The Women in the Castle Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Operation Valkyrie and our BookBrowse Review of The Women in the Castle.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Did anything surprise you about conditions in post-war Germany?  Did you learn anything new from the novel?
2. How did each woman's past influence how they reacted to the rise of Nazi Germany? Did Marianne's privilege make it easier for her to be an active resister? Why was Benita dazzled by the Nazi's pageantry? How did Ania's childhood influence her feelings toward Hitler?  
3. Did you identify more with one women than the others?  Which did you have the most sympathy for? Which the least?

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