A House in Corfu*
by Emma Tennant
- Why do you think Emma Tennant’s family chose to live in Corfu?
- Did you feel you knew the family well enough to understand why they chose Corfu?
- Were you curious to know more about the author’s family? She introduced her son early in the book and later talked about her two daughters. Did you find it strange that she never talked about a husband or the children’s father?
- Did you like the author’s use of language in describing the house, the land and the local people?
- Did you like her style of writing?
- What did you learn about the Greek people by reading this book? What about the difference between men and women?
- Did you find it strange that both the author and her mother loved the island so much, especially since they were both educated, modern women?
- The jacket tells us that Emma Tennant’s family bought the property on Corfu in the early 1960's. Did you feel a sense of time - if so, what were the clues.
- Did you find parts of the book amusing - if so, which parts?
- Are there any particular scenes in the book that stand out to you?
- On pages 129-30, during the marriage of Yannis and Katerina (14 year old girl), Emma and her family say that they’re the equivalent of the village idiots. Do you get the feeling that the village people accept them? Why would Emma’s family want to live in a place where they are so clearly different from the people who inhabit the island?
- What, if anything, about this island would deter you from living there? (Lack of electricity, fresh water, snakes)
- On page 146, how did you feel when the transformer blew up? Would you have had enough patience to remain calm? Do you think the “Deii” (the gods) is the word you would use to describe the electricians?
- Did reading this story make you long to visit Corfu and/or retreat to a simpler life?
- Were you saddened when you learned a hotel, airport, and a disco was built on Corfu?
- Did you like the way Tennant ended the book?
- Did you wish there were more detailed pictures, or did the author capture the essence of the house and island through her writing?
- How does A House in Corfu compare to other travelogues such as A Year in Provence or Under the Tuscan Sun?
*Questions written by Mount Prospect Public Library Staff
Published 2002
