Book group question for Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves

~ Rachel Malik

There are lots of questions here, probably too many for a single discussion. I do hope you find some of them interesting. If you read Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves in your book group, I’d love to hear from you. Use the contact form below or contact me via Twitter @RachelMalik99 or on Instagram at RachelMalikWriter and let me know how you got on. Enjoy!

  1. Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves starts in June 1940. Why do you think that it starts there and not earlier or later?
  2. What are the key differences between Rene and Elsie?
  3. What draws the two women together?
  4. What are the things that make Elsie vulnerable? What makes her strong?
  5. Some readers have said that they found it difficult to like Rene after they discover she has left her children. How did you feel about Rene? Did you change your mind in the course of the book? Do you think you have to like the main characters in novels?
  6. How important are place/countryside/nature in the novel? Think about all the farming, gardening and walking that happens in the novel, and the visit to the White Horse…
  7. What is the significance of the actress Mona Verity (Vicky), and cinema more generally, to Rene as a character?
  8. What does home mean in the novel? How important is home to Rene and Elsie?
  9. Did you feel any sympathy for Ernest?
  10. Why is the trial so devastating for both Rene and Elsie? Arguably it isn’t either the verdict or their temporary separation …
  11. In what ways does the flood affect the trial? [clue: there was no flood in Winchester at the time of Rene’s trial!)
  12. How important is the wartime and post-war setting to the story? Are Rene and Elsie of their time?
  13. Is Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves a love story? What other kind of story might it be?
  14. Why do you think the novel is called Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves?

On my website there are reviews of the book and links to interviews and pieces that I’ve written about the novel and the real-life events it is based on. You can access these here: https://rachelmalik.com/category/miss-boston-and-miss-hargreaves/