Discussion Questions for Group 5: KF, MF, and SG
1. On Thursday, April 6th, Bridget starts writing about how she wants to start going with the flow. She says, “Flow, it seems the right thing to do, I will tell her what I saw. Nothing of value comes from struggle; it is all about Flow. Zen and the art of life. Zen. Flow. Hmmm, but then how did I happen to bump into Jeremy and the worthless trollop if not through Flow? What does that mean, then?” (83).
Do you think Bridget goes with the flow? Or does she not believe flow to be legitimate? Can this be applied to her relationships with men?
2. On Tuesday, May 17th, Magda tells Bridget how lucky Bridget is not to be tied down with children or any other burdens. Bridget is confused as to how someone who has everything she wants herself could be jealous of her. She reflects back on something her friend Tom has told her over and over: “Only Women Bleed” (114).
What do you think Tom means by this and how does it apply to Magda’s life?
ENGH 202: Why Women Read Romance 
I think Tom meant that women deal with so many situations and circumstances that they are expected to be able to handle anything and everything that life throws at them. “Only women bleed” could mean that they are the responsible for a lot of things in their lives and the lives of others and its a lot to constantly have to bare and take care and is sometimes overlooked by society. This phrase relates to Magda because she is a mother and has so many responsibilities that she is expected to handle. The pressure of being able to be maintain a home and a happy marriage can be overwhelming and most men would not understand the stress that a woman undergoes when she chooses to be a mother. Magda envies Bridget because although she has a family, I’m sure she would love to be able to be carefree and only worrying about herself rather than everyone around her.
In reference to the first question, Bridget does not seem to go with the flow. She tends to think that she does but then she does something crazy that says otherwise. I think she likes to think of herself as an independent, carefree person but if that were the case she would not be obsessing over every aspect of her life. The fact that she records her weight, the number of cigarettes/drinks she has had shows that she can’t just live her life she has to have a control over every aspect. This trait of hers definitely translates to her relationship with men. She likes to have control over that as well. She is forcing Daniel to take this ‘mini-break’ even though it is quite obvious that he has no desire to do so. Earlier in the novel she also showed that she couldn’t just let things go. If Daniel didn’t call her she would stress and analyze every single detail that could explain why he didn’t call her. If Bridget were able to go with the flow then I think her life would be a lot less stressful than she makes it out to be.