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Table of Contents
About The Book
From the author of the Read with Jenna Bonus Pick A Little Hope, an uplifting and emotionally resonant novel set in a Delaware beach town about a local restaurant owner at a turning point.
Three generations of Schmidts have run their family’s beachfront restaurant and Jack has been at the helm since the death of his father. Jack puts the demands of the restaurant above all else, with a string of failed relationships, no hobbies, and no days off as proof of his commitment to the place. He can’t remember the last time he sat on the beach, or even enjoyed a moment to himself.
Meanwhile, the DelDine group has been gradually snapping up beloved eateries along this stretch of coast and are pursuing Jack with a very generous offer to take Schmidt’s off his hands.
Jack craves companionship and maybe even a family. He wonders if closing the door on the restaurant might open a new window for him. But who would he be without Schmidt’s, and can he trust DelDine’s claims that they will continue to employ his staff and honor his family’s legacy?
When he receives startling news from the past, Jack begins to reshape his life and forge unexpected new friendships. But will he really let go of the very things that have defined him?
Three generations of Schmidts have run their family’s beachfront restaurant and Jack has been at the helm since the death of his father. Jack puts the demands of the restaurant above all else, with a string of failed relationships, no hobbies, and no days off as proof of his commitment to the place. He can’t remember the last time he sat on the beach, or even enjoyed a moment to himself.
Meanwhile, the DelDine group has been gradually snapping up beloved eateries along this stretch of coast and are pursuing Jack with a very generous offer to take Schmidt’s off his hands.
Jack craves companionship and maybe even a family. He wonders if closing the door on the restaurant might open a new window for him. But who would he be without Schmidt’s, and can he trust DelDine’s claims that they will continue to employ his staff and honor his family’s legacy?
When he receives startling news from the past, Jack begins to reshape his life and forge unexpected new friendships. But will he really let go of the very things that have defined him?
Reading Group Guide
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The Same Bright Stars
Ethan Joella
This reading group guide for The Same Bright Stars includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
Jack Schmidt spends every waking moment either working at Schmidt’s—the Rehoboth Beach restaurant that has been in his family for three generations—or thinking about work. Though he vowed never to be like his father, who died in charge of the place, Jack finds himself at midlife and in the same position. Running Schmidt’s has cost Jack his health, his fiancée, and his freedom, and though it’s given him something invaluable in return—a sense of belonging among his chosen family and staff—he’s aching for a break.
When the restaurant group DelDine offers to buy Schmidt’s for a hefty sum and secrets from his past start creeping back, Jack is forced to grapple with a nagging question: Do we need to let go of the past to realize our best futures?
Topics & Questions for Discussion
Think of some of the relationships between major characters—Jack and Kitty, Jack and Genevieve, Genevieve and Ziggy, Jack and his father—and discuss how grief either brings these characters together or pushes them apart.
On page 36, Jack recalls the relationship between Kitty’s mother and father, saying, “They needed each other but weren’t in love with each other.” Is needing each other or is being in love more important in a marriage? Are there other relationships in the book that could be described this way?
On page 46, we see Jack’s house for the first time, including the empty studio above his garage. What might the empty studio symbolize?
Many times throughout the novel, Jack laments that he’s often disappointed by the people he loves. Do you think this is true, or is this just Jack’s perception?
Consider the character of Ziggy. Are we to judge him by the person he once was—an innocent child who lost a parent too early—or by the person he becomes and his behavior in the present? Does Ziggy have a chance to be forgiven?
Did you believe that Genevieve was stealing from Jack? Why do you think he was so quick to suspect that she was?
Focusing on work is a coping mechanism for many of the characters—for Genevieve, for Nicole, for Jack especially. Is this devotion to work a healthy coping strategy? Is there a relationship between the characters experiencing the most profound grief and those who work the hardest?
The town of Rehoboth Beach is undergoing a rapid transformation throughout the novel, mostly at the hands of DelDine. Is DelDine a purely evil force, or are they offering some good to the community?
Why is Jack so angry at Alexis in the present day? Does he have a right to feel this way? How might this scenario have played out differently?
Consider Jack and Deacon’s friendship. How do they support each other? What would Jack’s life be like without Deacon?
Were you surprised by Nicole’s actions in the final scenes? Why do you think she told Jack what she did?
Why do you think Patrick is so resistant to the idea of meeting Jack? Do you think they might meet in the future?
Enhance Your Book Club
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is a delightful vacation destination! Plan a trip to the famous beach and boardwalk and be sure to visit Browseabout Books.
Some of the breaks between chapters are sections from the fictional Rehoboth Beach guidebook. Write a guidebook page for your hometown or favorite city.
Read Ethan Joella’s other books—A Little Hope and A Quiet Life—and compare them. Are there some common themes between his works?
Ethan Joella
This reading group guide for The Same Bright Stars includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
Jack Schmidt spends every waking moment either working at Schmidt’s—the Rehoboth Beach restaurant that has been in his family for three generations—or thinking about work. Though he vowed never to be like his father, who died in charge of the place, Jack finds himself at midlife and in the same position. Running Schmidt’s has cost Jack his health, his fiancée, and his freedom, and though it’s given him something invaluable in return—a sense of belonging among his chosen family and staff—he’s aching for a break.
When the restaurant group DelDine offers to buy Schmidt’s for a hefty sum and secrets from his past start creeping back, Jack is forced to grapple with a nagging question: Do we need to let go of the past to realize our best futures?
Topics & Questions for Discussion
Think of some of the relationships between major characters—Jack and Kitty, Jack and Genevieve, Genevieve and Ziggy, Jack and his father—and discuss how grief either brings these characters together or pushes them apart.
On page 36, Jack recalls the relationship between Kitty’s mother and father, saying, “They needed each other but weren’t in love with each other.” Is needing each other or is being in love more important in a marriage? Are there other relationships in the book that could be described this way?
On page 46, we see Jack’s house for the first time, including the empty studio above his garage. What might the empty studio symbolize?
Many times throughout the novel, Jack laments that he’s often disappointed by the people he loves. Do you think this is true, or is this just Jack’s perception?
Consider the character of Ziggy. Are we to judge him by the person he once was—an innocent child who lost a parent too early—or by the person he becomes and his behavior in the present? Does Ziggy have a chance to be forgiven?
Did you believe that Genevieve was stealing from Jack? Why do you think he was so quick to suspect that she was?
Focusing on work is a coping mechanism for many of the characters—for Genevieve, for Nicole, for Jack especially. Is this devotion to work a healthy coping strategy? Is there a relationship between the characters experiencing the most profound grief and those who work the hardest?
The town of Rehoboth Beach is undergoing a rapid transformation throughout the novel, mostly at the hands of DelDine. Is DelDine a purely evil force, or are they offering some good to the community?
Why is Jack so angry at Alexis in the present day? Does he have a right to feel this way? How might this scenario have played out differently?
Consider Jack and Deacon’s friendship. How do they support each other? What would Jack’s life be like without Deacon?
Were you surprised by Nicole’s actions in the final scenes? Why do you think she told Jack what she did?
Why do you think Patrick is so resistant to the idea of meeting Jack? Do you think they might meet in the future?
Enhance Your Book Club
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is a delightful vacation destination! Plan a trip to the famous beach and boardwalk and be sure to visit Browseabout Books.
Some of the breaks between chapters are sections from the fictional Rehoboth Beach guidebook. Write a guidebook page for your hometown or favorite city.
Read Ethan Joella’s other books—A Little Hope and A Quiet Life—and compare them. Are there some common themes between his works?
About The Author
Photograph © Ethan Joella
Ethan Joella teaches English and psychology at the University of Delaware. He is the author of A Little Hope, which was a Read with Jenna Bonus Selection, A Quiet Life, and The Same Bright Stars. He lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with his wife and two daughters.
Product Details
- Publisher: Scribner (July 2, 2024)
- Length: 304 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668024607
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Raves and Reviews
Praise for The Same Bright Stars
"A feel-good summer tale." —Publisher's Weekly
"A touching tribute to a cherished place and the people who make it home.” —Nikki Erlick, New York Times Bestselling author of The Measure
"I recognized and rooted for all the wonderful small-town characters in this moving story about a man at a crossroads in his life. Ethan Joella skillfully explores how grief shapes us, and he captures those perfect moments of human connection we all crave." —Tracey Lange, author of We Are the Brennans
"Ethan Joella writes with wisdom and emotional precision about the ache to feel alive and the unexpected ways relationships comfort, devastate and transform us. Absorbing, tender and filled with heart, The Same Bright Stars moved me with its unwavering hope." —Hanna Halperin, author of I Could Live Here Forever
"With his signature heart, hopefulness and hard-won wisdom, Ethan Joella more than delivers in The Same Bright Stars. Readers will laugh, cry, and dream alongside the earnest, sentimental Jack and his instantly lovable, warm-hearted community of Rehoboth Beach natives, a town that sparkles to life from the very first page. With his story of family, grief, legacy, and perseverance, Joella has crafted a sensational summer read. I will forever feel lucky to read (and yes, unabashedly weep over!) anything Joella. writes." —Becky Chalsen, author of Kismet
Praise for A Quiet Life
"Community and grief are at the center of this tender novel in which three residents of a tightly knit Pennsylvania suburb are each grappling with losing loved ones when their lives begin to converge in unexpected ways." —The New York Times Book Review
“Ethan Joella's A Quiet Life explores the depths of grief through a widower, the daughter of a murder victim, and the mother of a kidnapping victim…As their lives begin to converge, Chuck, Ella, and Kirsten walk unique roads to find their way to healing.” —PopSugar
“Once again, Joella’s characters are as real as they come. With an observant eye and poetic sensitivity, Joella captures poignant moments and intense feelings, leaving the reader with a sense of recognition and comfort… One of the most meaningful things a person can say is simply “I’m here,” and this is the level of profound connection that Joella evokes without ever straying into cliché.” —BookPage
"Joella develops his characters with enormous empathy... The pleasure of discovering connections is one of the most basic joys of reading and is key to Joella's storytelling.... The soothing tone and warm worldview of this grown-up bedtime story will be good for what ails you." —Kirkus
"Heartwarming, character-driven charm. Empathetic without becoming saccharine, A Quiet Life highlights the power of closure and the importance of a connected, compassionate community.” —Booklist
Resources and Downloads
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Same Bright Stars Hardcover 9781668024607
- Author Photo (jpg): Ethan Joella Photograph © Ethan Joella(0.1 MB)
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