Of Noble Family (56 page)
Authors: Mary Robinette Kowal
  6.  In the book, Jane and Vincent are forced to stay with Vincent's father, who is judgmental and cruel. How do they handle the stress of staying with him? Can you think of anything else they should have done, or of things that work for you that would
not
have worked for them, given their characters and circumstances?
  7.  Have you ever had to collaborate with someone who wasn't as good at something as you, but who didn't seem to know it, as Jane and Vincent had to do with Mrs. Ransford? How did you handle it?
  8.  How did you feel when Jane's life was in danger when she was giving birth?
  9.  In the story, Vincent uses glamour to help Dr. Jones find the hemorrhage. Doctors in the real world did not have the equivalent ability until well into the twentieth century. Do you think medical science would have advanced differently in a world with glamour? How?
10.  In
Of Noble Family,
Jane and Vincent interact with people of color from many social stations, including a rich landowner, a free black doctor, and many enslaved people. Did you find yourself wanting to learn more about what life was like for people of color in the early nineteenth century?
11.  How did you feel about Vincent and Jane naming their baby Charles, after Jane's father? Is there anyone else in their lives you think they might name a child after?
12.  Medicine in the early nineteenth century was not nearly as advanced as it is now. Many doctors did more harm than good. Given the potential hazards, would you have trusted a doctor with your health?
13.  Kowal addresses both family and racial injustice in this book. What do you think the major theme of the story is?
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MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL
was the 2008 recipient of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, a multiple Hugo winner, and a frequent nominee for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. She spent more than twenty years as a professional puppeteer but is now more frequently found in a recording booth as an audiobook narrator. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Robert, and over a dozen manual typewriters.
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TOR BOOKS BY
MARY ROBINETTE KOWAL
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Contents
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
OF NOBLE FAMILY
Copyright © 2015 by Mary Robinette Kowal
Reading Group Guide © 2015 by Mary Robinette Kowal
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Larry Rostant
Edited by Liz Gorinsky
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-7836-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-6123-7 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466861237
First Edition: April 2015
