Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Violin Maker's Secret by Evie Woods

1. Do you believe objects can hold genuine power to transform lives, or is the change more about the meaning we give them? What items in your own life hold special significance?
2. Which timeline—past or present—did you find most compelling? How did Clara and William's story enhance the modern narrative?
3. By the end, Verity realizes her decades-long pursuit of the violin was misguided. What does the novel say about revenge and obsession? Can you sympathize with her motivations?
4. Multiple characters find healing through music after trauma. Do you agree that creative pursuits can help process difficult experiences?
5. How do Gabrielle and Verity's relationships with their fathers compare? How does the book discuss parental responsibility and family legacy?
6. Walter, Devlin, and Gabrielle are all isolated at the beginning. How does their unlikely friendship transform each of them?
7. What effect did having the violin narrate portions of the story have on your reading experience? How did it change your relationship to the instrument?
8. Many characters get unexpected second chances. Which character's transformation moved you most? Do you believe we all deserve second chances?
9. The novel explores how music connects people across time, language, and culture. What moments in the book best illustrated music's power to communicate what words cannot?
10. How does the novel explore the value of lost or forgotten art? Should all art be preserved and shared?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of HarperCollins Publishers. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.