pick4 Stars • The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak follows Véronique, a young girl trained as a courtesan for Louis XV‘s court, facing exploitation and heartbreak after giving up her daughter, Marie-Louise. Years later, Marie-Louise, a midwife in revolutionary Paris, uncovers her mom‘s past. It‘s a lush, gritty historical drama about survival, secrets, and mother-daughter bonds.
#TheSchoolOfMirrors #EvaStachniak #Bookish #FrenchRevolution
pickReally late in finishing this for #LiteraryCrew ! This slow building novel follows Veronique and later Mary Louise at the end of the French monarchy in the 18th century. There‘s much about power and influence and what happens when one is no longer in the king‘s sphere. I was not familiar with the Deer Park girls; not surprised either.
I switched from book to audio to finish by the end of the year, and the audio was great!
It‘s time for our discussion, #LiteraryCrew !
I posted 8 questions as spoilers. You can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or searching the group hashtag.
Thanks for joining me for this #BuddyRead ! Next month‘s book is A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, and I will post a reminder graphic about it tomorrow.
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym8. Consider the mothers and daughters in this book: Veronique and Marie-Louise; Veronique and her mother, Danielle; the queen and her daughters; and Madame du Pompadour and Alexandrine. What are the common threads in all those relationships? Which ones did you most identify with? ~from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
7. What do you think becomes of Marie-Louise, Veronique, and Jean-Louis in the years after the novel ends? How do you envision their future? ~adapted from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
6. How might Marie-Louise's life had differed had she known the truth of her mother and father, rather than learning years later? ~adapted from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
5. Why does Marie-Louise become a midwife? What about her history may have made her uniquely qualified for this calling? ~from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
4. Why is it so hard for Veronique to move on after the king spurns her, despite knowing that her future has been assured if she's willing to go along with the plan? Why does she continue to insist that the king is the father of her child? Would you have done the same? ~from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
3. At the start of the novel, we are told that the king's mistress, Madame du Pompadour, “. . .knows that the world is not run by those who trust but by those who foresee trouble well before it is conceived.“ Do you agree? Which other characters in this novel share that approach to life? ~from Reading Group Guide #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
2. Before diving into the book, I also wanted to highlight King Louis XV, who is one of the main characters in the novel, and Deer Park. Stachniak includes in her author's note that Deer Park did exist. I was astounded while reading about this!
Here's a little bit more information about Louis XV and Deer Park: https://www.geriwalton.com/parc-aux-cerfs-and-tales-of-louis-xvs-harem/
#LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
1. We are at Versailles this month! Have you ever visited Versailles? Have you read anything prior to this book set in or about Versailles?
To get us fully immersed, this is the Versailles official website: https://en.chateauversailles.fr/
#LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
Late afternoon coffee and cookie break after a full day: a hike,a family get together, & a visit to the Pacific Ocean. Note to self:Just relax and breathe. #literarycrew
#LiteraryCrew : We are about halfway through the month, so time for a #buddyread check-in! I know a few have finished and others are waiting for their copy from the library, but for those who have read or who are reading…any thoughts to share?
Discussion May 31st!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
pickLoved this! Another audio that had me talking out loud further cementing my crazy status with the neighbours 👏🏻👏🏻 I can‘t wait to chat it up at the end of the month with #literarycrew #buddyread the midwifery component was really fascinating ❤️ the disparaging/disposable way men treated women in the past 🤬 they should be happy we want to be equal and not vindictive
It doesn‘t look like much but I have gardened like a maniac all afternoon. I weeded, edged a giant swath of garden and planted all my new for the backyard plants. Thank heavens for audio books 🙏🏻❤️ I was so engrossed in this story I didn‘t care that I was exhausted and I have to work tomorrow 🤣🤣 this book was a “Top 5 Books With Buzz”on an Amazon list I saw and my library had it 🎉 it‘s interesting to pair with Wolf Hall #literarycrew
repost for @Librarybelle:
For May‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead , we will be visiting the court of the French king Louis XV and Versailles.
Read at your own pace. I will post periodic checkins, and discussion questions will be posted on May 31st.
All are welcome! If you would also like to be added to the tag list, comment on the original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2730063
For May‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead , we will be visiting the court of the French king Louis XV and Versailles.
Read at your own pace. I will post periodic checkins, and discussion questions will be posted on May 31st.
All are welcome! If you would also like to be added to the tag list, comment below!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
Via @Librarybelle
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2727270
May's #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is the tagged book. Read at your own pace throughout the month, and discussion questions will be posted on
May 31st.
The graphic is a reminder of our yearlong list. If you would to be added or removed from the tag list, let her know!
May‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is the tagged book. Read at your own pace throughout the month, and discussion questions will be posted on May 31st.
The graphic is a reminder of our yearlong list. If you would to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know!
LaraReads, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks
The School of Mirrors: A Novel | 
