Discussion Guide

Are you considering A Most English Princess for your next book club meeting? The novel offers several themes that will spark robust discussion including: What does it mean to be a good daughter, wife and mother? How can someone of great privilege find their choices, and their freedoms, limited? Why do the best intentions go wrong?

Author Clare McHugh will conduct book club discussions via Zoom, or in some cases appear at book club gatherings in person. Use the contact form on this site to submit an inquiry.

For self-directed club discussion consult the questions at the back of the book, page 19 of the PS section. Here are the first three:

1. Papa allowed Vicky, his cherished eldest daughter, to be engaged when she was not yet fifteen years old, and to be married and leave home when she was seventeen. He pursued the Prussian marriage to serve his own political aims. Did you think his decisions concerning Vicky were selfish or well-meaning?

2. Why do you think Fritz fell in love with Vicky, when he was quite a bit older than her and came from a different royal milieu? What about her made her a good wife for him?

3. How much responsibility did Vicky bear for the antagonism she encountered in Berlin? Would someone with a different personality have found it easier?