The King’s Sister

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR READING GROUP

1. What do you think of Elizabeth of Lancaster? What appeals to you about her, and what doesn’t?

2. John Holland makes an unusual hero. A complex character, with a notorious and turbulent temper, he had more enemies than friends in his day. Is it possible for us to understand Elizabeth’s love for him?

3. ‘Frankly wanton and highly sexed.’ Does Elizabeth deserve this epithet by a modern historian?

4. Elizabeth’s first husband was a child of eight years, when she was adult at seventeen. Such diversity of age was not un known. Can we understand her impatience with this situation, even though she might accept the need for a dynastic alliance?

5. What is the driving force behind John Holland? Can we believe that his wooing of Elizabeth and his love for her were genuine? Or was it purely ambition?

6. At the centre of this story is the heartbreak of Elizabeth’s loyalties in the aftermath of rebellion. How would you have reacted? Do we praise her or condemn her?

7. We meet some old friends. What role does Katherine Swynford play here? Would her own lifestyle have had any influence on Elizabeth’s view of morality and marriage?

8. How hard do you think it was for Elizabeth to accept her part in the outcome of the Epiphany Rising? Is it possible to come to terms with guilt of such major proportions and move on with your life?

9. Henry IV was faced with a difficult kingdom, suffering unrest in the wake of the overthrow of Richard, as well as financial weaknesses. Does this help us to understand his uncompromising stance with regard to John Holland and his sister?

10. Elizabeth accepts her role in her brother’s new kingdom, the lot of many medieval women. But did she have more independence than many?

11. Apart from Elizabeth and John, which character in The King’s Sister appeals most strongly to you?