Reading Group Guide Who do you think is the main character in Coast Road? Does Rachel's being comatose through most of the book make her unknowable? How does the reader learn about her? What does the Prologue tell you about her? Why did Rachel leave Jack? Was she justified in doing so? When she discovered she was pregnant, should she have told him? With which character did you most identify? Why? Do you think it is important to be able to identify with at least one character in a book? Does this enhance your enjoyment of the book? What did you think of Rachel's book group? Did these women seem compatible as fellow book group members? How does Rachel's book group compare to yours? How do you explain the current proliferation of women's groups (like book groups)? What purpose do they serve in women's lives today? Is there a parallel phenomenon among men? Why haven't men taken to book groups in the same numbers as women have? Describe Jack as you first meet him. Compare this with your view of him at the end of the book. In what ways has he grown? Have any other characters grown? Jack was driven to build his career and, in so doing, neglected his family. Do career women face this same dilemma? Do they resolve it differently? What factors influence them in their decision? What are the consequences of one decision over another? Do women pay a greater price professionally than men when they opt to allow for family time? Discuss the setting of Coast Road. What role did it play in the story? Would the book have been the same if the setting had been, say, suburban Connecticut? Rachel's younger daughter is named "Hope" and their friend in Big Sur is named "Faith." Discuss the significance of these names with regard to the story. Discuss Samantha's behavior. In what ways has she been affected by her parents' divorce? What was she feeling when she agreed to go to the prom with Teague? At what point in the hours following it did her break-through come with Jack? Discuss the impact of peer pressure on Samantha? Does it take a crisis to bring kids around? Did it bother you when Samantha swore? What is the responsibility of an author with regard to profanity of his/her characters?