Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Victoria changes a great deal during the course of the story. How did your feelings about her as a protagonist change as she changed?

2. How did reading this novel expand your understanding of the impact of foster care on both young people and adults? 

3. Claire Keegan’s novella Foster, Ashley Rhodes-Courter’s autobiography Three Little Words, and Christina Baker Kline’s novel Orphan Train all describe young women’s experiences of being fostered outside of their birth families. Have you read any of these books, or other titles with similar premises? How do these protagonists’ experiences compare to Victoria’s?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How much does the subject of floriography interest you? Have you ever read a nonfiction book about this topic, such as Jessica Roux’s Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers, or S. Theresa Dietz’s The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History? What draws people to this topic even though floriography has passed out of fashion?