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Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

When Love Calls: The Gregory Sisters, Book 1

1. Sisterhood plays a major role in WHEN LOVE CALLS. How did you feel about the promise the Gregory sisters share? What is so special about the bond that sisters have? What kind of relationship do you share with any sisters you have?

2. Compare today’s interview process to what Hannah goes through to obtain a position as a switchboard operator. What did you find shocking about the questions she is asked? What kind of job interviews have you had? Were you ever asked a question you didn’t feel pertained to the job? Are women today still interviewed differently than men?

3. As the Gregory sisters pack up their belongings, they each feel an attachment to different items --- Hannah to her books, Charlotte to her cooking utensils, and Tessa to her roses. What sentimental items hold a special place in your heart, and why?

4. How difficult do you think it was for these young women to leave the home they grew up in? Have you ever had to make a difficult move? What made it easier? What made it harder?

5. Hannah’s flying is a key theme in WHEN LOVE CALLS. How does it fit her character? What do you think the future holds for her in this area? In what ways do you share her love? Would you or have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon?

6. The rules the switchboard operators have to follow are strict. Which ones did you find the most surprising? Would you have handled the dilemmas Hannah was presented with while working at the switchboard (such as the invalid who simply wanted to talk) the same way she did? Why or why not? Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma in your workplace?

7. What did you like about Lincoln Cole? How does he earn Hannah’s love and trust? Is their love believable to you?

8. After Charlotte starts seeing George, she begins to change. Hannah tells Charlotte that she needs to know who she is before she lets someone else define her. Do you agree? Why or why not? Have you ever known someone who changed because of the person they were seeing? What factors, such as age or insecurity, might have played a role in that?

9. How would you define Hannah’s biggest struggle? How do you relate to it? What role do you think being the oldest child plays in her need to be responsible?

10. In WHEN LOVE CALLS, the story of Ruth and Boaz mirrors that of Hannah and Lincoln in many ways. Was Lincoln trying to cover Hannah with his protection, or was he smothering her? Why do men feel the need to offer their protection to the women they love? Are today’s women too independent to want, need, or accept that from a man? Why or why not? What tension does this sometimes create in a relationship?

When Love Calls: The Gregory Sisters, Book 1
by Lorna Seilstad