Research the life of St. Valentine and the cultural customs surrounding February 14. Using the marriage between Corrine and Potter, the relationship between D.A. and Jesse, and the friendship between Corrine and Mary Rose, define the novel’s perception of love.

The novel offers portraits of imperfect but heroic women. Consider the strengths and failings of Ginny, Gloria, and Mary Rose. Which woman do you think is the strongest and why?

The novel offers several allusions to contemporary culture, including the music of Patti Smith, Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Ely and the Flatlanders, Joni Mitchell, and others as well as the poetry of Emily Dickinson and E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Choose one of these and show how that allusion helped you understand a character in the novel.