What female character was the most interesting to you and why?
Héléne’s birth mark made her different, was this compelling, or did it make you feel sorry for her?
La Mutine was an actual vessel and the women that came across were in shackles. Could you put yourself in their place through the narrative? What do you feel would have been the most difficult to endure about the voyage?
Did John Law’s economic experiment with France’s economy remind you of any things that are going on in governments even today?
Were you surprised how long it took New Orleans to become a city? And under what rule (French, Spanish, English, or American) do you think had the most privileges for women?
There was unrest between the settlers and the many Indigenous tribes. As a writer in todays sensitive world, I tried to deal with this fact delicately and yet honestly. Were you surprised that people such as Little Moon were enslaved by warring tribes?
Mickey, Henri, Phillippe and Clement were all very different. Which one annoyed you? Did any of them surprise you with their actions?
The novel is written with several POV’s, (which is a no-no by the way in the writing world!) were you able to keep it straight, or were you occasionally confused as to who was speaking?
Did you feel like French people were speaking? I added the occasional French word, but worried that it would be contrived and silly if I did too much. (Not to mention that the majority of American readers do not speak French)
Victor’s Blessing
Does the fact that Victor never tells Celena he loves her make you feel differently about him? And why doesn’t he?
Celena’s character is shy, were you able to connect with the character even though she is not the typical self-important heroine?
Ethan’s character has flaws. Did you feel that he was able to redeem himself enough during the novel to justify Celena agreeing to marry him? And why?
Penelope is unhappy for most of the story. Do you think it had more to do with her own upbringing, and all the things she finds out Ethan has done, or the fact that her husband is in love with Celena? Do you think in time she would have found happiness?
Slavery was rightly abolished. Do you feel the novel adequately represented different opinions of the country ?
Although the novel touches on the well-known battles and happenings of the Civil War, the author tried to bring to life more obscure stories. Before reading the novel were you aware of Elmer Ellsworth, or the battle of Wilderness? Was it engaging to learn of some of the more unknown facets of the civil war?
Forgiveness was a theme throughout the novel. If you were Victor would you have been able to forgive Ethan? If you were Penelope could you also have forgiven Ethan? What about Victor sacrificing his own life to save his nephew? Or was Victor past forgiveness?
The ghost of Victor’s mother visits him on the battlefield. How did you feel about him going with her, as opposed to the other two times she asked him to?
There was some humor in the novel, was it appropriate and appreciated or did it detract from the story?
