Literally Leander discussion

Our featured book for October 2020 was The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie. Spoilers ahead!

This month, our discussion prompt questions were written by a staff member. As always, don't feel pressured to use the prompts if you don't need them. Please feel free to share any thoughts or opinions you had while reading the book, or pose a question of your own!

1. Discuss Poe’s characterization. What did you think of her? Do you think of her as a victim, or a murderer, or both? Is she a character that you cared about?

2. Do you think Poe is a good leader? In what ways did she protect her crew? In what ways did she let them down?

3. When Naomi is speaking about Poe being easy to read, both her rage and her love, she says, “Some people always burn.” What does this mean to you? Do you think it’s true?

4. There are small connections between The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe and the author’s previous Matched series. Where do you think Poe’s world lies in this story? What do you think the truth behind the golden ship, Palingenesis, is? **Please mark your answer as a spoiler if it gives away information about Condie's other books.**

5. What do you think the future holds for Poe, Brig, and Indie?

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Having not been a fan of the Matched series, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. To be perfectly honest, the most intriguing thing about the book wasn't its synopsis, but its cover (sorry, not sorry.)

I ended up liking the book because I felt like it was the beginning of a dynamic character arc for titular Poe Blythe, yet I'm a bit disheartened to see that the book, at this time, is still a standalone. I think that this one felt more like a setup than a story, like there's much more to give in the plot.

1. Discuss Poe’s characterization. What did you think of her? Do you think of her as a victim, or a murderer, or both? Is she a character that you cared about?
I think, purely by definition, Poe is a victim of her circumstances. She's had something taken from her that she valued, the only thing she valued, according to her. Her need for revenge is not completely unfounded. Yet murder isn't really something that I think is her forte. I think she wanted protection, but I don't know if she's actually as cruel as she would like us to believe.

2. Do you think Poe is a good leader? In what ways did she protect her crew? In what ways did she let them down?
For the course of this story, I wouldn't say Poe was a good leader. She was cold and distant and too focused on herself to really understand the needs and wants of those who depended on her. She wasn't ready to be a leader. But I think that, at the end, we're shown a different side to her. A side that recognizes the value of others' opinions. This Poe will likely be a much better leader than the one that existed for the majority of the book.

3. When Naomi is speaking about Poe being easy to read, both her rage and her love, she says, “Some people always burn.” What does this mean to you? Do you think it’s true?
I think another way to put this is that some people are always going to show their emotions. Either they show them in their face or in their posture, but they emit their feelings like radio waves.

I think that there is some truth to this. Some people are always going to be easier to read, while others are better at concealing their true thoughts.

4. There are small connections between The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe and the author’s previous Matched series. Where do you think Poe’s world lies in this story? What do you think the truth behind the golden ship, Palingenesis, is?
Like I said previously, I didn't much care for Matched and I don't think I remembered the entire series. I ended up looking up the link between them. It was more of an Easter Egg than a true link, and I'll shorten it to this: a singular character, and the name "the Society."