Discussion Questions for The Price of Dormice

Do you like the title? Does it make sense, when you’ve read the book? What is the price of dormice, roughly, in terms that Professor Udvari might understand?

Did you like the cover? Do you think the cover was compatible with the story? Or did it seem unrelated, or to mis-lead the reader?

Who were your favourite characters? Did you find them deep, complex, intriguing?

Did you get a sense that the main characters changed or grew through the story? What advice would you like to have given them? Which would you like to hear more of in future stories?

Which characters did you really dislike?

What do you make of DI Jones’s idea of ‘natural justice’?

Did you have any favourite passages, lines, scenes? What were they, and why do they stand out?

Would the book work as a TV series? Would you have ideas about who to cast in particular roles?

Did you notice the author’s writing style? Did it make the book easier or harder to read?

How did you find the pace of the story? Did it take long to get into it?

Were the chapter lengths okay? Was it unput-down-able? When you did put it down, did you find it easy to pick up and carry on?

Were the author’s writing style, images, use of metaphor, use of language, dialogue, etc., consonant with the nature of the story? Was there anything that didn’t ring true, or that you particularly liked or disliked about the writing?

How would you describe the humour in the story?

What other authors would you compare it with?

Did you find the book thought-provoking? Informative? About what?

What do you see as the most significant plot elements? Did you find them plausible? (e.g. the college’s ‘dead shark shuffle’; the plans to develop a square mile of what used to be ‘green belt’; the methods used by Mick, Naomi, Andrea and Co. to investigate and intervene; the role of the police force; Mick’s relationships with the Sefton-Shaw family; the changes to the college’s plans)

Did the story lead to any changes in how you think about things? (e.g. nature reserves; Oxford colleges; dormice; environmental destruction; environmental protest; how the value of an animal’s life can be weighed against a developer’s profits)

What most surprised you, as you read the book?

How did it make you feel? Did you find it funny, sad, embarrassing, exciting, inspiring, worrying?

Did the book bring to mind memories or stimulate plans or relate to your own life in any way? 

Do you have any thoughts on why the author wrote the book? Were they hoping for a particular response from their readers?

The Price of Dormice is often shelved as ‘cosy crime’. Do you think that’s the right place for it? How do you think it compares with other ‘cosy crime’? (e.g. by Richard Osman, Anthony Horowitz, Janice Hallett, Robert Thorogood, Hilary Pugh, Agatha Christie…)

What did you see as the main themes of the story? (e.g. the value of nature; mutual support systems in the establishment; friendship, love, children and families) Did the themes blend well into the unrolling story, or did they stick out and trip you up?

Are the themes of the book relevant to your own community, and to contemporary society in general?

Were there any memorable or shocking twists or scenes in the story? What was it that made them stand out?

What were the most satisfying parts of the story? And what the most disappointing parts? Did you agree with Mick & Co’s compromise with St Mark’s College, that would allow the development to go ahead, in a modified form that would give the dormice a chance?

Did you finish the book? Would you say that it was too short, too long, or just right?

What kind of person do you think would most enjoy the book? Would you recommend it to someone? Would you have any caveats?

What kind of person do you think would not enjoy the book? Who would you definitely not recommend it to? Why?

Did you find any parts of the book challenging or difficult to read or understand? Could they be made better?

What does the book say about the realities of our contemporary world? Is it optimistic, cautionary or dystopian?

Like anyone else, the author has personal views and biases that influence everything he says and does, including writing this book. Did you find anything objectionable or uncomfortable in that way?

The author set out to write the kind of book that he most liked to read: one that mattered and that entertained. Did he succeed? What other books that both matter and entertain come to mind?

In the Q&A at the end of a library talk, someone said, ‘I’ll buy a copy if you can promise me that the ending is uplifting’. The author said that it was, and promised the person a full refund if they didn’t agree. If he’d made that promise to you, what would your verdict be: uplifting, or refund required?

Did you think there were any ‘missed opportunities’ in the story? (For example: a few days after signing off on the final round of typesetting and checking, I realised that in the scene where Mick extracts commitments to change the college’s plans from Prof Udvari, he could have called in the experts – Andrea on the conservation-oriented changes, Naomi on the planning and construction aspects – rather than going it alone:. Do you agree? I’m hoping to implement this if I ever get a chance to produce a new edition.)

Did you find the ending satisfying? What do you think will happen to Mick and Kimberly’s closeness, after the narrative ends? Do you care?

Did the book satisfy you in its exploration of themes such as justice, truth, corruption, morality, and the relative value of human and other lives?

Does the book leave you with any big unanswered questions? Would you have liked them answered within the narrative, or would you be happy for them to be addressed in future stories?

If you could write a tag line/elevator pitch for the front cover of the next edition, or for use in advertising, what would it be? (max 25 words, but the fewer the better)

Is there anything that you’d like to ask the author, about the book or its background, or about writing in general?

Please feel free to send any thoughts on The Price of Dormice, any questions, comments, tag line ideas, etc., to Steve through the Contact page at stevelunn.net. Everything will be read, and responded to if appropriate, and, unless you say not to, may be used in Steve’s current or future work.