The Stolen Queen

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Charlotte remains haunted by grief and loss decades after losing her husband and daughter. What kinds of loss do you think are hardest to recover from?

2. Annie finds refuge and a sense of peace at the Met. Is there a museum or work of art that is special to you? Why are you attached to it?

3. Annie has a challenging relationship with her mother, and she is often the one taking responsibility within the family. Have you ever been part of a dynamic where you had to be the more responsible party, even though the other person should have been?

4. Charlotte’s parents keep a terrible secret from her and never tell her that Henry is alive. Have you ever kept a secret from someone because you believed it was in their best interest not to know? What was your rationale?

5. Charlotte feels more free, independent, and at home in Egypt than she does in the US. Have you ever visited or traveled to a country with a culture very different from your own with which you felt more aligned? What was that experience like?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Charlotte is often frustrated by how her gender imposes limitations on her dreams and ambitions. How are these obstacles a function of the period in which the novel is set? How do women living in the contemporary era face similar challenges, particularly regarding Negative Responses to Women’s Ambition?

2. The novel engages in debates about who should own artworks and historical artifacts. Do you believe that a country has an inherent right to own artworks and artifacts created there? Should famous pieces of art currently displayed in other countries be repatriated? Why or why not?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel is narrated in the third person by an omniscient narrator. Would you have preferred first-person narration? If so, which character do you think should have narrated?

2. It takes a long time for Charlotte to fully reveal her backstory to Annie. As a result, there is often dramatic irony (in which readers are aware of information that a character lacks). How does the use of dramatic irony impact suspense and character development?

3. Discuss the symbolism of the shipwreck. Have you encountered shipwrecks in other works of literature? Why do you think this is often a popular literary device?

4. Because works of art (such as the Cerulean Queen statue) figure prominently in the plot, Davis often engages in a literary technique known as ekphrasis, in which a writer describes a work of visual art. Were you able to imagine and feel connected to the fictional works of art based on their descriptions in the novel?