1. Why did Babbitt choose to set The Eyes of the Amaryllis in the past? Would the novel have worked as effectively if it were set on Cape Cod today?

2. The book opens with a quotation from the Song of Solomon, "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it." How do you react to this line? What does it tell you about the story?

3. What is the purpose of the "Prologue?" Who exactly is Seward warning and what is he warning against?

4. Who is the protagonist or main character of The Eyes of the Amaryllis? Is this Geneva Reade's story or Jenny's story?

5. Why does Geneva Reade want to keep the figurehead from the Amaryllis?

Why does the sea apparently want it back? What symbolic significance do you attach to Jenny's father's appearing to save the grandmother immediately after she throws the...