About this episode

The episode discusses listener questions and key themes from Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast, including family dynamics and societal issues.

Welcome back to our series on Margaret Kennedy’s The Feast! We begin by answering a couple of listener questions, before discussing the fascinating “symposium” at the heart of this section (“what is wrong with this country!?”), Nancibel’s lovely conversation with her mother, and the Cove girls’ tragic conflict with their mother. Happy listening! If you enjoy Close Reads please consider subscribing to Close Reads HQ. Your support keeps the showing going. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit closereads.substack.com/subscribe

Topics covered

• listener questions
• symposium
• family conflict
• mother-daughter relationship
• literary discussion

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Feast

More episodes of Close Reads Podcast HQ

• Beloved: 159-235 · July 14, 2026 · 57 min
• Beloved: 76-158 · July 8, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Beloved: Pages 1-75 · July 1, 2026 · 1h 22m
• The Feast: Q&A · June 29, 2026 · 1h 17m
• The Feast: To the End · June 17, 2026 · 1h 14m
• The Feast: Wednesday · June 2, 2026 · 1h 12m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Close Reads Podcast HQ podcast page.