Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

1. How is the city of London characterized throughout the novel? How does the city itself become a character?
2. What do you think of the progression of Mr. Blunt’s character from the beginning to the end of the novel?
3. How does Jack influence the characters around him? How does he affect Grace’s judgment in particular?
4. How is gender presented in the novel? Compare the treatment of Mr. Blunt and Miss Spragg.
5. Compare the way in which children were treated and thought of in the Victorian era to today.
6. How did the appearance of Jack the Ripper and his victims affect the atmosphere of the novel? Did their presence change your opinions of the canonical five?
7. Why does Grace keep Daisy out of the family business? Was this the right thing to do? How would her ending have been different had Billy not taught her the family business? How does the necklace affect Mr. Blunt and then Grace?
8. What role do the popular novels of the time play in each of the characters’ lives?
9. What does the River Thames represent for the inhabitants of London? How does it compare and contrast with Grace’s view?
10. How do the characters in the city differ from those in the country? How are they the same?