Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• Generic Discussion Questions
• Read-Think-Talk About a Book
Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for North Star Conspiracy:
1. Why does Glynis refuse to marry Cullen Stuart, despite her fondness for him? In what ways would her life have changed as a married woman? You might use that question to segue into a discussion of the conditions for women in the mid-19th century. Does Monfredo make any connection between the powerlessness of white women and their slave counterparts?
2. On what basis does Glynis decide to help Kiri flee her captors? To what extent is an individual free—or compelled—to disobey laws that violate the conscience? ? Who decides when laws are unjust?
3. What is the effect of Monfredo's inserting real-life historical figures into her fictional world? Why might she use that technique? Does Monfredo's treatment of those historical individuals make them, or the era in which they lived, come alive for you?
4. Did Monfredo's book enable you learn more about the Underground Railroad and abolitionist movement? Monfredo has been praised for her historical accuracy, which brings up an interesting question—is the ability to appreciate history enhanced through fictional tellings? How useful did you find the mini-encyclopedia at the back of the book?
5. As has been said, "the past is never past. In what way does Kiri's past come back to haunt her?
6. What does the journey to Richmond reveal about the era's political divisiveness between northern abolitionists and southern slaveholders?
7. How does Glynis arrive at her courtroom revelation? What steps lead her to uncover the key evidence?
8. Does the entrapment of Thomas Farley make for a good ending...or an unrealistic one, forced or tacked on?
9. This is a mystery after all. Talk about how Monfredo buries clues, misleads the reader, uses plot twists, builds suspense, and reveals the solution? How well does she do all that? Did you find the revelation surprising...or predictable?
10. Finally, consider Monfredo's use of a theatrical production, Macbeth. How does it function in the story (think about role playing...)?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution.)