1. Beaches opens with Cee Cee Bloom in the middle of a rehearsal in Los Angeles in 1983, and then it shifts back in time to Bertie White lost in Atlantic City in 1951. How did the shifts in time and from one character to another enhance your reading of this novel? Did any flashbacks in particular give you insight into the nature of Cee Cee and Bertie's friendship?

2. Is Bertie and Cee Cee's friendship a classic case of "opposites attract?" What does each have to offer to the other?

3. How would you describe Cee Cee's home life? What role does Leona play in her development as a celebrity? How does it compare to Bertie's upbringing?

4. Throughout Beaches, a great deal of the friendship between Bertie and Cee Cee is conveyed through the letters they exchange. How important are these letters to their friendship? What role do they play in the course of the novel?

5. When Cee Cee and Bertie wind up in Beach Haven working for the same theatrical troupe, how does each explore her developing sexuality? Were you surprised by the jealousy the friends experienced during this period?

6. How do John Perry and Michael Barron impact the women's friendship? Discuss the developments that took place when both couples travelled to Hawaii together.

7. Were you surprised by the sacrifices each friend was willing to make for the other?

8.What role does Rosie White's illness play in bringing Cee Cee and Bertie back together? What does Cee Cee's behavior at Rosie's bedside suggest about her character?

9. Were you surprised by Bertie's decision to keep Michael's baby? What did you think of Cee Cee's role in Bertie's pregnancy?

10. What message about friendship did you take away from the conclusion of Beaches?