Skip to main content

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

Lady Be Good: The Life and Times of Dorothy Hale

1. What are the biggest differences between Dorothy and Clare, and when do they start becoming clear?

2. How did you feel toward Clare? Did your reaction to her change as the book progressed?

3. Clare is a gifted storyteller who can spin the truth and she’s also painfully honest, possibly even hurtful with her words to Dorothy. Have you ever had a friend like her?

4. How did Dorothy handle difficult relationships?

5. When she faced adversity, she continued to project confidence and strength, despite how she felt. Did her attitude help her overcome obstacles and move forward?

6. A central theme of the book is that life obstacles can be a blessing, one door closes and another one opens if we have a positive outlook. What is an example of this in Dorothy’s life?

7. Another theme is how the simple stroke of the pen can raise one to the apex of the good life as easily as it can destroy a name. Discuss its relevance to today’s era of “fake news” and social media.

8. Have you ever known someone like Happy Longhorn? Discuss.

9. Dorothy and Clare were ambitious, determined and independent. Were they conflicted about achieving something on their own because they wanted to be “good” wives? Discuss the parallels between societal rules and expectations of women then and now.

10. Our past informs our future; decisions can have unexpected consequences. Which of her decisions most impacted her life later on when she became engaged to Harry Hopkins?

11. The narrator says of Dorothy: “She was too trusting to believe a friend would deceive her and too tragically loyal to run when they did.” Do you agree? Do think she should have turned her back on Clare when she heard that Clare leaked the news of her engagement?

12. Harry Hopkins was weeks away from his confirmation hearings to become Secretary of Commerce, and he was considered the dark horse candidate for president if FDR didn’t run. How did his political career effect Dorothy?

13. After it was revealed that Clare donated the Frida Kahlo painting of Dorothy Hale to the Phoenix Art Museum, she did an interview about Dorothy and the stories became legend. How did you feel about the way Clare portrayed her?

14. Which of their character traits do you most admire?

Lady Be Good: The Life and Times of Dorothy Hale
by Pamela Hamilton

  • Publication Date: March 31, 2021
  • Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
  • Hardcover: 298 pages
  • Publisher: Koehler Books
  • ISBN-10: 1646632729
  • ISBN-13: 9781646632725