Let the Great World Spin

The two brothers, Ciaran and Corrigan, loved their mother dearly. What impact did her early death have on their life choices? Would, for example, Corrigan have left Ireland if his mother were still alive?

Ciaran leaves Dublin after experiencing the violence wrought by an IRA bomb. In what ways is New York a safer place? In what ways is it just as dangerous or, perhaps, even more threatening?

Tillie mentions the famous photograph of movie star Marilyn Monroe with her skirt blowing up to reveal her sexy legs. Is there any glamour in the lives of the prostitutes who receive lots of male attention? How does the media contribute to the idea that women must be overtly sexy to attract men?  

Tillie refers to her pimp as her “daddy.” Did a woman on 1974 need a man to provide for her and protect her? Gloria is a college graduate who can only find work as a secretary. What does that say about opportunities for women?

Compare and contrast the drug use by the artists Blaine and Lara and the streetwalkers Tillie and Jazzlyn. Are there any differences?

The Vietnam War, as depicted in this book, was an equal opportunity destroyer, taking Claire’s son from Park Avenue and Gloria’s sons from the South Bronx. Is this an accurate picture of the draft and the casualties in that war?

The author presents both Corrigan and Gloria as heroic figures. Corrigan dies. Gloria lives. Does that make Gloria any less heroic?

The author presents a mostly happy ending, with Jaslyn grown up and thriving. Does this ending fit with the dark events earlier in the novel, including the deaths of three of the main characters, Corrigan, Jazzlyn, and Tillie?