Bookclub

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Welcome, Reader. Pour yourself something sparkling, make a wish, and toss it into the Trevi's shimmering waters. Then settle in — postwar Rome is waiting, and so are Anita, Shadwell, and the rest of the unforgettable cast of Coins in the Fountain.

Setting the Scene

Pour yourself something lively!

Pour something Italian. We've included a selection of classic cocktails recipes both in the back of the book and on our Recipes page. And don't overlook the water: a chilled bottle of sparkling Italian mineral water belongs on every Roman table. Fiuggi was a personal favorite of the author, John H. Secondari

Refreshments

Book readers get hungry! we've included some wonderful cicchetti recipes on the Recipes page. A bowl or nuts or pretzels will work too.

Questions for Discussion

Below you'll find questions to spark the conversation. Don't feel obligated to get through them all — the best book club discussions have a way of finding their own fountain to toss coins into.

Questions for discussion

Cover of the book "Coins in the Fountain" featuring an illustrated woman in a white dress and hat holding a cocktail, with a fountain and historic building in the background, under a blue sky.

  • How does Shadwell’s relationship to the fountain differ from other characters?

    Is the fountain a symbol of hope, or of the human need to believe in magic?

  • Could the story have happened anywhere else?

    The novel captures postwar Rome at a specific moment of reinvention. How does the city's own recovery mirror what the women are seeking?

  • Readers have noted that "the covert power of the women was even stronger." Where do you see the women exercising power — and why does it have to be covert?

    The four women come to Rome looking for new beginnings. What are they each running toward — and what are they running from?

    How do Priscilla, Anita, Virginia, and Theresa support or undermine each other?

  • The novel is romantic but also honest about heartbreak and mistakes. Which relationship felt most true to you, and why?

    Anita and Giorgio face significant obstacles. How much has — or hasn't — changed for women navigating love across cultural and class lines?

  • The novel is authentic to the era when it was written. What felt timeless, and what challenged your modern perspective?

    If these four women were living abroad today, what would be different about their experience? What would be exactly the same?

  • The author’s daughter, Linda Secondari, writes in her foreword about reconnecting with a father she barely knew through his work. Did knowing the personal story behind the reissue change how you read the novel?