READERS GUIDE
Reader’s GuideMother of Rome by Lauren J. A. Bear
Discussion Questions:
1. Before reading this novel, had you heard of Rhea Silvia? What did you know about Romulus, Remus, and the wolf? Had you seen their imagery before? Where?
2. What does Rhea sacrifice to stay with her children? What would you do, when faced with a similar situation? Would you take Cybele’s deal or not? Why?
3. Is ‘selfless’ always a positive trait and ‘selfish’ always a negative one? Describe Antho’s journey from selfless to selfish and Rhea’s from selfish to selfless. What other supporting characters would you define as selfish or selfless?
4. Forgiveness and vengeance are dueling themes in this novel. Which characters struggle between forgiving and avenging the wrongs done to them and those they love?
5. How does living in the Seven Hills change Rhea? What does she learn by living alone, this close to nature, and amongst common people?
6. Is Mars a villain? Is his relationship with Rhea a toxic one? How does it contrast with her relationship with Tiberinus?
7. What is Amulius’s wound, his tragic flaw? How does trauma shape his character? As you learned more about his past with Jocasta and his brother, did you empathize with him or are his actions inexcusable?
8. How is Rhea guided by ancestral wisdom? What does she learn from the “theater of queens” in Chapter XXVI? What lessons does she pass on to her own children?
9. Ezio says his mother is the bravest of them all. Do you agree? How does Antho show strength without wielding a sword? What are the moments in the novel when Antho “fights back” against her patriarchal world?
10. The ending of the novel is purposefully ambiguous. In your opinion, did Rhea kill Amulius to hasten his death or did she leave him to suffer?
11. The titluar “mother of Rome” is Rhea, but are their other characters that deserve that title?
12. Is Mother of Rome a werewolf novel? How is Rhea a reverse werewolf?
