Use the questions below as a guide for your book club. We would love to to see your comments below.
1. If Chaz were sitting this group, what would you ask him? Considering all that you now know about Gloria's life, what would you ask her?
2. In what ways are the lives of Chaz and Miriam similar? Have you personally known anyone who is "difficult to reach" on a personal level? If you managed to get close to them, how did you do it?
3. In your opinion, what is the source of tension between Gloria and Miriam? In what ways are the two women similar? Different? Do you like, dislike, pity or have other feelings for Miriam?
4. Who was your favorite character in the novel and why?
5. How do Chaz, Gloria, and Miriam change over the course of the novel? Which character can you most closely identify and why?
6. How have the choices Chaz and Gloria made defined their lives?
7. As you read The Christmas Promise, did you begin to feel as if you knew the people involved? If so, would you rather have Miriam or Gloria as a neighbor and why?
8. How would you describe this book? Is it a love story or of heartbreak? Is it the story of a mother's devotion? A novel of how choices define us? Or is it something bigger and deeper?
9. Why do you think Marshall Wilson gave Matt a second chance? If you were his employee would you have been inclined to fire him or keep him?
10. Why do you think Matt and Erin would have been drawn to each other?
11. One of the underlying themes of the book is that of destiny. What other themes did you discover in your reading?
12. What do you think Gloria's relationship is like with her son today? What kind of father do you think Matt will be? What kind of mother do you think Carla is today? Is Miriam still self-absorbed or do you think she readily befriends others now?
13. What do you think the author is referring to by the promise of Christmas