Lady in the Lake

From a 21st-century perspective, how does Lady in the Lake’s portrayal of journalism and media coverage in midcentury America compare to your own experiences of what constitutes news? What commonalities and differences are the most striking?

The Tessie Fine and Cleo Sherwood cases involve elements that remain prominently featured in 2020s news media: public obsession with true crime and issues of race and justice in America. How do you think these cases would be handled, covered, and perceived by law enforcement, journalists, and the public if they were to occur in the 2020s?

Consider Maddie’s conception of romantic love. At the end of the novel, she refers to Ferdie as her “second chance” at real love, despite claiming to have loved both Allan Durst Sr. and Milton. Who was really Maddie’s first love? How does that deliberate but unexplored revelation contribute to Lippman’s construction of Maddie’s character?