The Fever Tree Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Kimberly, South Africa and its Diamond Industry and our BookBrowse Review of The Fever Tree.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Early in the novel, Frances looks into the Wardian case in her uncle's house and sees the ferns pressed against the glass "as though appealing for escape." She realizes that "the glass case offered protection—the ferns wouldn't last a minute exposed to the pollution of London air—but it would also, eventually, suffocate them." What is the significance of this image?
   


2. In the first chapter, Edwin Matthews admits that he has never liked domesticated plants. He describes Mr. Irvine's roses as "monstrosities—deviations from their true form in nature." Frances reminds him of this conversation in a climactic scene toward the end of the novel when she compares herself to her father's domesticated roses, unable to survive in the wild. Discuss the motif of "monstrous" domestication in the novel, and its importance to the book as a whole.
   


3. Frances is an outsider, rejected by her uncle's family and dismissed by society. To what extent is her desire to belong responsible for the decisions she makes? Can you forgive her for her mistakes?
   

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