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What role does money – the pursuit of it, the lack of it, the loss of it – play in each character’s life?
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|
3
|
20
|
July 7, 2026
|
|
Lucky Luciano was the most notorious mobster of his time. Had you heard of him before reading the book? Lucky, Eunice, & Polly were all prominent figures in the 1930s. Who do you think is the best known of the three today? Why do you think that is?
|
|
17
|
86
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
What did you think of Polly’s relationship with the Lion? Why do you think the two women were so close?
|
|
9
|
45
|
July 6, 2026
|
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Eunice & Polly formed an unlikely alliance to take down Lucky. What qualities are required to make these kinds of alliances successful? Can you think of other situations where women from different backgrounds came together to achieve a common goal?
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4
|
25
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Overall, what did you think of A Pair of Aces? (No spoilers in this topic, please!)
|
|
25
|
200
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
At one point in the book, Eunice and Polly discuss whether race or class shaped their hardships more profoundly. Did you better understand each woman’s perspective after this conversation? Did it shift your own view of race and class?
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9
|
39
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Polly had a complicated relationship with the women, like Virginia, who worked for her. How did her relationship with these women influence Polly’s decision to work with Eunice? Do you think the women like Virginia felt like they were family to Polly?
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10
|
41
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
How would you describe Polly’s relationship with her parents? Was her relationship different with her mother than with her father, and if so, how? Why did she feel more animosity toward her father, and do you feel that was justified?
|
|
10
|
46
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Did anything surprise you about the trial of Lucky Luciano? Why do you think Dewey didn’t want to prosecute Luciano for running a prostitution ring? Do you think this perspective would still be in evidence today?
|
|
15
|
64
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
As an assistant district attorney for the City of New York and Manhattan’s first Black female prosecutor, Eunice Hunton Carter achieved incredible success. What personality traits led her to achieve this success?
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|
8
|
35
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Eunice and Polly both faced a lot of challenges in their lives. How were their struggles similar, and how were they different?
|
|
10
|
48
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Eunice Hunton Carter and Polly Adler were well-known figures in 1930s New York. Were you familiar with either of them before reading A Pair of Aces?
|
|
31
|
253
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
What did you think of the author’s epilogue and the future she envisions for each of her characters?
|
|
12
|
57
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Eunice and Polly formed an alliance to achieve a common goal even though they were on opposite sides of the law. What characteristics helped them to set aside their differences and work together?
|
|
7
|
29
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
What did you know about Mary Quant and her various business lines before reading the book?
|
|
21
|
96
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
How much did Quant’s husband, Alexander Plunket Green, and her business partner Archie McNair contribute to her success, in your opinion?
|
|
18
|
72
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Daphne and Fern’s parents are horrified that they’d become models. Has the career evolved over the years? In what ways do you think attitudes about modeling have changed, if at all? If you had a daughter who wanted to model, what would you tell her?
|
|
13
|
53
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
In Chapter 1, Liang Dacheng must convince his striking employees that working with the Americans is patriotic. Wang Min, the leader of the protest, disagrees. Who is correct, and why? Did your opinion of Liang Dacheng change over this section?
|
|
3
|
14
|
July 6, 2026
|
|
Which of the women do you sympathize or identify with the most? Who do you think had the best life overall? Is there one you’d like to swap places with?
|
|
1
|
14
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
Why do you think Quant’s fashions were such a hit among the youth of the era?
|
|
17
|
90
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
Trader Charlie Weeks is rescued from a snowstorm by Gunnar Johannessen. They become close, until Charlie finds out Gunnar advised the council against buying his bonds. What did you think of Charlie’s reaction? Why did they ignore Gunnar’s advice?
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4
|
21
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
Simon Blackwell, a banker in London, thinks to himself that trading is just dumb luck and equates it to betting at a roulette table (p. 89). What do you think of his attitude about the stock market? Do you share his opinion at all?
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|
3
|
15
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
What surprised you most about Mary Quant’s career? Are there other businesswomen you can name who succeeded against all odds in a male-dominated field?
|
|
7
|
38
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
Which of the minor characters was a favorite, and why?
|
|
9
|
52
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
Russian Arkady Antonov finds the woman of his dreams in Cuba, but she changes once she discovers he's wealthy, leading to tragedy. Whom do you blame? Should Arkady have been honest with her from the start, and if so, what would have been different?
|
|
3
|
15
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
What did you think of Olivia’s relationship with Trevor? Why do you feel she forgot about his opening, and kept putting off calling his mother?
|
|
19
|
95
|
July 5, 2026
|
|
What parallels do you see between the financial situation in the book and today’s global economy? What differences do you see between then and now?
|
|
10
|
35
|
July 4, 2026
|
|
Tomoko Watanabe attends a sales pitch for a book by a local celebrity hawking investment strategies. Have you ever attended something similar? What did you think of her adopting the woman’s advice? How did it change her?
|
|
6
|
23
|
July 4, 2026
|
|
What were some of the milestones you witnessed in Emilie’s journey to independence?
|
|
2
|
21
|
July 4, 2026
|
|
Olivia is more empathetic than Merritt, and asks herself, “Must I always suspect the absolute worst of a person?” (p. 240). Do you think this trait is required to be an effective investigator, or is it something that develops with experience?
|
|
15
|
69
|
July 4, 2026
|