Answer any three of the five questions:
- What do you think of Cormoran Strike? What do you think of Robin Ellacott?
- Using a hard-bitten investigator assisted by a young, ambitious “Girl Friday” is a classic detective-story trope. What does her character bring to the story? How does their relationship work or not work in your opinion?
- When we meet Strike, he is not at a personal high point. What are some of his struggles? He is further developed as the book proceeds – what did you find most interesting or surprising as we learned more about him in Part 1?
- Why do you think Strike is so passionate about investigation and being a detective?
- How does Strike’s disability affect his investigation? How does it affect how he relates to others? Why do you think his prosthesis pain/discomfort frequently is mentioned?
Everyone must answer this question:
- Does the fact that the book was penned by J.K. Rowling affect you view of it? “In speculating as to why J.K. Rowling might have written The Cuckoo’s Calling under a pseudonym, the New York Times wrote, “Ms. Rowling may well have felt that the reaction, both critical and commercial [to Casual Vacancy, her first effort after Harry Potter], was distorted by her fame.” Why do you think she felt compelled to use a pseudonym? If you’ve read her Harry Potter books, do you detect any similarities, either in style or structure?