Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I

Reading Group Guide

Roses Have Thorns

A Novel of Elizabeth I

Sandra Byrd

INTRODUCTION

When Elin von Snakenborg visits England with a royal entourage from Sweden and decides to remain, she drastically alters the course of her life. She marries an English nobleman and becomes one of Queen Elizabeth I’s most trusted ladies in waiting, a position that draws her deep into the intrigue, danger, and treachery of the court.

TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. If you were Elin, would you have wanted to return to Sweden or remain in England? What factors would have influenced your decision? Would you have changed your name, as she did?

2. Helena admits that she is fond of William but not in love with him, nor is she physically attracted to him. Is this any different from other engaged, highborn women of the time; for example, her friend Anne Russell? How did the system of marrying for dynastic and financial concerns help or hinder women of the time? Is our current system of choosing husbands always better? Why or why not?

3. Right before Princess Cecelia departs for Sweden, she maliciously tells Helena that William is already married. What were William’s reasons for withholding this information from Helena until it was too late for her to change her mind? Did it damage his reputation for high integrity, or did his past marital history honestly lead him to believe this would be a quickly solved problem?

4. When Helena first enters Elizabeth’s employ, the queen is polite yet distant. How does Helena go about creating a place for herself in the royal household? What are several factors that account for the deepening of their friendship? Why does Helena commission the locket ring for Elizabeth? Was it a game-changer for their friendship?

5. Discuss the role that ladies in waiting play in the queen’s life versus servants in the lives of every highborn woman, royal or not. What is your opinion of the way Elizabeth treats the women in her household? That culture certainly believed that the perks that come with the coveted position outweigh the negatives. Would it have, for you, had you lived then?

6. How does Helena use myths and tales, such as the legend of Idun, to convey her thoughts and opinions to Elizabeth? Why does she seek to influence the queen in this manner rather than in a more direct way? How else do the ladies in waiting “persuade effectively by softer manner”?

7. When Helena shares the story of the frozen rose garden with the queen, what is she really advising her about Mary, Queen of Scots? Was Elizabeth justified in ordering her cousin’s execution? Why does Helena believe the monarch waited so long to have the deed carried out despite the evidence against Mary? Why do you believe Queen Elizabeth waited so long? Would you have acted similarly? How or how not?

8. What are the greatest threats facing Elizabeth I and the stability of the English throne? In what ways is religion—specifically religious differences—a significant factor in the unrest during her reign? What parallels can be drawn to religion in our time?

9. What is your opinion of Elizabeth I as a monarch, as seen through Helena’s eyes? What characteristics and qualities do you think made her a successful ruler? How does Sandra Byrd’s portrayal of Elizabeth I differ from those in other historical novels you’ve read or that you’ve seen in films? Are we likely to get a more complete picture of any one person by looking at him or her from different perspectives?

10. In two different instances Helena is suspicious of Eleanor, once when the other woman reveals something she could not possibly have overheard and the other when she catches a glimpse of Eleanor’s Rosary beads. Was it Helena’s history and personality that compelled her to keep quiet, or fear, or circumstance? How is Eleanor’s death a turning point for Helena personally? In what ways does it alter her association with the other ladies in waiting?

11. Why did Elizabeth allow Helena’s marriage to William but likely would have denied permission for her to wed Thomas? Were Helena and Thomas right to marry in secret? What other couples married in secret during the Elizabethan era, and what were the consequences? (Consider Mary Shelton and Bess Throckmorton, both mentioned in the book.) Helena claims she thought the queen had discreetly sanctioned the union because of a comment made during a chess game. Does she honestly believe this was the case, or is she using the incident as a way to diffuse the queen’s anger?

12. After Helena finds the Rosary ring among Thomas’s possessions, why does she take it to Sir Francis Walsingham rather than confront her husband? What were the benefits and risks to her and her children by taking it to Walsingham? What could have happened to Helena and her children if she had not gone to Walsingham, and he found out she was withholding treasonous information? Considering all that is at stake, what would you have done in her situation?

13. Helena balances serving the queen with marriage, motherhood, and managing her own household. What similarities does she share with present-day women who juggle careers and family? How is her situation different?

14. The first two books in this series were set during the tumult of the Reformation, when the protagonists were perhaps more zealous. How is faith lived out, albeit more quietly, by the protagonists in this book?

15. At one point Helena believes her relationship with Thomas is over. What accounts for the erosion of their marriage during the course of the decade? What was the turning point that allowed them to rebuild their marriage?

16. Why does Helena not act sooner on the misgivings she has about Sofia? How does the earlier betrayal of Karin and Philip factor into how she deals with her cousin and her character arc? Was she too harsh on Sofia or not harsh enough?

17. “Court language was more often unspoken than said,” writes Sandra Byrd. Why is Helena successful in navigating the intricacies of Elizabeth’s court, even more so than many of the queen’s countrymen and women? Is it more to her benefit or her detriment that she is a foreigner? What qualities are necessary to succeed in a royal court?

18. Do you feel that Elizabeth was, indeed, the capstone of the Tudor Era? Why or why not?