4. Constance’s ball gown has to conceal her identity. Ironically, its design and development foster a process of revelation. How do you see that process working to help bring Constance to a greater authenticity of herself? How does it fall short?
5. Constance’s gown is the result of authentic female collaborative efforts. How do you perceive that feminine collaboration in the gown, in the ball, in the orphanages, in the rise of suffragists? What might other female collaboration look like? What progress has such collaboration achieved?
6. In Alice’s skills there is the strong theme of the mother-daughter relationship through stitching. Do you have any similar skills that you acquired through a relationship with a mother figure in your life? One aspect of their stitching is the recycling of used items—torn, discarded, scrap pieces—to create beauty in utilitarian necessities, such as a quilt. The same might be true of numerous other ordinary skills, such as cooking and saving seeds, and other creative and community endeavors. What are your thoughts about using castoffs and leftovers to create beauty and utility?
7. Did you know the tragic history of yellow fever, which led to the large number of orphanages in New Orleans? Were you surprised to learn about the half-orphans living in those orphanages? What are your thoughts about the training those children received? What parallels do you see today in terms of diverse groups of children in our educational systems? Can you draw any comparisons between the yellow fever epidemics and the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic at present?
8. Napoleonic law in what was the Louisiana Purchase protected women’s rights to ownership and property in ways not available in other parts of the country. Was that a surprise to you? Are you aware of any instances in which women’s rights continue to be impinged? For example, only a few decades ago, wives could not obtain a credit card, sometimes a bank account, without a husband’s signature.
9. Storyville arose out of a need to deal with the problem of prostitution. Without regulations, one could wake up some morning to find a brothel ensconced next door. Were you surprised to know that New Orleans had a district for regulated prostitution from 1897 to 1917? What are your thoughts on this means of controlling prostitution? And on the rise of the Black Hand? How do you see the power of its corruption connected to politics?
10. In the complexities of this novel runs a deep spiritual theme. Did you find that hidden or apparent? In what aspects of the book did you find it? What was your response to Father Joseph and the idea of “catholic” (with a small c) as completely inclusive? What are your thoughts on Benton and Howard as authentically human? What psychological aspects of upbringing and history contribute to that humanity? Is the resulting psychological /spiritual makeup that of a villain or a victim? How do you experience the relationship of Alice and Constance in light of that theme? And Martin Birdsong?
Bonus Question: What do you imagine it would be like for Alice to continue into the future burdened with the secret she carries? Could it possibly not be a burden? How do you imagine that she would be able to manage, and why? Or if you believe it impossible, what do you imagine as the outcome?