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Table of Contents
About The Book
Originally published in the UK, popular "lad lit" author Keith Lowe's latest book is a delicious tale of love, loss, and longing for life's sweetest rewards.
Can your sworn enemy become your romantic obsession? What lies between sugar and spice? Do personal tastes ever change? And when should we try something new? As this irresistible novel reminds us, sometimes love is the least predictable flavor in life's box of chocolates.
Matt, the brilliant young marketing director of the confectionery Trundel & Barr, loves chocolate. To him it represents sensuousness and innocent joy; it is to be adored, worshipped -- and exploited -- at every opportunity. For Samantha, however, chocolate represents something more sinister: While researching for a television documentary she learns that there is a darker side to Trundel & Barr, in the horrendous conditions of its African cocoa plantations. So Sam sets out to expose Matt -- until she finds herself locked up with him in his own chocolate factory. Stuck together, they are at risk of having a complete meltdown. But if Sam and Matt can find a way to confront their differences and learn to accept each other's passion for chocolate, their bitter situation stands a chance of turning out sweet....
Can your sworn enemy become your romantic obsession? What lies between sugar and spice? Do personal tastes ever change? And when should we try something new? As this irresistible novel reminds us, sometimes love is the least predictable flavor in life's box of chocolates.
Matt, the brilliant young marketing director of the confectionery Trundel & Barr, loves chocolate. To him it represents sensuousness and innocent joy; it is to be adored, worshipped -- and exploited -- at every opportunity. For Samantha, however, chocolate represents something more sinister: While researching for a television documentary she learns that there is a darker side to Trundel & Barr, in the horrendous conditions of its African cocoa plantations. So Sam sets out to expose Matt -- until she finds herself locked up with him in his own chocolate factory. Stuck together, they are at risk of having a complete meltdown. But if Sam and Matt can find a way to confront their differences and learn to accept each other's passion for chocolate, their bitter situation stands a chance of turning out sweet....
Reading Group Guide
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Reading Group Guide for New Free Chocolate Sex
1) Describe Sam's character. What are her main career motivations? Do you think she treats Matt fairly at the beginning of their encounter? What are some of the main issues she grapples with before, during and after her time in the chocolate warehouse? What is your overall opinion of Sam?
2) Describe Matt's character. What effects did growing up and working in his father's candy store have on his career path and relationship with other people? What motivates him in his profession? Does he differ from other marketers? What is your overall opinion of Matt?
3) Describe Matt and Sam's relationship with each other. What is the nature of the preconceptions they have about another on first meeting? How are these resolved? What are the main things they share in common?
4) Both Sam and Matt have dysfunctional relationships in their past. How have their experiences affected them? How did emerging from an abusive relationship affect Sam's behavior towards Matt?
5) The concept of marketing is central to the story and to Matt's character. How are the opposing viewpoints on the relevance and power of marketing presented? Do you agree with one viewpoint more than the other? How does the title of the novel tie in with this theme?
6) Chocolate has a very prominent presence in the novel. Describe the part it plays in each of the character's lives. What are some of the positive and negative effects it has on these characters? What does it symbolize to each character?
7) Discuss Paul and Sam's relationship. What does Paul represent to Sam? What is the main conflict between them?
8) What is the significance of the section divisions and the historical descriptions of chocolate? How does this help tell Sam and Matt's story?
9) Social activism is another prevalent theme in the novel. How is it presented through Sam and Matt's experiences? How are the activists portrayed in the novel? Does Sam differ from the other activist characters?
10) How do Sam and Matt resolve their differences by the end of the novel? Do you think their main conflicts are over? What is the significance of Sam's lost ring being found in a chocolate bar?
Enhance Your Book Club:
1. Treat your book club to a chocolate festival such as the West Coast Chocolate Festival: www.chocolatefestival.ca/home.htm or the New York Chocolate Show: www.chocolateshow.com. Or search for a chocolate event in your area at www.foodreference.com
2. Search for a local chocolate factory at www.factorytoursusa.com and take your book club on one sweet tour. (Make sure you get to see the chocolate vats!)
3. Have the members of your book club bring in their favorite chocolate treats or make one from any of these great Simon & Schuster cookbooks: www.simonsays.com/content/browse.cfm?sid=33&pid=516387,516474,369631
1) Describe Sam's character. What are her main career motivations? Do you think she treats Matt fairly at the beginning of their encounter? What are some of the main issues she grapples with before, during and after her time in the chocolate warehouse? What is your overall opinion of Sam?
2) Describe Matt's character. What effects did growing up and working in his father's candy store have on his career path and relationship with other people? What motivates him in his profession? Does he differ from other marketers? What is your overall opinion of Matt?
3) Describe Matt and Sam's relationship with each other. What is the nature of the preconceptions they have about another on first meeting? How are these resolved? What are the main things they share in common?
4) Both Sam and Matt have dysfunctional relationships in their past. How have their experiences affected them? How did emerging from an abusive relationship affect Sam's behavior towards Matt?
5) The concept of marketing is central to the story and to Matt's character. How are the opposing viewpoints on the relevance and power of marketing presented? Do you agree with one viewpoint more than the other? How does the title of the novel tie in with this theme?
6) Chocolate has a very prominent presence in the novel. Describe the part it plays in each of the character's lives. What are some of the positive and negative effects it has on these characters? What does it symbolize to each character?
7) Discuss Paul and Sam's relationship. What does Paul represent to Sam? What is the main conflict between them?
8) What is the significance of the section divisions and the historical descriptions of chocolate? How does this help tell Sam and Matt's story?
9) Social activism is another prevalent theme in the novel. How is it presented through Sam and Matt's experiences? How are the activists portrayed in the novel? Does Sam differ from the other activist characters?
10) How do Sam and Matt resolve their differences by the end of the novel? Do you think their main conflicts are over? What is the significance of Sam's lost ring being found in a chocolate bar?
Enhance Your Book Club:
1. Treat your book club to a chocolate festival such as the West Coast Chocolate Festival: www.chocolatefestival.ca/home.htm or the New York Chocolate Show: www.chocolateshow.com. Or search for a chocolate event in your area at www.foodreference.com
2. Search for a local chocolate factory at www.factorytoursusa.com and take your book club on one sweet tour. (Make sure you get to see the chocolate vats!)
3. Have the members of your book club bring in their favorite chocolate treats or make one from any of these great Simon & Schuster cookbooks: www.simonsays.com/content/browse.cfm?sid=33&pid=516387,516474,369631
About The Author
Liza Messing
Keith Lowe is an editor in the United Kingdom and the author of Tunnel Vision. He lives in London.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (March 7, 2006)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9780743482103
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Raves and Reviews
"A tasty little tale that will leave you wanting more."
-- Liverpool Echo
"Food and romance are an unbeatable mix...in literature as in life.... Sweet with dark undercurrents."
-- The New Zealand Herald
"[A] Delicious saga of self discovery."
-- BOOKLIST
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): New Free Chocolate Sex Trade Paperback 9780743482103(0.6 MB)
- Author Photo (jpg): Keith Lowe Liza Messing(0.6 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
