food stylist for a third-rate gourmet magazine, Julia must manipulate the appearance of food in order for it to look appealing. How does the theme of outward appearance versus reality apply to Julias life?
5. Why is the freelance job with the Los Angeles Times (covering a celebrity poetry reading) so important to Julia?
6. What does the poetry reading uncover about the nature of Hollywood and the power of celebrity?
7. Why do you think Julia spirals into a depression after she fails at freelancing? What losses is she experiencing at this point in her life? How do losses in your own life relate to her experience?
8. Why does Julia think a man will assuage her sadness? Is her reasoning sound? Do you think the right man could have helped her before therapy? Why or why not?
9. How does Naomi begin to change Julias life, and whats the most important realization Julia comes to with Naomis help?
10. Who ultimately helps set Julia free from her job? Stone, Clair, Sally— or is it all three? In what ways does each person help her grow?
11. What fears does Julia have to overcome to form a relationship with Stone and does she overcome them by the end of the novel?
12. Discuss the fact that Julia ignores Constances final transgression. Have you had similar experiences with forgiving family members in difficult situations?