Discussion Questions
1. How would you characterize the initial relationship that develops between Richard Plantagenet and Cecily Neville when Dickon joins the Neville family as a young ward? Why is their betrothal considered a great match for Cecily? How does their formal betrothal ceremony alter the dynamics of their relationship?
2. On a ride through the woods when she is eight, Cecily surprises a white deer and interprets its appearance as a holy sign. Later, at her father's death, she witnesses a white dove, and it to be a symbol that her father will be accepted into Heaven. How would you describe the trajectory of Cecily's faith over the course of her life? How does her faith guide her decisions? What events eventually bring about her disbelief?
3. How does his father's execution during Richard's childhood create a kind of social "guilt by association" that Richard must strive to overcome? How does Richard's behavior at Court bear evidence of his wish to compensate for his family's scandalous past?
4. Given her own station as the noble daughter of an esteemed English family, and the wife of the powerful and well-connected Duke of York, why does Cecily Neville feel a special kinship with Jeanne d'Arc, a young French peasant? What aspects of Jeanne's life might Cecily especially admire or envy? How does their encounter in Jeanne's cell change Cecily's life forever?
5. In the scenes involving Jeanne d'Arc, Cecily undergoes moments of intense spiritual awareness, in which she witnesses what she believes is the physical presence of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever felt a similar awareness of a divine presence or spirit? How were those experiences transformative for you? If you've never felt anything of the sort, can you imagine why such an experience might change someone's life and way of thinking? Why or why not?
6. How does the author's strategic use of flashbacks in the novel's narrative enable you as a reader to see Cecily's life through her own memories? Of the many parts of her life that Cecily reveals through her memories, which ones were most powerful or memorable for you, and why? Consider Cecily's childhood, her relationship with her husband, and the births and deaths of her many children.
7. Cecily is surrounded by women who help her navigate her life—her mother, Joan, who informs her morality; her sister-in-law, Alice Montagu, who explains carnal matters with forthrightness; her attendants, Rowena and Gresilde, who take care of all of her daily needs; and her personal physician, Constance LeMaitre, who helps deliver her children and serves as her confidante. What do these relationships reveal about the sphere inhabited by women in this era? Of the many connections Cecily has with women, which seem to influence her most profoundly?
8. How would you describe Cecily's feelings about motherhood? How do the many children she loses in infancy affect her feelings toward her surviving children? How would you characterize her role in her children's development, and how does it compare to her husband's influence?
9. How does Henry VI's mental instability contribute to volatility in the English kingdom and Europe at large? How is the fragility of his mental state foreshadowed in Queen by Right? Why does the pregnant Margaret of Anjou, Henry's French-born queen, see Richard's efforts to serve as Regent during Henry's illness as a threat to her child's future? To what extent are Margaret's fears warranted?
10. How does Cecily actively subvert the following advice from her mother: "I suppose you will learn the hard way that women will never be a man's equal in this world. We may lend an ear, we may even counsel our husbands when asked, but we are a man's property from one end of our lives to the other." To what extent does her role in her husband's decision-making suggest that her power in their marriage is far greater than meets the eye?
11. What does Cecily's behavior in departing from her embattled castle in Ludlow reveal about her true nature? Why does Henry VI show mercy in sparing her and her young children from execution? Given her frustration with her husband for his absences during other difficult moments in their life together, to what extent were you surprised that Cecily did not bear any resentment toward Richard for putting her in such a dreadful position?
12. How does Richard of York's intense military campaign against Henry VI enable Edward's political rise and eventual crowning as King Edward IV? What does Edward's public reception as a hero and sovereign reveal about the English people's attitudes toward Henry VI? How does Edward's ascent to the English throne impact Cecily Neville personally?
13. If you could relive any periods of Cecily's life, which would you choose to revisit and why? How does Cecily Neville compare to other heroines and historic figures you have encountered in literature?
(Questions issued by publisher. See http://readinggroups.simonandschuster.com/)