About the Author

Elisabeth Robinson has had a long and illustrious career in the film industry. Starting out in New York City, working for a film producer, Robinson later moved to Los Angeles, where she was an executive at MGM and a producer at the Ladd Company. Her producing credits include—among others—The Man Who Knew Too Little (starring Bill Murray), Last Orders (starring Michael Caine), and the Academy Award?winning Braveheart.

The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters is Robinson's debut novel and was a national bestseller.



Discussion Questions

1. Olivia and Maddie, are very different from each other. As you were reading, did you like one of the sisters better than the other? Which one do you most identify with? How would you describe Olivia and Maddie's relationship? Are they like any sisters you know?

2. The story is told entirely in letters, all of them written by one character. What did you enjoy about this form? How well did you get to know all the novel's characters? Which letters are your favorites? In which letter do you think Olivia is most revealing, most truthful?

3. The epigraph suggests that hope is a kind of happiness. Do you think that's true? Does Olivia believe that? How does her attitude about hope change? What about Maddie's? Do you consider hope to be a delusion or a choice?

4. Why does Olivia start writing to her ex-boyfriend Michael? Does she get what she wants—or what she needs? Do you think Michael and Olivia belong together?

5. Are there parallels between the themes in Don Quixote and this novel? Don Quixote's idealism ultimately inspires his cynical friend Sancho. Is Maddie or Olivia most like Don Quixote? Does that change at different points in the novel?

6. At various times, Olivia is forced to make sacrifices for work, love, and family. Which of these is most important to her in the beginning, and which in the end? Which story line did you find most compelling?

7. There are four couples in the book. Which couple's relationship did you understand best? Are any of them similar to a relationship you've been in? What does Olivia learn about relationships by observing other couples?

8. Would you want the job of a Hollywood producer? What do you find interesting or appealing about the job? Do you think Olivia will continue to produce movies?

9. Did you like having real celebrities interact with the novel's fictional characters?

10. What do you think of the portrayal of doctors in the novel? Olivia writes some angry letters to doctors. Was she right—or just upset? Have you ever written that kind of letter?

11. Maddie's struggle with leukemia brings Olivia (and Maddie) face to face with questions of faith. What does faith mean to Olivia? How do her beliefs differ from Maddie's? Do they change in the course of the novel? Does Olivia reach any conclusions about God? How did your own ideas about faith influence your reactions to Olivia's and Maddie's questions?