READERS GUIDE
Reader’s GuideThe Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
Discussion Questions:
1. As a girl, Penelope “Nell” Trewlove damaged her leg when she fell from the roof of the Academy. How does Nell’s injury influence the decisions she makes as an adult? Why might she wish to remain at the school? Why might she desire to leave it?
2. Newspaper editor Miles Quincey sets great store by his reputation. Why is it so important to him that his good name remain unblemished? How does the fact that he’s a self-made man play into this?
3. When Nell is compromised, Miss Corvus dismisses Nell from her position as deputy headmistress. Why does Miss Corvus make this decision? Should she have allowed Nell to remain, even if the ensuing scandal damaged the school?
4. After losing her job, Nell accepts Miles’s proposal of marriage. What reasons might she have for marrying him rather than remaining single? What does she risk in trusting Miles? What does she hope to gain from their arrangement?
5. Nell has spent her life at the Academy, first as an orphan girl, then as a teacher. How does her history at an all-female institution influence her ability to connect with the women in the London slums? How might her experiences help or hinder her when dealing with men?
6. Miles has five cats, each of them rescued from the streets. What draws him to cats? What does his kindness toward them reveal about his character?
7. Nell and Miles agree to be partners in their investigations. What actions do each of them take to support this partnership? In what ways do they circumvent it?
8. How does Nell’s discovery about Lady Belwood influence Nell’s decision to return to Whitechapel in search of Flora Brent? What might Nell have been trying to prove to herself?
9. As Nell falls in love with Miles, she begins to share more of the Academy’s secrets with him. How do these confidences help to strengthen
her bond with Miles? How might they betray her Academy sisters?
10. To repair her reputation with the Academy’s benefactors, Nell invites Reverend Pettiman to a dinner party at her and Miles’s home. For what reasons is she willing to endure his company? Would you open your home to someone who had done that much damage to your reputation? Why or why not?
