Swan Song Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket Mystery
About This Quiz
This 20‑question quiz covers the entire novel Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand. It mixes multiple‑choice and short‑answer formats to test plot details, character motivations, themes, and synthesis. After the questions you will find a complete answer key with brief explanations referencing key events.
For more on the book, visit the main book page, browse questions and answers, or read the ending explained.
Questions
Plot / Sequence (Questions 1–8)
1. What event interrupts Chief Ed Kapenash’s retirement dinner at Ventuno?
- A) A missing‑person report for Coco
- B) A fire at the Richardson house
- C) Both a fire at the Richardson house and a report that Coco is missing
- D) A boating accident in the harbor
2. How does Coco first arrive on Nantucket?
- A) She flies into the island’s small airport on a private jet
- B) She takes the Steamship Authority ferry from Hyannis
- C) She sails on the Richardson yacht Hedonism
- D) She drives onto the island over the new bridge
3. At the Richardsons’ Pink and White Party, what business proposition do Fast Eddie and Addison present to Bull?
- A) A partnership to open a new restaurant
- B) A real‑estate development deal on Jeanne Jackson’s land
- C) A plan to import Indonesian goods
- D) An offer to manage the Richardsons’ yacht charter business
4. What causes the death of the premature baby Gideon (Little G) in Kacy’s NICU?
- A) A respiratory infection
- B) Cardiac arrest
- C) A medication error by a new nurse
- D) Parental neglect after discharge
5. During the Field and Oar Club membership vote, who casts the deciding “nay” that rejects the Richardsons?
- A) Busy Ambrose
- B) Phoebe Wheeler
- C) Blond Sharon
- D) Talbot Sweeney
6. Where is Coco found alive after her fall from the yacht?
- A) On the beach at Smith’s Point
- B) On the south shore of Tuckernuck Island
- C) Drifting near Whale Island
- D) Clinging to a buoy in the harbor
7. What does the fire inspector identify as the accelerant in the Triple Eight fire?
- A) Gasoline
- B) Perfume
- C) Rubbing alcohol
- D) Lighter fluid
8. At Chief Ed’s retirement party, what happens as he walks down to the beach?
- A) He receives a final commendation from the mayor
- B) He collapses and Andrea calls 911
- C) He announces his candidacy for selectman
- D) He dances a final dance with Zara Washington
Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)
9. Why does Kacy Kapenash decide to spend the summer on Nantucket?
- A) To help her father prepare for retirement
- B) To recover from the death of a patient and end an affair with a married doctor
- C) To take a new nursing job at Nantucket Cottage Hospital
- D) To reconcile with her ex‑girlfriend Isla
10. What is Coco’s primary motivation for working as the Richardsons’ personal concierge?
- A) To save money for her own business
- B) To get Bull to read her screenplay Rosebush
- C) To experience the Nantucket social scene
- D) To escape her past in Arkansas permanently
11. Why does Leslee Richardson set fire to Triple Eight?
- A) She is angry about being rejected by the Field and Oar Club
- B) She wants to collect insurance money because the Richardsons are in financial trouble
- C) She hopes to frame Coco for arson
- D) She is drunk and accidentally ignites the curtains
12. Why does Blond Sharon enroll in Lucky Zambrano’s creative‑writing workshop?
- A) She hopes to become a published author after her husband leaves her
- B) She wants to impress Romeo, who is a writer
- C) She needs a hobby to fill her days now that her children are grown
- D) She is working on a tell‑all book about the island’s elite
13. Why does Kacy send photos of herself with Coco to her ex‑girlfriend Isla?
- A) To make Isla jealous and to feel validated after being left
- B) To prove she is moving on and happy
- C) To show Isla that she has found a new best friend
- D) To document her summer for social media
Theme / Symbol (Questions 14–17)
14. What does the “kitchen” rule in pickleball symbolize in the novel?
- A) The exclusivity of Nantucket social circles and boundary‑violating behavior
- B) The difficulty of learning a new sport
- C) The competition between old money and new money
- D) The domestic sphere of the Richardson household
15. The Amalfi lemons that Leslee displays without ever using represent:
- A) The Richardsons’ love of Italian culture
- B) Wasteful wealth display and the gap between appearance and reality
- C) Coco’s homesickness for her mother’s cooking
- D) The importance of fresh ingredients in gourmet cuisine
16. Chief Ed’s retirement is repeatedly called his “swan song.” In the context of the novel, this metaphor refers to:
- A) His final, dramatic act of solving a major case before retiring
- B) His peaceful exit from the force without publicity
- C) His love of music and dancing
- D) The legend that a swan sings only once before death—here, Ed’s final days as chief
17. Coco’s screenplay The Personal Concierge is based on her experiences. What does the screenplay’s success ultimately suggest?
- A) Revenge is best served through storytelling
- B) Hard work always pays off financially
- C) Hollywood loves true crime stories
- D) The Richardsons were innocent all along
Synthesis (Questions 18–20)
18. How does the author use the character of Blond Sharon to connect different storylines?
- A) She is the central detective in the arson investigation
- B) She also works for the Richardsons part‑time
- C) As the hub of the “cobblestone telegraph,” she observes, gossips, and eventually writes about the events
- D) She is Kacy’s mother and thus involved in the Kapenash family drama
19. Both Coco and Kacy experience betrayals in their romantic lives. How do their responses to betrayal differ?
- A) Coco seeks revenge while Kacy forgives immediately
- B) Coco focuses on her career and screenplay, while Kacy prioritizes helping Isla despite being second choice
- C) Kacy moves back to California, and Coco leaves the island permanently
- D) Coco turns to Lamont, while Kacy isolates herself from everyone
20. The novel begins and ends with Chief Ed Kapenash at a celebration. How does his role change from the prologue to the final chapter?
- A) He goes from being an active chief to a retired man who suffers a health crisis while reflecting on his life
- B) He becomes more cynical about the community
- C) He solves the mystery alone before retiring
- D) He hands over the case completely to Zara Washington
Answer Key
Plot / Sequence
1. C) Both a fire at the Richardson house and a report that Coco is missing
The call reports the fire and that Coco is missing from the yacht.
2. B) She takes the Steamship Authority ferry from Hyannis
After arriving in Boston, Coco takes the ferry to Nantucket.
3. B) A real‑estate development deal on Jeanne Jackson’s land
Eddie and Addison propose buying and developing the Jackson lots.
4. B) Cardiac arrest
Little G dies of cardiac arrest eleven days before his scheduled discharge.
5. C) Blond Sharon
Sharon casts the deciding “nay” vote; Phoebe later changes her abstention to nay.
6. B) On the south shore of Tuckernuck Island
Coco is found alive on Tuckernuck after being in the water.
7. B) Perfume
The fire inspector finds perfume used as an accelerant.
8. B) He collapses and Andrea calls 911
At the beach, Ed collapses and Andrea screams for help.
Character Motivation
9. B) To recover from the death of a patient and end an affair with a married doctor
Kacy leaves San Francisco after Gideon dies and her affair with Isla falls apart.
10. B) To get Bull to read her screenplay Rosebush
Coco’s ambition is to have Bull, a supposed movie producer, read her script.
11. B) She wants to collect insurance money because the Richardsons are in financial trouble
Leslee confesses she set the fire for insurance; her motives include IRS issues and business losses.
12. A) She hopes to become a published author after her husband leaves her
After Walker leaves her, Sharon decides to pursue her lifelong dream of writing.
13. A) To make Isla jealous and to feel validated after being left
Kacy admits she used Coco’s photos to provoke jealousy; she later feels guilty.
Theme / Symbol
14. A) The exclusivity of Nantucket social circles and boundary‑violating behavior
Leslee repeatedly violates the kitchen rule, symbolizing her disregard for social boundaries.
15. B) Wasteful wealth display and the gap between appearance and reality
Leslee spends €284 on lemons but only displays them, highlighting excess and facade.
16. D) The legend that a swan sings only once before death—here, Ed’s final days as chief
The “swan song” refers to his last case and the climax of his career.
17. A) Revenge is best served through storytelling
Coco’s screenplay, based on her experiences, becomes a hit film that exposes the Richardsons.
Synthesis
18. C) As the hub of the “cobblestone telegraph,” she observes, gossips, and eventually writes about the events
Sharon collects information and uses it in her writing, linking disparate characters.
19. B) Coco focuses on her career and screenplay, while Kacy prioritizes helping Isla despite being second choice
Coco channels her pain into success; Kacy drops everything to console Isla.
20. A) He goes from being an active chief to a retired man who suffers a health crisis while reflecting on his life
In the prologue he leaves a party to work; in the final chapter he collapses after a flashback‑filled walk.
For more on the novel’s resolution, see the ending explained. Return to the main page for a full overview of characters and themes.