top of page

The Farm at the
Edge of the World
Sarah Vaughan

Questions may be answered in the "Group Discussions" page in any order or structure you like. Feel free to choose one or two questions to expand upon that grab your attention. Then, view and comment on other’s interpretations to see how things may have been viewed differently, while maintaining respect for one another.

Discussion Questions

  • How does the epigraph inform the readers of the thematic landscape of the book? What biases are we already making about the characters, scenery, and story?


     

  • Throughout the beginning of the book, much of the language revolves around the sea and imagery of the water, with both positive and negative connotations attached depending on the character’s point of view. How is water used to describe each of the characters through their traits, history, and hopes and desires?


     

  • Much of the landscape and setting is, in itself, a character in this story. How is the farm and surrounding countryside personified and how does this personification progress the storytelling in this narrative? Do you see the family’s farm and property as a protagonist? An antagonist? Or a neutral entity?


     

  • Why do you believe Maggie, Lucy, Judith, and Tom are intent on keeping the farm operational within the family? Is this due to a true desire to continue the legacy or an inability to let go of feelings of familiarity and safety? Conversely, would losing the family’s farm feel like a betrayal to their blood, born out of obligation to family?


     

  • Mention of Lucy is often draped around fetal imagery, likening her to a child. How does this imagery play into Lucy as an individual and her role as a neonatal nurse?


     

  • On page 19, Lucy equates the tractor on the farm to a child’s play toy being “pushed around a farm set.” How does this depiction inform your opinion on the farm’s operation and the family living there?


     

  • The unforgiving climate and scenery of Skylark evokes the concept of the constant struggle of  man vs. nature. We are aware that Lucy’s father lost his life to the terrain so what keeps humans from returning and staying in this climate and attempting to tame nature?


     

  • In chapter 13, Mr. Trescothick, who has recently lost his brothers to the war, is called to Skylark to help a pregnant cow who has taken a fall. When he arrives, he proclaims that there is no use in saving her or the fetus as the calf is unlikely to survive. What do you think the cow, and fetus represent in relation to war and guilt by Mr. Trescothick being the one to euthanize her?


     

  • How do the different perspectives and timelines help shape your opinion of the characters and situations in the other storylines?

​

​

  • Throughout the novel, the presence of familial ties is quite prominent. What similarities and differences can we infer between the generations of characters? How do these relationships change how each character views themself?

 

​

  • How is the theme of guilt presented in this novel? How is guilt represented within each character?

 

​

  • After reading, which timeline or characters did you feel most drawn to? Why might that be? Did you like the shifting time periods?

bottom of page