As she arrives in Compiègne, Edie recalls how enthusiastic her friend, Gemma, had been about her “finding my true self.” What do you suppose it means to find one’s true self? In what ways do you feel Edie achieves this goal by the end of the book?
It seems as if much of Evie ‘finding herself’ has more to do with figuring out her grief over her mother’s death, the way her life was changed and made smaller by her mother’s illness - it seemed such a strange choice to go for a bakery to another country but it did force her to deal with her grief.
I think Edie had been so involved with her mother, that maybe Gemma meant that getting away to find happiness for yourself was the next step in becoming an independent adult. I think as we each grow up and embark on lives beyond family and old friends, we are finding our true selves. I do feel that Edie achieves this goal.
For Evie, finding herself means finding a purpose.. She’s had so much heart break and now she’s off on a new adventure hoping to find relief from the death of mother. She has taken so much time taking care of her dying mother, and finds herself empty once her mother dies.