Join the Hideaway readalong!
To celebrate the publication of Hideaway by Nora Roberts in paperback we are running a readalong over on Instagram and we’d love for you to join us!
Hosted by Tandem Collective UK, the questions we will be discussing are below.
To take part, grab your copy and head over to Instagram and follow #HideawayReadalong and #NoraRoberts.
Question 1:
Read to page 62
“You told me where to hide. You said, ‘Let’s go for a walk before anybody gets up, and I’ll show you a secret hiding place.”
What is your reaction to Charlotte’s apparent collusion in the plan to abduct Caitlyn? From what you have already learnt of Charlotte’s character, how would you describe her? Do you think she was a popular member of the Sullivan family?
Question 2:
Read to page 132
‘Two days later, with her statement hair, her lace-up combat boots, ripped jeans, artfully faded Frank Zappa T-shirt, blue nail polish she’d scraped off in strategic places, an armload of leather and cloth bracelets, she clomped into the audition.’
Why do you think Cate is so eager to play the part of Jute in Absolutely Maybe? What does Jute represent to her? How might a return to acting be beneficial to her?
Question 3:
Read to page 138
“I remember. I write to him, [Red Buckman], and to Julia – to the family – at least once a year. Well, Julia more than once a year.”
“Do you?” He turned her to face him. “I didn’t know.”
“I wanted them to know how I am. I wanted to know how they are. I never said goodbye before we left. I wanted to keep that connection, I guess”….
Caitlyn obviously has strong feelings about the Cooper family. Why do you think Julia in particular means so much to her?
Question 4:
Read to page 175
“I need a life. I need to see what else there is. I don’t know what I want to do or be, but I know I won’t find it in L.A. I need to be able to walk outside without a stupid wig and a bodyguard. I want to sit around with people my own age, meet a guy who doesn’t care what my last name is. Maybe I’ll take some classes, maybe I’ll get a job. I just want a chance to do something, be somewhere without everyone hovering and worried and putting up shields for me.”
Can someone like Cate, talented, famous, rich and beautiful, ever find true independence and a normal life? Do you warm to her? Are there any other members of the Sullivan clan you particularly like? Why?
Question 5:
Read to page 236
‘She drank, studying him over the rim of her glass. “You were a key point in my life. I’ve been thinking about key points lately. How they all intersect or diverge. Being with you, then not. Key points. I’ve been to see every play you’ve been in since.”’
What, for you, have been the ‘key points’ in the story so far? Is the narrative about more than just the kidnapping and its aftermath?
Question 6:
Read to page 337
“You matter, Dillon. You and your family have always mattered to me. You matter, all of you, even more since I’ve come back. The time I’ve spent at the ranch with you, with your mom, with Gram, with Red, too? It’s helped me come home, feel home. And I know how you feel about my grandparents. I’ve seen it for myself.”
The romance between Dillon and Caitlyn gives another dimension to the story. Do you find it convincing, inevitable? Apart from good looks, what do you think particularly draws Cate to Dillon, and vice versa?
Question 7:
Read to page 454
Was the denouement a shock to you? What aspects of the story will stay in your memory? Which characters were the most compelling? How important were the descriptive passages in making the story come alive?
