A Spool of Blue Thread: A Novel by Anne Tyler Conversation Starters. A Spool of Blue Thread features a typical family settled for a couple of generations in a house built by their grandfather. While they appear to be happy and united to outsiders, cracks gradually develop in the unity of the family. As we probe even further, it is shown that the family never had the kind of background people thought. In short, appearances can be deceiving, and families find a way to work despite all the problems they face. The underlying message of the book is that families can be defined by their individual members, but also by all the joys, sorrows, quirkiness, and events that take place within them. A Brief Look Inside: EVERY GOOD BOOK CONTAINS A WORLD FAR DEEPER than the surface of its pages. The characters and their world come alive, and the characters and its world still live on. Conversation Starters is peppered with questions designed to bring us beneath the surface of the page and invite us into the world that lives on. These questions can be used to... Create Hours of Conversation: - Foster a deeper understanding of the book - Promote an atmosphere of discussion for groups - Assist in the study of the book, either individually or corporately - Explore unseen realms of the book as never seen before.