Introduction

By turns hilarious and bittersweet, ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD illuminates the relationships that sustain us --- and the ones that lead us to a new way of living. After moving to New York City and finishing grad school in music composition, Charlotte is at a difficult crossroads. Betrayed by her mentor and exhausted by her high-achieving friends, Charlotte takes a babysitting job with the glamorous McLeans on Manhattan’s exclusive Upper East Side. Trading the world of competition and performance for the small pleasures as well as the daily grind of strollers and snack packs, she is soon indispensable to the upper-crust family of four. But when the two little boys under her care endure an unimaginable loss, she’s asked to play an even bigger role in their lives, ultimately providing them with the security and loving kindness that was missing from her own life. Has she crossed a line? Or has she simply discovered what matters most?  

Heartwarming and wise, Caroline Angell’s tale raises powerful questions about the paths we choose and the limits of love. We hope this guide will enhance your reading group’s experience of this extraordinary debut novel.
 

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. How does Charlotte balance her role as hired help with the deeply personal role she plays in the McLeans’ life? At what point does she become more than a babysitter? Would you have enjoyed taking care of Matt and George as much as Charlotte seems to enjoy it?

2. What portraits of parenting and marriage does the novel offer? What does it take to be a good parent and a good spouse?

3. In part two, “Matthew,” Gramma Mae says that Gretchen didn’t know how much to pay Charlotte “because how could she put a price on someone helping to raise her children?” How does Charlotte’s sense of self-worth change over the course of the novel? In the world of this book, which problems can be solved by money? Which problems are made worse by wealth?

4. Is there any acceptable excuse for Jess’s plagiarism? What are some different ways Caroline Angell looks at the idea of “ownership” across the course of this novel?

5. What would it have taken for Charlotte and Everett to become a couple?

6. How do Charlotte’s sisters compare to Gretchen’s sister, Lila? What are the benefits and the limits of family ties?

7. What does the novel help us understand about the world as seen through a child’s eyes? What do Matt and George observe with crystal clarity?

8. How was your reading affected by the shifting timeline? In what way does it reflect the experience of memory?

9. How did your opinion of Patrick vary throughout the novel? How do he and Charlotte connect, where are they far apart, and how do they change each other?

10. Although the novel explores many aspects of grief, it brims with funny scenes. What makes Caroline Angell’s tragicomic style unique? What truths emerge about the way we cope with loss?

11. How does Charlotte’s relationship with Scotty and his boys change after he asks her to move in? Would you have said yes to Scotty’s offer? What would Gretchen have wanted her to do under the circumstances? How does Charlotte's relationship with Gretchen affect her relationship with Scotty?

12. For Charlotte, what are the difficulties and rewards of creating music? How does it ultimately set her free?

13. Discuss the irony of the novel’s title, especially considering Gretchen’s careful planning. What does All the Time in the World show us about finding true fulfillment?

14. What scene or plot development affected you the most? Why?