The Unraveling of Julia

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How would you compare and contrast The Unraveling of Julia with Scottoline’s other novels? Do you notice any similar themes or situations across her works?

2. How did you generally feel about Julia, the protagonist, and her journey in the novel? Did anything about her arc or the plot surprise you?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Julia experiences visions and realizes she has psychic gifts over the course of the narrative. Have you ever had psychic experiences, or know anyone else who did? How do you interpret such experiences?

2. Julia has to rediscover who she is after becoming widowed. How have your own experiences of grief affected your sense of self? In what ways have your experiences with grief been similar to or different from Julia’s experience?

3. How do you feel about astrology? Do you believe in a sense of destiny, as Julia and Helen do, or do you think personal agency is more important?

4. The novel explores many types of connection, such as adoptive family, found family, and biological family ties. Do you have a family beyond blood relatives, such as a found family and/or adoptive family? How does your family love and support you?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the novel represent and utilize Italian Renaissance culture and art? What does the novel suggest about the importance of cultural heritage?

2. Julia discovers, toward the end of the novel, that there was a conspiracy to gain control of her villa and turn it into a hospitality complex. How does the novel examine issues of tourism, development, and corruption when it comes to historical preservation?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does Julia evolve as a character? In what ways has she changed by the novel’s end, and in what ways has she stayed the same?

2. Analyze the role of mother-daughter dynamics in the novel. How does the novel explore the nature of this type of familial relationship?

3. How does the history of Caterina Sforza impact the narrative of The Unraveling of Julia? How does the novel explore the ties between past and present more generally?

4. How does visiting various locations in Italy develop the novel’s narrative? Choose three key settings and analyze how they are described, and their wider significance in the text.

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Consider you are making a playlist of music for the book’s characters. What would Julia have on her playlist? What would Courtney have on hers?

2. If The Unraveling of Julia was adapted into a film, who would you cast as Julia, Courtney, Gianluca, Mike, and Fiamma?