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Hachette Reading Group Guides

Welcome to our Reading Group guide for The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon. We invite you to consider and discuss the following questions when reading this book:

1. How traditional a romantic tale is The Rose of Sebastopol?
2. ‘And in any case,preserving a life isn’t every- thing,Mariella.Not for a man.’ Each of the main characters attempts to preserve life – how different are they in their intentions and achievements?
3. ‘It was as if she had climbed onto the stage in the middle of a play.’ The harsh realities of life seem like a play to Mariella.Do they to Rosa?
4. ‘The result of this behaviour was that all eyes were upon her.’ Is this Rosa’s intention in life,or just a by-product of her transparency?
5. ‘What an odd,turbulent period of history we live in,a clash of conflicting ambitions,great and small.’ How well does The Rose ofSebastopol portray the 1850s?
6. ‘Fleas,inedible food and a close association with a Roman Catholic were all part of my disappear- ance from the known world.’ How much longer does Mariella’s known,protected world have to live? Or is it still alive and well?
7. ‘We must be what we have always been or we will be lost.’ Did this attitude help or hinder the British Empire?
8. What is ‘the power of the needle’?
9. ‘Yes,but you and I will always know that the inside isn’t right.’ Is this attitude a strength or a weakness?
10. Without the needlework teachings of poor Aunt Eppie,would Mariella have survived the Crimea?
11. Mariella uses her needlework skills to deal with life.How does this change during her epic adventure?
12. ‘I had already learned that in a war everything looks better from a distance.’ Doesn’t Mariella think this is true of everything? Or are her experiences opening up for her beauty as well as horror?
13. The Rose ofSebastopol deals with desire in many forms – some of them secret and forbidden.How far do you see Rosa as a doomed heroine from the beginning?
14. How far would you say that Mariella and Rosa are effectively each other’s alter egos?
15. How satisfied were you with the ending of The Rose of Sebastopol?

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