Woman in the Shadows (40 page)

1. The book opens with the murder of Anna Hansen. How does this foreshadow the events that are to come? Analyze her death in the context of the larger war narrative.

2. What do you think of the lessons taught to the prospective SS wives at the Bride School? Does their training really prepare them for their political, social, and personal lives under the Nazi regime?

3. What do you think the title of the novel refers to?

4. Compare and contrast the roles of men and women in Nazi society. How do the women's experiences in the war differ from those of the men?

5. Clara uses her power of celebrity to infiltrate Nazi society and act as a spy. Are there any contemporary celebrities you might compare her to who similarly use their influence to exert political power?

6. Is there a conflict between how women behave—or are meant to behave—in the shadows as opposed to in the spotlight? How does Clara's behavior change when she's on the stage or on screen compared to when she's alone or with trusted friends?

7. Which character do you connect with the most, and why?

8. Discuss the ways in which politics and warfare have changed since 1937. What, if anything, is still the same? Do you see any parallels between the international political culture of the time and our current global environment?

9. What surprised you the most in the novel?

10. One of the epigraphs to the novel reads: “Woman's world is her husband, her family, her children and her home. We do not find it right when she presses into the world of men” (Adolf Hitler). What do you think of this quote? What happens in the novel to the women who “press into the world of men”?

11. Photography and film were not exactly novelties in the 1930s, but the many varied uses were still relatively new and unexplored. Cameras are used by the Germans to great effect in spying on the British and in spreading propaganda within Germany. Cameras are also an important aspect of Clara's professional life. How did the widespread use of film and photography change and shape the everyday experiences of common citizens? Does it continue to do so today? In what ways?

12. Discuss the power of the media in Nazi Germany and today.

13. What do you think of the role of the British aristocracy in supporting the Nazi leadership? Were you surprised by what you read of the Mitford sisters and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor?

14. Discuss Clara's relationship with Erich. If you have read previous novels in the series, compare and contrast this relationship with other romantic connections Clara has had in the past.

15. Discuss the bear pit. What do you think the bear represents (if anything)? In the final scene of the novel, Clara wishes that the bear could escape and wreak havoc on the city. Why does she wish that? What do you wish for the bear?

16. In the last line of the novel, Erich tells Clara not to worry, that they're safe; “anyone watching would swear that she believed it.” Clara is a talented actress. How does the Clara that we see presented to the world differ from the true Clara? Discuss her motives for concealing her true fears.

The Scent of Secrets

The Pursuit of Pearls

Woman in the Shadows

J
ANE
T
HYNNE
was born in Venezuela and educated in London. After graduating from Oxford, she worked for the BBC,
The Sunday Times,
and
The Daily Telegraph
. She continues to freelance as a journalist while working on her novels of historical fiction, which have been published in French, German, and Italian. She lives in London with her husband and three children.

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