Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: Book Club Discussion Guide
What if the good old days weren't actually that good?
Natalie Heller Mills has built an empire selling a romanticised version of traditional domestic life to millions of women: marriage, motherhood, homemaking and a return to supposedly simpler times.
Then she wakes up in 1855.
Without her staff, modern conveniences, social media — or any of the things that made her carefully curated version of traditional womanhood possible — Natalie is forced to confront the reality behind the fantasy she has been selling.
Yesteryear gave us plenty to talk about: nostalgia, choice feminism, motherhood, domestic labour, influencer culture and the difference between choosing a lifestyle and selling that choice to millions of other women.
And, of course, that ending.
THE BIG QUESTION
What are we really nostalgic for?
Natalie's entire brand depends on an idealised version of the past: traditional marriage, clearly defined gender roles, motherhood, homemaking and a supposedly simpler way of life.
But Yesteryear asks whether that past ever really existed — and what gets conveniently edited out when we romanticise it.
A simpler time? For whom?
INSIDE THE READING GUIDE
Our Yesteryear reading guide includes:
10 discussion questions exploring the novel's characters, themes and ending
Big ideas including nostalgia, tradwife culture, choice feminism, domestic labour, motherhood and influencer culture
Further reading and listening for anyone who isn't quite done thinking about it yet
Free to download for personal and book club use.
A little note from Brunch Book Club
Our discussion guides aren't homework.
They're designed to give you somewhere to start, something to disagree about and a few cultural rabbit holes to disappear down afterwards.
Use all ten questions. Use three. Ignore them entirely because someone has just made an outrageous claim about Natalie and the table needs to investigate immediately.
There are no rules here.
Books. Brunch. Booze. Big conversations.
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