The Girl from the Savoy (39 page)

   
2.
      
Dolly's position as a chambermaid gives her access to the less wellknown side of iconic hotels like The Savoy. What did you enjoy about the chapters where we go “behind the scenes” at the hotel?

   
3.
      
The novel has a large cast of principal and supporting characters. Who was your favorite character, and why?

   
4.
      
The working classes were often taken advantage of by their superiors during this period. What was your reaction to the scene between Dolly and her employer's nephew, and to the incident between Dolly and Larry Snyder?

   
5.
      
The shame of an unwanted pregnancy and of being an unmarried mother was a very real issue in the 1920s. Were you surprised to learn about Dolly's pregnancy and her time at the Mothers' Hospital? What was your reaction when she discovers that Thomas is her child?

   
6.
      
Perry and Dolly's relationship crosses the social divide and is unconventional in its nature. What were your thoughts as their relationship develops?

   
7.
      
Loretta has everything that Dolly longs for and yet they both have secrets and are fighting their own private battles. Who were you rooting for, and why?

   
8.
      
Loretta is an iconic star of the stage, adored by legions of fans everywhere she goes. How different do you think her experience of fame was from that experienced by female celebrities today?

   
9.
      
There are many female friendships in the novel: Dolly and Clover, Dolly and the girls at the hotel, Dolly and Loretta, Loretta and Bea. Which was your favorite friendship to see develop? Why do you think female friendships were so important during this era?

 
10.
      
Teddy returns from the war suffering from a severe form of shell shock, a very misunderstood condition during and after the Great War. What surprised you the most about Teddy's condition and treatment? How did the discovery that Dolly was Teddy's “nurse” affect your connection with them both?

 
11.
      
The final scene at the train station in many ways mirrors the opening prologue. Did you want Teddy to stay at the end? What was your reaction when Dolly finds the book on the bench and reads his letter?

 
12.
      
Ultimately, Dolly leaves for America without any romantic attachment in order to chase her dreams, and the epilogue offers an insight into her future. What would you like Dolly to have done in the intervening years?

A MEMORY OF VIOLETS

An unforgettable historical novel that tells the story of two long-lost sisters—orphaned flower sellers—and a young woman who is transformed by their experiences.

“
For little sister. . . . I will never stop looking for you.
”

1876. Among the filth and depravity of Covent Garden's flower markets, orphaned Irish sisters Flora and Rosie Flynn sell posies of violets and watercress to survive. It is a pitiful existence, made bearable only by each other's presence. When they become separated, the decision of a desperate woman sets their lives on very different paths.

1912. Twenty-one-year-old Tilly Harper leaves the peace and beauty of her native Lake District for London to become assistant housemother at one of Mr. Shaw's Training Homes for Watercress and Flower Girls. For years, the homes have cared for London's orphaned and crippled flower girls, getting them off the streets. For Tilly, the appointment is a fresh start, a chance to leave her troubled past behind.

Soon after she arrives at the home, Tilly finds a notebook belonging to Flora Flynn. Hidden between the pages she finds dried flowers and a heartbreaking tale of loss and separation as Flora's entries reveal how she never stopped looking for her lost sister. Tilly sets out to discover what happened to Rosie—but the search will not be easy. Full of twists and surprises, it leads the caring and determined young woman into unexpected places, including the depths of her own heart.

THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME

Ireland, 1912 . . .

Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS
Titanic
, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeenyear-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive.

Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.

Chicago, 1982 . . .

Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her greatgrandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about
Titanic
that she's harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads both her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.

Inspired by true events,
The Girl Who Came Home
poignantly blends fact and fiction to explore the
Titanic
tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.