Violet’s War – Book Group Questions
- When Billy signs up he expects Violet to be proud of him. How often are there mismatches between the things which men do for their families and the things the family would want?
- How much does Stan use his jack-the-lad exterior to cover his own insecurities? Which examples would you cite?
- Newspapers were quicker to report on what women footballers wore rather than how they played the game. Are women sports players taken seriously now? How much or little has changed?
- Billy thinks Vi would be better off without him when he comes home injured. Why wouldn’t he have trusted Violet to decide what was right for her and Tommy?
- How difficult could it have been for Vi living with Billy’s parents once he had gone away to fight? Could she have done anything to make it easier?
- Most people started work at around the age of twelve. It is unimaginable to us now, but have we gone to the other extreme and do we keep young people as children without responsibility for too long now?
- How much did the opening up of job opportunities for women, brought about as a result of WW1, lay the foundations for equality in the workplace?
- What do you like about Violet’s approach to the problems she faces?
- Which scene in the book did you find most moving and why?
- Did you learn anything about yourself through reading the book?