THE ATLAS OF LOVE

Laurie Frankel writes, reads, and even occasionally sleeps in Seattle, Washington where she lives in the city with her husband, her border collie, and her three-year-old who strongly believes sleep is for the weak (or childless). The Atlas of Love is her first novel. Her second, Goodbye for Now , comes out August 2012 in the US and in more than 20 foreign territories in 2013. Film rights have been optioned by Temple Hill and Summit Entertainment.

"Frankel’s debut is a wonderful literary treat that offers a fresh twist on the modern family, one that relies on the bonds of women."—Library Journal (starred)

"This beautifully written debut novel offers something for everyone—humor, richly drawn characters and a tender exploration of love, friendship and food."—LA Times Magazine

"Strikingly pure of heart, voice and message, The Atlas of Love tells the story of a life lived on the treadmill of academia. It is likely to be a favorite of your bookseller, because it’s a life that will resonate—a lot of hard work, little traditional payoff, yet, somehow, all worthwhile. Therein lies the brilliance of this book. Frankel puts the reader into that frame of being, where it becomes easy to understand how a friend would be willing to give so much to help sustain another. Though the payoff is hard-earned and unusual, it’s also extraordinary. Frankel’s prose flows easily, heavily laced with candor, wit, and emotion, in a way that brings to mind a modern Jane Austen of the Pacific Northwest."—Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Awards Committee

"Laurie Frankel displays a great ear for dialogue and a witty turn of phrase in quick characterizations."—The Seattle Times

Which of the three main characters do you identify with most? Who do you identify with least? Do these three seem too different to be such close friends? Do you have friends with whom you don’t have much in common, but you love them to death anyway? What holds friendships like these together?

Janey talks a lot about family versus friendship. What other kinds of families are there in this book besides Janey’s very traditional one with her parents and her grandmother? Which of the relationships in this book feel like family and which like friendship? What’s the difference between a group of friends and a group of friends who become family?

When Dan finds out Jill is pregnant, he argues that he should have the right to choose an abortion, that the decision to have the baby or not shouldn’t be Jill’s alone just because she’s the woman. Are you sympathetic to his argument? Do you think he’s right here?

What does Atlas lose and what does he gain from his non-traditional upbringing?

Janey keeps comparing life to literature and literature to life. How do life and literature overlap in this book? And how do life and literature or books overlap in your life?

Janey forgives Jill at the end of the book. Do you? What has Jill done that seems unforgivable? Why might she have done it? To what extent are her actions understandable and her fears well founded?

All three of the main characters seem more or less paired up by the end of the novel. Which of these relationships seem like they’ll last and which seem like they might be headed for breakups? Do you like the guys?

What has Janey learned from her grandmother by the end of the book? What are the most important lessons you’ve learned from loved ones you’ve lost?

Janey argues that the wedding at the end is really for the three of them – herself, Jill, and Katie. For better and for worse. In what ways is their relationship like a marriage?

Where do you see these characters in five years? Janey? Katie? Jill? Atlas?