Dream Country
by Luanne Rice

List Price: $14.00
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780553385816
Publisher: Bantam

It was just an argument, one of hundreds Daisy Tucker must have had with her teenage daughter, Sage, over the years. But this one had ended differently, with Sage gone from their Connecticut home the next morning, leaving behind only a brief note: “I have to go.” Daisy tried not to overreact, tried to remind herself this was different from what had happened thirteen years earlier to Sage’s twin brother, Jake. This was different from a three-year-old boy disappearing in the canyons of Wyoming, never to be found. Sage was sixteen and resourceful. She would be found.

Years ago Daisy had traveled to Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains in search of inspiration for her art and had found a man with the wilderness inside him. James Tucker was a rancher, bound to the wild land he loved, and together he and Daisy created a small paradise for their family --- until the day their little boy vanished without a trace. Now, as their daughter makes a dangerous cross-country pilgrimage to the father she longs for, Daisy will return to the place that took everything she had....

Filled with a wild and unpredictable beauty, Dream Country is a novel you’ll never want to end --- even as you can’t wait to finish it.

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1. Discuss the novel’s title. What dreams and hopes do the characters share? What keeps their dreams alive?

2. What makes Daisy unusual among single moms? How does her relationship with Sage compare to Ben’s relationship with his mother? Does Daisy nurture Sage’s ability to take care of herself?

3. How do Sage’s feelings about her father change throughout the novel? Is her image of him realistic?

4. What legacy of young love does Daisy pass on to Sage? What aspects of Daisy’s past does she see in her daughter?

5. What is Louisa’s role in the characters’ lives? What makes her a unique source of wisdom? How does she compare to the recollections Daisy has of her own parents?

6. What does Wyoming represent to Daisy and Sage? How does the landscape of Wyoming compare to Connecticut? How do these two settings reflect the characters’ identities?

7. What is the significance of Daisy’s jewelry, and her belief that in some way she is giving her love away with each piece? What powers do you believe her jewelry possesses? How does her understanding of the spirit world echo David’s?

8. How are Daisy and James able to heal themselves and each other enough to rekindle their love? How is their relationship affected by years of not knowing Jake’s fate? Who was wounded the most by his disappearance?

9. In what ways does David rescue Sage, emotionally as well as physically? Why does he understand the suffering induced at the puppy farm? What makes him a good savior?

10. What does it take to convince David that not all parents are out for themselves? What does it take to convince James that vengeance will not quell his pain?

11. How did your impressions of Paul shift throughout the novel? Ultimately, what were his motivations?

12. What is the significance of the snow geese’s return in the novel’s closing scene?

13. Discuss the homecomings that have made a significant impact on your life. Was forgiveness a necessary part of the process?

14. How does Dream Country enhance themes of family ties and hope in other Luanne Rice novels you have read?

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"Evocative ... [a] fierce family drama."

— People

"A moving story of love and reunion ... an absolute joy to read ... I finally put Dream Country down at 2 a.m. and almost called in sick the next day to finish it."

— Denver Post

"Superb ... stunning."

— Houston Chronicle