The lone pilgrim cover

The lone pilgrim

by Laurie Colwin

A dazzling collection of stories that masterfully weaves together tales of love and desire in all its forms, exploring the universal complications of the heart—and the mysteries of being fully human in the world. • “Colwin’s book is itself a love affair.” — The New York Times In these thirteen stories, a book illustrator is enamored with her publisher, as she pines for her previous lover; a photographer recovering from her second marriage in far-off Inverness, Scotland, befriends a college student new to romance; two academics conducting a long distance affair are reunited, only to find that their circumstances have changed dramatically; and the perpetually stoned young wife of a popular college professor struggles to tell her husband that she’s been high since the day they met. Humorous, tender, and moving, The Lone Pilgrim is the work of a master of the short story form.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?