Book Club Questions from A Billionaire’s Odyssey

The following is a list of questions about the novel A Billionaire’s Odyssey for consideration by book clubs and other readers.

QUESTIONS

ABO Question #1 Is Roland at all sympathetic to other people?

ABO Question #2 Is Lillian stuck in feelings of self-pity?

ABO Question #3 Do Bill and Simone McKee truly love their friends, or do they have their own agendas?

ABO Question #4 Bill set up a complex project to present Roland with unique experiences. Would someone really do all that, even for a friend?

ABO Question #5 Roland cheats by going after money at his home, his yacht, and his grandfather’s cabin. Did these efforts serve to break his depression?

ABO Question #6 Jasper Murdoch wooed Lillian but lost out to Roland. Is he believable as an antagonist in the novel?

ABO Question #7 Lillian rejects the advances of Miles. Does she treat him appropriately? Is her secret longing to be reunited with Roland keeping her from dating other men.

ABO Question #8 Daniel sweeps Lillian off her feet and she has an affair with him, only to be crushed by his behavior in the casino. She doesn’t know that he is an actor hired by Bill. What lesson did she learn?

ABO Question #9 Charles Martine is a good but unavailable man. How innocent was his slow intimate walk with Lillian after dinner? Was Charles really being faithful to his wife? Did you wonder if he was another actor?

ABO Question #10 Fr. Greg meets Roland, as planned by Bill, and becomes his Email friend. Did their emails about sin, guilt, atonement, and forgiveness show Roland’s mental state during his RV trip? What did you think about Fr. Greg’s advice to Roland? Did they detract from the narrative flow of the story?

ABO Question #11 Roland earns money by selling clothing from Jack’s store as he goes from town to town. What does Roland learn from this opportunity to meet ordinary people?

ABO Question #12 Roland helps a homeless veteran. Was the act of helping beneficial to Roland’s mental state? Were you shocked to learn the vet was actually an actor?

ABO Question #13 Roland helps Megan and Sarah escape from Frank. Did you wonder if this was another scene set up by Bill? Did Roland’s continual support of his “adoptive daughters,” seem excessive, like he was trying to create a new family?

ABO Question #14 Vivian reawakens sexual desire in Roland, but he realizes it’s Lillian he really wants. Is this a positive development of his character?

ABO Question #15 Roland helped a widow fix up her house. Was this random act of kindness part of Roland’s need for atonement for his sins? How did it change him?

ABO Question #16What is the role of Sam, the security chief? Does he come to admire Roland?

ABO Question #17 Did you find Roland and Lillian’s reunion scene in Chautauqua compelling? Did Lillian just give in to her longing for Roland, or did she really see that Roland had become once again the man she loved?

ABO Question #18 In Ashtabula, Roland becomes the boss once again, able to take control of whatever interests him? Is he just looking for an escape from his duties at the Swanson Fund? Is Lillian really all-in?

ABO Question #19What do the chapters about Frank and his trial add to the novel?

ABO Question #20 Roland and Lillian marry, and Roland takes control of the Swanson Fund. Did you expect any other ending?

ABO Question #21 Was Roland’s apology to the woman in the donut shop sincere?

ABO Question #22 What was your favorite scene or chapter in the novel?