1. Have you read any of Maeve Binchy’s other books? If you’ve encountered any of these characters before, how did this new novel deepen your understanding of them? If you haven’t, which characters would you like to spend more time with?

2. It’s clear what the “heart” of the title refers to, but who—or what—is the “soul”?

3. The heart clinic is the embodiment of a new idea that advocates teaching people about their health without having to go to a hospital or to a doctor who may not have much time to spend with an individual patient. Why do you think the heart clinic is a good idea? Is there such a thing in your town or neighborhood?

4. There are many different mothers in the novel. Who does Binchy portray as a good mother? In what ways? Which mother would you most like to have as your own?

5. How are Binchy’s mother-daughter relationships different from her mother-son ones?

6. Why does Clara find it easier to be kind to Ania than to her daughters Adi or Linda?

7. Clara is a firm believer in the “curative powers of being busy” (page 23). How does this affect her in her career? In her personal life?

8. It is very difficult to make decisions about your parents when they are older. Was Hilary right to try to keep her mother at home with her?

9. There are two car accidents in the novel. How does each one change the course of the story?

10. What role does the “new Ireland” play in Heart and Soul? Is Quentins part of the new Ireland and if so how? What other aspects of this novel reflect the new Ireland?

11. Discuss the bigotry Ania faces, especially by Rosemary. In what ways is the treatment of new immigrants different in Ireland than it is in this country?

12. Several of the women have had relationships with abusive and entirely untrustworthy men. How does their prior history affect their current romances? Are these relationships healthier than the previous ones because of the men involved, or have the women themselves changed?

13. The pharmacist, Peter Barry, seems as if he would be a good husband. What made Clara realize that he wasn’t the man for her? Do you think she was right in her decision?

14. On page 148, Ania says, “I like this word peaceable. It’s what I would like to be.” Does she achieve this goal? How does her new-found peace help in her encounters with Rosemary?

15. Was Eileen Edwards genuinely delusional, or do you think she had another reason for blackmailing Father Flynn? What did you think of Johnny’s solution to Father Flynn’s problem? Who benefited the most from the resolution?

16. Twice in the novel, characters state, “We always regret what we don’t do, rarely what we do do.” Who follows this code to the greatest advantage? Is there anyone who should apply it but doesn’t?

17. Who is the most contented character in the novel? The most disappointed? What role does money play in their happiness?

18. On page 393, Declan says to Rosemary “May you get what you deserve in life.” Does she? Which of Binchy’s characters doesn’t?

19. Who was your favorite character and why?

20. What do you imagine happens next between Clara and Frank?

SUGGESTED READING
Related titles by Maeve Binchy: Whitethorn Woods, Nights of Rain and Stars, Scarlet Feather, and Quentins; Irish Girls About Town: An Anthology of Short Stories by Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, and Cathy Kelly; Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon; The Light of Evening by Edna O’Brien; Mothers and Sons by Colm Tóibín.