Fair and Tender Ladies

1. Fair and Tender Ladies is an epistolary novel, told through a series of letters from Ivy Rowe to those around her. How is this an effective narrative technique? How would the story be different if it were conducted as a conventional narrative, even from Ivy’s point of view?

2) By her own admission, Ivy is an insatiable letter writer. What about her personality compels her to write letters? How are Ivy’s letters a form of oral storytelling? Does she have other outlets to express her feelings? What are they?

3) Why doesn’t the author, Lee Smith, include any of the letters that others write to Ivy? How important are those to her? How would the book have taken a different shape if the letters of others had been included?

4) How do Ivy’s first letters to Mrs. Brown and to Hanneke provide an introduction to her family and to her life in Sugar Loaf? How do they convey the culture of Appalachia, both in their content and in the style of writing? In your opinion, why doesn’t Ivy write anything other than letters?

5) Ivy's teachers have a profound effect on her life. How does her first teacher, Mrs. Brown, hope to influence Ivy’s life? What potential does she see in Ivy? How does the life of her niece, Molly, compare to Ivy’s existence? What do the two girls learn from one another? How do Revel’s actions effectively cast the Browns from Ivy’s life? What impact does this have on her?

6) Ivy’s father refuses Mr. Brown’s help, saying “We will not be beholden.” How does this theme of indebtedness to others thread throughout the book? To whom does Ivy feel beholden? Howdoes this sentiment affect her actions?

7) How is Ivy’s father presented in the beginning of the novel? What was he like while he was healthy? How does his illness and death throw the family into disarray? How does Ivy’s mother change as a result of his death?

8) Why does Ivy’s family ultimately decide to leave Sugar Loaf? What are Ivy’s feelings about moving to Majestic? What aspects of the town does Ivy like, and in which ways does she miss the mountains? How is living in Geneva’s boardinghouse a new experience for her?

9) What is Ivy’s reaction to the attention paid to her by another teacher, Miss Torrington? How does she react when Miss Torrington kisses her, and why does it propel her into Lonnie’s arms? Based on what came before, is Ivy’s behavior expected or unexpected? If Ivy had gone to Boston, how might her life have taken a different path? Do you believe that Ivy regrets that missed opportunity?

10) After she learns that Ivy is pregnant, why does Geneva urge her to have an abortion? Why does Ivy’s mother forbid it? Do you think that Ivy wants Lonnie’s child? How is Ivy’s life different after she has been “ruined,” in both positive and not-so-positive ways?

11) What is Ivy’s reaction to Lonnie’s death in the war? Do you think she told the Wilkes family that she was pregnant with his child? Why or why not?

12) How would you characterize Ivy’s relationship with Silvaney? Why do you think the two girls have such a connection? How does Ivy react to hearing about Silvaney’s death? Does she indicate that she might feel responsible for it? Why does Ivy continue to write to Silvaney, even after she learns of her death?

13) Ivy’s other siblings drift in and out of her life. With which ones does she have the most profound connection? Does she express different feelings about the male siblings than her female ones? What are they?

14) Why does Ivy move to the company mine town? What are her first opinions about the town? Why is she so positive about her surroundings? What circumstances, both personal and worldwide, compel her to change her mind?

15) When Ivy has her first child, Granny says, “For once you have had an easy time of something.” (Page 148) What difficulties has Ivy faced up to that point? How does she cope with them?

16) Ivy’s sister Beulah says that Ivy has many chances, but throws them all away. (Page 156) How true is that statement? Does it represent what others feel about Ivy? Do you think that Beulah resents her?

17) Ivy is attracted to a number of different men. What about Franklin Ransom appeals to her? What about him gives her pause? How much of her attraction to him is due to Beulah’s influence? In your opinion, why does Ivy have so many admirers, both romantic and platonic? What about her appeals to others?

18) In which ways is Violet Gayheart unlike the other women that Ivy has known? How does she take Ivy under her wing? What does Ivy do for Violet in return?

19) At first, Ivy refuses to be Oakley Fox’s “girl.” Why? How does the collapse of the mine change her mind? How does her life change after she marries him? Do you think she still considers him her “best friend?” Does Oakley view Ivy as an equal partner in their marriage?

20) When Ivy has children, does her personality change? What is Ivy’s attitude toward being a mother? Does she enjoy it? What aspects of her life pre-children does she miss the most?

21) Why does Ivy disappear with Honey Breeding? What about him so mesmerizes her? Why, ultimately, does she return? How does her flight change both her marriage and her relationship with her children?

22) What role do religion and the notion of salvation play in Ivy’s life? How does the behavior of religious “leaders,” like Sam Russell Sage and her brother Garnie, impact her? What is her attitude about Oakley’s faith?

23) After Oakley’s death, how does Ivy mourn for him? Are her feelings about him different than her sentiments when he was alive? Why does she write, “It is like I am a girl again, for I am not beholden to a soul”? (Page 277)

24) Why does Beulah cut off all contact with Ivy and the rest of the family? What does she aspire to, and how are these dreams different from Ivy’s? How does Beulah achieve these goals, and how are they her undoing? Were you surprised that Curtis arrives at Ivy’s doorstep after their respective spouses are dead, and his proposition to her? Why or why not?

25) As Ivy grows older and more infirm, why does Ivy does she refuse to leave Sugar Loaf or to have her children live with her? Why is Ivy fiercely protective of her land, much like her parents before her? How does she express that sentiment?

26) To which of her children does Ivy seem to feel the closest? How do her letters indicate those feelings? How does each of her children reflect different aspects of Ivy’s own personality? How do they live out their dreams in ways that she could not?

27) Why does Dreama Fox decide to take care of Ivy when she grows more frail? Why does Ivy accept her care, but not that of anyone else? Ultimately, do you believe that Dreama forgives Ivy for her transgressions?

28) How do Ivy’s letters change over time in terms of syntax, diction and dialect? Is it a gradual or sudden change? How does this convey Ivy’s own development?

29) In Ivy’s final letter, what is the significance of the Biblical verse interspersed with her own words? What about the Bible intrigues Ivy, from both a religious and a literary perspective? Why is it ironic that Ivy reads a Bible that belonged to Garnie?