book club guide: The Shadow Queen

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• Note: Book Club Guides contain spoilers! Do not proceed unless you’ve read the book.

shadowqueenTHE SHADOW QUEEN BY REBECCA DEAN
Book Club Guide

1. Wallis is depicted as a perfectionist from a very early age. What other qualities shaped her into an intriguing woman?

2. Wallis’s ailment is ingeniously portrayed and supports the handful of historic comments from herself and her family regarding her sexual relationships and lack of progeny. Do you feel the author’s explanations are true-to-life or far-fetched? Do you feel that Wallis’s first marriage would have been different had she not had this physical problem?

3. How different would Wallis’s life been had she married John Jasper? Do you think she would have found long-term happiness, or would she always feel she was destined for a more glamorous existence?

4. Why was Wallis so ready to forgive Pamela and John Jasper? Do you think it was a case of wounds healing over time or had Wallis matured sufficiently to handle her emotions?

5. What did you find the most intriguing about the Baltimore elite society? How did it compare that of England, where Pamela was so determined to experience her coming out?

6. What caused Win to be such an abusive spouse? What motives did he have in marrying Wallis when even he himself knew he was not marriage material?

7. Who among Wallis’s relatives was your favorite, and who was your least favorite? What was your favorite scene featuring these characters?

8. Did Edward, Prince of Wales spark your interest? Which of Wallis’s beaus’ did you admire most?

9. Overall, how do you feel this novel rates regarding historical accuracy and character development? Do you feel there were enough period details mixed with the dialogue to create an authentic period piece?

10. What do you look forward to in the author’s next installment about Wallis’s later life?