The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage
Philip Pullman, 2017
Random Children's
464 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780375815300
Summary
Malcolm Polstead is the kind of boy who notices everything but is not much noticed himself. And so perhaps it was inevitable that he would become a spy.…
Malcolm's parents run an inn called the Trout, on the banks of the river Thames, and all of Oxford passes through its doors.
Malcolm and his daemon, Asta, routinely overhear news and gossip, and the occasional scandal, but during a winter of unceasing rain, Malcolm catches wind of something new: intrigue.
He finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust — and the spy it was intended for finds him.
When she asks Malcolm to keep his eyes open, he sees suspicious characters everywhere: the explorer Lord Asriel, clearly on the run; enforcement agents from the Magisterium; a gyptian named Coram with warnings just for Malcolm; and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey for a daemon.
All are asking about the same thing: a girl — just a baby — named Lyra.
Lyra is the kind of person who draws people in like magnets. And Malcolm will brave any danger, and make shocking sacrifices, to bring her safely through the storm. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—October, 19 1946
• Where—Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK
• Education—Oxford University
• Awards—(below)
• Currently—lives in Oxford, England
Philip Pullman is one of the most acclaimed writers working today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass), which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly.
He has also won many distinguished prizes, including the Carnegie Medal for The Golden Compass (and the reader-voted “Carnegie of Carnegies” for the best children’s book of the past seventy years); the Whitbread (now Costa) Award for The Amber Spyglass; a Booker Prize long-list nomination (The Amber Spyglass); Parents’ Choice Gold Awards (The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass); and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, in honor of his body of work. In 2004, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Philip Pullman is the author of many other much-lauded novels. Three volumes related to His Dark Materials: Lyra’s Oxford, Once Upon a Time in the North, and The Collectors. For younger readers: I Was a Rat!; Count Karlstein; Two Crafty Criminals; Spring-Heeled Jack; and The Scarecrow and His Servant. For older readers: the Sally Lockhart quartet (The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin Princess); The White Mercedes; and The Broken Bridge.
Philip Pullman lives in Oxford, England. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
La Belle Sauvage sometime lags. Curiously for such a gifted storyteller, Pullman includes long stretches of flat dialogue in which Malcolm essentially repeats information he has already heard.… [But] even with its longueurs, the book is full of wonder. By the end, when Malcolm and … Alice embark with Lyra on a perilous watery odyssey replete with strange undersea creatures and various other things not dreamed of in our philosophy, it becomes truly thrilling.… It's a stunning achievement, the universe Pullman has created and continues to build on.
Sarah Lyall - New York Times
"High-octane adventure accompanies ingenious plotting.
Times (UK)
A phantasmagoric waterborne odyssey. Mr. Pullman is a supple and formidable writer.
Wall Street Journal
Enthralling, enchanting. The first half reads like a thriller. The story becomes darker, deeper and even more engrossing when a cataclysmic flood overtakes Southern England. Too few things in our world are worth a seventeen year wait: The Book of Dust is one of them.
Washington Post
Once again, Pullman’s fantasy arrives precisely when it can teach us the most about ourselves, as if it were guided by Dust itself.
Entertainment Weekly
(Starred review.) [A] thrilling alternate landscape of animal daemons, truth-revealing alethiometers, and the mysterious particle known as Dust.… [T]his tense, adventure-packed book will satisfy and delight Pullman's fans and leave them eager to see what's yet to come (Ages 14–up).
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Luminous prose, heady philosophical questions, and a lovable protagonist combine with a gripping plot sure to enchant fans and newcomers alike.
School Library Journal
(Starred review.) Pullman demonstrates that his talent for world building hasn’t diminished, nor has his ability to draw young characters — here, Malcolm, who is layered enough to carry an adventure through multiple dimensionsal.
Booklist
(Starred review.) Magisterial storytelling will sweep readers along; the cast is as vividly drawn as ever; and big themes running beneath the surface invite profound responses and reflection (Age 13–adult).
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, please use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Book of Dust - La Belle Sauvage … then take off on your own:
1. Malcolm Polstead "came to think of himself as lucky, which did him no harm in later life. If he'd been the sort of boy who acquired a nickname, he would no doubt have been known as Professor, but he wasn't that sort of boy." What does this observation tell us about Malcolm?
2. Consider that La Belle Sauvage is a quest story in which, during a perilous journey, a young hero acquires both strength and wisdom. In what way is Malcolm transformed by the novel's end?
3. Why are the Magisterium AND Gerard Bonneville hunting Lyra?
4. Describe the cultural/political environment — i.e., the theorcracy — of Pullman's world. How would you describe the author's views of religion? Do you see resemblences in La Belle Sauvage to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale? Where do the nuns at Godstow fit into this picture of an authoritarian religion?
5. What do you think of Alice? How does she change during the course of the novel?
6. How do daemons function in Pullman's novels? What do they represent? What is your daemon … if you have one? Talk about how Bonneville abuses his own daemon. What does such an action say about him?
7. What are the implications, thematic or symbolic, of the name La Belle Sauvage — which is the title of the book, the name of Malcolm's canoe, and an old inn with a sign of a beautiful (and once courageous) woman. What does the appellation hearken back to in history? Why does the novel take its name from the canoe?
8. What is the Dust which infuses both His Dark Materials as well as this book? Characters discover it, study it, or attempt to destroy it. Some readers consider Dust the dark matter of the universe; some see it as representing the change during puberty when the daemons take their settled form; some think of it as "original sin." How do you see it? Any ideas?
9. How does this first volume of Pullman's new series compare to the those of His Dark Materials trilogy?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)
The Lager Queen of Minnesota
J. Ryan Stradal, 2019
Penguin Publishing
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780399563058
Summary
A novel of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate and the secrets of making a world-class beer, from the bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest.
Two sisters, one farm.
A family is split when their father leaves their shared inheritance entirely to Helen, his younger daughter. Despite baking award-winning pies at the local nursing home, her older sister, Edith, struggles to make what most people would call a living.
So she can't help wondering what her life would have been like with even a portion of the farm money her sister kept for herself.
With the proceeds from the farm, Helen builds one of the most successful light breweries in the country, and makes their company motto ubiquitous: "Drink lots. It's Blotz."
Where Edith has a heart as big as Minnesota, Helen's is as rigid as a steel keg. Yet one day, Helen will find she needs some help herself, and she could find a potential savior close to home. . . if it's not too late.
Meanwhile, Edith's granddaughter, Diana, grows up knowing that the real world requires a tougher constitution than her grandmother possesses. She earns a shot at learning the IPA business from the ground up—will that change their fortunes forever, and perhaps reunite her splintered family?
Here we meet a cast of lovable, funny, quintessentially American characters eager to make their mark in a world that's often stacked against them. In this deeply affecting family saga, resolution can take generations, but when it finally comes, we're surprised, moved, and delighted. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1975
• Raised—Hastings, Minnesota, USA
• Education—B.A., Northwestern University
• Currently—lives in Los Angeles, California
J. Ryan Stradal is the author of New York Times bestseller Kitchens of the Great Midwest (2015) and national bestseller The Lager Queen of Minnesota (2020).
His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Granta, Rumpus, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among other places. His debut, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, won the American Booksellers Association Indie's Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year, the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association award for fiction, and the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award for debut fiction.
Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
I read J. Ryan Stradal’s Kitchens of the Great Midwest on a flight. I buckled my seatbelt, opened the book and when I looked up again, the flight attendant was asking if I needed assistance getting off the plane. I didn’t, but now you know the spell this author can cast. He does it again with The Lager Queen of Minnesota.
Elisabeth Egan - New York Times Book Review
[Its] generous spirit makes The Lager Queen of Minnesota a pleasure to read and the perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer day.
Wendy Smith - Washington Post
Wonderful…. Stradal’s gift for getting the reader to invest in these lives is particularly profound.
Chicago Tribune
Delightfully intoxicating…. [It] will make you smile with its droll humor, and its poignant moments will stop you to reread and confirm that they are really that good. In beer-geek slang, Stradal’s novel is "crushable" — easygoing, well-balanced, super-drinkable with tons of flavor…. [It]will make you go back for more.
USA Today
Everything about this book satisfies—from how the characters grow to how beer-making is described to Stradal's hilarious assessment of lagers vs. IPAs. You may never drink a beer in ignorance again.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
This charmer of a tale is a loving ode to the Midwest, the power of persistence and, perhaps above all, beer.… Warm, witty and—like any good craft beer—complex, the saga delivers a subtly feminist and wholly life-affirming message.
People
Complex female characters, tragedies, and descriptions…will awaken all your senses.… The Lager Queen of Minnesota …could cement J. Ryan Stradal as the King of Midwestern novels.
Entertainment Weekly
The fortunes and foibles of a brewery mirror the relationship between two sisters tussling over a family farm in this quirky, enchanting novel reminiscent of Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres.
Oprah Magazine
Stradal follows up Kitchens of the Great Midwest with a refreshing story about women who know how to take charge… a testament to the setbacks and achievements that come with following one’s passion.… [S]ometimes sad, sometimes funny, but always winning novel.
Publishers Weekly
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Booklist
[T]his is an ultimately hopeful and heartwarming story… [as] these truly original characters overcome their challenges and take care of each other. An absolutely delightful read, perfect for a summer day with a good beer and a piece of pie.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. At the center of the story is a family divided over an unfairly split inheritance. How do you feel about how each sister reacted to their father’s decision? Did this situation evoke memories of lopsided inheritances or contested wills in your own family?
2. Helen instantly loves beer on her first taste and soon comes to the conclusion that she wants to be a brewer. How would you characterize her ambition? Does her relationship with Orval feel honest or calculated?
3. When we first meet Diana, she is stealing tools from garages and selling them on the internet to make money. In spite of this, how does she become a sympathetic character? What actions does she make that reveal her kindness and generosity?
4. Edith likes to think of herself as a simple person—or does she? In what ways is she actually quite complicated? How does she reveal herself to be as calculating or focused as Helen?
5. Edith is convinced that her life would have been different had she received her half of the family farm. How would it have it been different? Consequently, how would Diana’s life have been different?
6. What do you think of the "education" Frank Schabert gives Diana about brewing? Do you agree with his methods?
7. Each of the sisters experience the loss of a beloved husband. How are they different in how they express their grief? How are they similar?
8. The relationships within the book, as in life, necessarily evolve and adapt as time passes. How do you feel about Diana and Clarissa’s friendship, and the reasons they grew apart?
9. If there was one more chapter after the final scene, what do you imagine might happen?
10. Who do you feel is the "lager queen of Minnesota," if anyone?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Conversations with Friends
Sally Rooney, 2017
Crown/Archetype
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780451499059
Summary
A sharply intelligent novel about friendship, lust, jealousy, and the unexpected complications of adulthood in the 21st century
Frances is a cool-headed and darkly observant young woman, vaguely pursuing a career in writing while studying in Dublin.
Her best friend and comrade-in-arms is the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi.
At a local poetry performance one night, Frances and Bobbi catch the eye of Melissa, a well-known photographer, and as the girls are then gradually drawn into Melissa's world, Frances is reluctantly impressed by the older woman's sophisticated home and tall, handsome husband, Nick.
However amusing and ironic Frances and Nick’s flirtation seems at first, it gives way to a strange intimacy, and Frances’s friendship with Bobbi begins to fracture. As Frances tries to keep her life in check, her relationships increasingly resist her control: with Nick, with her difficult and unhappy father, and finally, terribly, with Bobbi.
Desperate to reconcile her inner life to the desires and vulnerabilities of her body, Frances's intellectual certainties begin to yield to something new: a painful and disorienting way of living from moment to moment.
Written with gem-like precision and marked by a sly sense of humor, Conversations with Friends is wonderfully alive to the pleasures and dangers of youth, and the messy edges of female friendship. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1991
• Where—Mayo, Ireland
• Education—M.A., Trinity College
• Awards—Costa Novel Award, An Post Irish Award
• Currently—lives in Dublin, Ireland
(Adapted from the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Rooney writes so well of the condition of being a young, gifted but self-destructive woman, both the mentality and physicality of it. She is alert to the invisible bars imprisoning the apparently free. Though herself young – she was born in 1991 – she has already been shortlisted for this year’s Sunday Times EFG short story award. Her hyperarticulate characters may fail to communicate their fragile selves, but Rooney does it for them in a voice distinctively her own.
Guardian (UK)
A novelist to watch: An addictive debut, with nods to Tender is the Night, heralds a bright new talent.
Sunday Times (UK)
A writer of rare confidence, with a lucid, exacting style… [O]ne wonderful aspect of Rooney’s consistently wonderful novel is the fierce clarity with which she examines the self-delusion that so often festers alongside presumed self-knowledge.… But Rooney’s natural power is as a psychological portraitist. She is acute and sophisticated about the workings of innocence; the protagonist of this novel about growing up has no idea just how much of it she has left to do.
New Yorker
Rooney has the gift of imbuing everyday life with a sense of high stakes.… [A] novel of delicious frictions.
Christian Lorentzen - New York Magazine
The self-deceptions of a new generation are at the core of Sally Rooney’s debut, Conversations With Friends, which captures something wonderfully odd-cornered and real in the story of an Irish millennial (10 Best Books of 2017).
Megan O'Grady - Vogue
A very funny, very humanly messy tale of sexual and artistic self-discovery in which every page reveals shrewd emotional insight. Caught between laser-eyed irony and heart-melting sincerity, the book is a masterclass in narrative tone that left me desperate to read whatever Rooney writes next.… An addictive, funny and truthful first novel about love and literature.
Metro
(Starred review.) [S]earing, insightful…. Rooney lets readers glimpse the rich interior of Frances's life — capturing the tension and excitement of her attraction to Nick…. Rooney's descriptive eye lends beauty and veracity to this complex and vivid story.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) [T]races the emotional intricacies that draw people together as well as … complicate these connections. Frances is a tricky narrator, brilliant and analytical yet somehow unknowable to herself and others.… Exceptional. —John G. Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman
Library Journal
(Starred review.) A smart, sexy, realistic portrayal of a woman finding herself.
Booklist
[Rooney] deftly illustrates psychology's first lesson: that everyone is doomed to repeat their patterns. A clever and current book about a complicated woman and her romantic relationships.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for Conversation with Friends … then take off on your own:
1. How would you describe the two protagonists at the heart of Conversations With Friends — Francis, the narrator, and Bobbi, her best friend. Start, say, with this observation from Francis:
[Bobbi] could be abrasive and unrestrained in a way that made people uncomfortable, while I tended to be encouragingly polite. Mothers always liked me a lot, for example.
2. How has her past shaped Frances, especially, say, her father's angry bouts of drinking? What has she carried with her from childhood?
3. What was Francis and Bobbi's relationship early on … and how has it evolved? Who has the power in the relationship and in what way? Does the power equation change?
4. What does Francis mean when she declares herself anti-love?
5. Bobbi told Francis that she thought Francis lacked a "real personality," but that she meant it as a compliment. what do you think Bobbi meant by that?
6. In what way would you describe the banter between the two as competitive, almost like playing badminton or tennis?
7. What do the conversations between Frances and Bobbi do — do they provide enlightenment ... entertainment ... or emotional connection? In other words, what purpose, if any, do the conversations serve?
Consider, for instance, the exchange between the two young women over love — variously defined as an "interpersonal phenomenon," a "social value system," or a "discursive practice" whose effect is "unpaid labor." During the course of the novel, how are those definitions turned on their heads? (Or are they?) How would do you define love?
8. Capitalism and its failure with the 2008 financial collapse is at the root of the two women's concerns. How do they view capitalism? How has the system failed them, their generation, and/or their country?
9. Why is Melissa drawn to the Bobbi and Francis, and what makes Melissa so appealing to them?
10. How would you describe the marriage between Melissa and Nick? Is Nick the intellectual equal of his wife?
11. When Frances enters upon an affair with Nick, how does she feel about her role as an adulteress? Does she see it as a cliche? She tells Nick that she's only doing it "ironically." What does she mean? Would you say that Frances is deluding herself … in possession of self-knowledge … or vacillating between the two?
12. Bobbi comes from wealth. How do you view her scorn for money?
13. When her husband and Frances's affair comes to light, what do you think of Melissa's willingness to share Nick with Frances? Is she self-deluded? Or clear-eyed? Do Nick's feelings for either woman invalidate his feelings for the other? Can love be shared?
14. How is the friendship between Frances and Bobbi affected by the affair between Frances and Nick?
15. This novel might be seen as a coming-of-age story. What does it have to say about innocence and growing up? How are the characters, especially Frances, changed over the course of the novel?
16. What do you think the title means? Is it ironic? Are the young women friends? Do they hold conversations?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)
Gods of Jade and Shadow
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, 2019
Random House
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780525620761
Summary
The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.
The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes.
Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.
Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother.
Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.
In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatan to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of Signal to Noise (2015), named one of the best books of the year by BookRiot, Tordotcom, BuzzFeed, io9, and other publications; Certain Dark Things (2016), one of NPR’s best books of the year, a Publishers Weekly top ten, and a VOYA "Perfect Ten"; the fantasy of manners The Beautiful Ones (2017); and the science fiction novella "Prime Meridian" (2018).
She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award winning She Walks in Shadows (aka Cthulhu’s Daughters). She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
A dark, dazzling fairy tale… [and] a whirlwind tour of a 1920s Mexico vivid with jazz, the memories of revolution, and gods, demons, and magic.
NPR
(Starred review) A magical novel…. [Its] seamless blend of mythology and history provides a ripe setting for Casiopea’s stellar journey of self-discovery…. Readers will gladly immerse themselves in [this] rich, complex tale of desperate hopes and complicated relationships.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) [A] stirring historical fantasy set in the Roaring Twenties and steeped in Mayan mythology…. Snappy dialog, stellar worldbuilding, lyrical prose, and a slow-burn romance make this a standout
Library Journal
Moreno-Garcia has a talent for taking Mexican folklore, customs, and mythology, twisting them around, and turning out fascinating stories immersed in different genre tropes…. Fans of lush, evocative language will be thoroughly delighted.
Booklist
A multi-layered book… about the power of stories and narratives and how they feed into myth-making.… There are parts of this novel that made me literally hug my e-reader. They were sigh-worthy.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. What were your first impressions of Casiopea? Hun-Kame? Martin? How did you feel about them by the end of the book?
2. How did you feel about the relationship between Casiopea and Hun-Kame?
3. What did you think about the historical period and setting of the book? Could you see this as a modern-day adventure?
4. What did you think about the ending? Do you wish anything had been different? Would you read a sequel to this story? If so, would you prefer it feature Casiopea and Hun Kame, or would you prefer a story in the same world with new characters?
5. Discuss Martin’s perception of the world versus Casiopea’s. Why do you think, raised under the same roof, they see things so differently?
(Questions from author's website; don't miss the gorgeous book club kit.)
The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy 2)
Katherine Arden, 2017
Del Rey
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781101885963
Summary
A remarkable young woman blazes her own trail, from the backwoods of Russia to the court of Moscow, in the exhilarating sequel to Katherine Arden’s bestselling debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale.
Katherine Arden’s enchanting first novel introduced readers to an irresistible heroine. Vasilisa has grown up at the edge of a Russian wilderness, where snowdrifts reach the eaves of her family’s wooden house and there is truth in the fairy tales told around the fire. Her gift for seeing what others do not won her the attention of Morozko—Frost, the winter demon from the stories—and together they saved her people from destruction.
But Frost’s aid comes at a cost, and her people have condemned her as a witch.
Now Vasilisa faces an impossible choice. Driven from her home by frightened villagers, the only options left for her are marriage or the convent. She cannot bring herself to accept either fate and instead chooses adventure, dressing herself as a boy and setting off astride her magnificent stallion Solovey.
But after Vasilisa prevails in a skirmish with bandits, everything changes.
The Grand Prince of Moscow anoints her a hero for her exploits, and she is reunited with her beloved sister and brother, who are now part of the Grand Prince’s inner circle. She dares not reveal to the court that she is a girl, for if her deception were discovered it would have terrible consequences for herself and her family.
Before she can untangle herself from Moscow’s intrigues — and as Frost provides counsel that may or may not be trustworthy — she will also confront an even graver threat lying in wait for all of Moscow itself. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1987 (?)
• Where—Austin, Texas, USA
• Education—B.A., Middlebury, Vermont, USA
• Currently—lives in Brandon, Vermont
Katherine Arden is a Texas-born author known for her Winternight Trilogy of fantasy novels—The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, both published in 2017, and The Winter of the Witch in 2019.
Born in Austin, Texas, Katherine Arden spent her junior year of high school in Rennes, France. Following her acceptance to Middlebury College in Vermont, she deferred enrolment for a year in order to live and study in Moscow. At Middlebury, she specialized in French and Russian literature.
After receiving her B.A. in French and Russian literature, she moved to Maui, Hawaii, working every kind of odd job imaginable, from grant writing and making crepes to serving as a personal tour guide. After a year on the island, she moved to Briancon, France, and spent nine months teaching. She then returned to Maui, stayed for nearly a year, then left again to wander. Currently she lives in Vermont, but really, you never know. (Adapted from the publisher.)
Book Reviews
(Starred review) [A] sensual, beautifully written, and emotionally stirring fantasy . . . Fairy tales don’t get better than this.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) Arden’s lush, lyrical writing cultivates an intoxicating, visceral atmosphere, and her marvelous sense of pacing carries the novel along at a propulsive clip. A masterfully told story of folklore, history, and magic with a spellbinding heroine at the heart of it all.
Booklist
[The characters, if painted in broad strokes, are vivid and personable, and the brutal landscape … shapes their destinies. A compelling, fast-moving story that grounds fantasy elements in a fascinating period of Russian history.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Since The Bear and the Nightingale, we have seen Vasya and her siblings grow up and take on new roles as adults in The Girl in the Tower. Many parallels are drawn in this book between Vasya, Sasha, and Olga in their childhood and as they are now. How have they changed? Do you think they have grown closer, or further apart?
2. Again and again, the concept of freedom versus confinement pervades the story: Vasya must choose between freedom alone, life in a convent, or a future tied to marriage; Sasha reflects on his inability to find peace as a secluded monk and his need for adventure; and Olga comments repeatedly on the strict obligations of noblewomen confined to their towers. Discuss this dynamic. What does freedom mean to each of these characters? How much of their freedom should each be expected to sacrifice to their responsibilities?
3. Vasya assumes the role of Sasha’s brother, Vasilii, when she becomes entangled with the Moscow noblemen. Is pretending to be a man a smart move on Vasya’s part? How would the events that unfold have been different if, upon her first encounter with Sasha and the Grand Prince at the walled monastery, she was truthful about her identity?
4. The theme of coming-of-age is prevalent throughout the book, as Vasya reflects on her decision to pursue an adulthood of her own making in contrast to Masha’s very confined choices as a princess. Why do you think it is that with coming-of-age there seems to be a narrowing of choices?
5. Vasya, as she strives to find her place in the world, has to make many difficult decisions, many of which force her to choose between protecting her family and standing up for herself. What obligations does Vasya have to Sasha and Olga? What obligations do they owe to Vasya? How do these family responsibilities interfere with one another, and how do the desires of each sibling interfere with their duties as family?
6. Have you ever felt conflicted about being tied to responsibilities that don’t align with what you want to pursue?
7. Just as Vasya’s revered reputation as Vasilii the Brave has been solidified, all comes crashing down when Kasyan reveals her secret to all of Moscow. Did Vasya make a mistake remaining in Moscow for so long and putting herself and her family at greater risk of her true identity being revealed? Do you think her choice to remain in Moscow for as long as she did was selfish or selfless?
8. Vasya interferes when Morozko arrives to take Olga away, and as a result, he leaves with the life of the newborn child instead. What do you think of Vasya’s decision to intervene?
9. Was Morozko in the right to use Vasya to sustain himself? Do you think his intentions toward Vasya are good, or does he just take advantage of her? Is Vasya right to turn away from him when she learns the truth and rejects his jewel?
10. What do you think will become of Vasya’s tangled relationship with Morozko now that the talisman has been broken?
11. What secrets do you think Morozko still holds?
12. Did you ever begin to distrust Kasyan? At what point did your doubts about him begin? Are there clues that made you suspect that he is not what he appears?
13. What do you think of Konstantin’s role in assisting Kasyan and sacrificing Masha as an act of vengeance against Vasya? What do you think of Vasya’s choice to let him live after he has committed this horrible act?
14. Were you surprised to learn that the ghost of the tower is Vasya’s grandmother, Tamara?
15. By the end of the book, Vasya reveals the truth about herself and her exploits to her siblings. Now that Olga and Sasha know the truth about Vasya’s powers, how do you think this will affect their relationship?
(Questions issued by the publishers.)