Book Club Discussion Questions
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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of The Wives of Henry Oades.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
- On the voyage to New Zealand, Mrs. Randolph, a fellow passenger, cares for Margaret as she miscarries. Later, when Margaret tries to explain her grief over her new friend’s death to Henry, she thinks, “the small transactions between women, particularly mothers, cannot adequately be explained to a man. Some, like hers with Mrs. Randolph, will bind women for life.” Do you agree with Margaret? Can a strong relationship between women be forged in a matter of hours? With whom have you felt this connection?
- Why do you think Mr. Oades misidentified Mim Bell as his wife? How could he have made such a grievous error?
- Margaret refers to the quid pro quo of her faith: “One takes communion every single Sunday for thirty- odd years. One humbles herself, embraces every last dogmatic note, and no good comes of it, no help when one needs it most.” Nancy, too, feels as though she has been cheated. Have people’s expectations of contemporary Christianity changed?
- Margaret teaches her children lessons every evening: grammar, mathematics, and etiquette. “It was her duty to prepare them for their return. She refused to accept the possibility that they might grow old and die a natural
death here. Margaret never once considered setting her children free to be slaves.” She refuses to allow her children to live the life before them, planning, instead, for the life she hopes they will claim. Why does Margaret remain so steadfast during their captivity?
- Henry finally accepts that his loved ones are dead, and eventually he marries another woman. What is the catalyst for this turning point? Do you agree with his actions?
- Why do Margaret and the children receive such a chilly welcome when they finally return to the village from the Maori camp?
- Several matches proposed in this book seem made for convenience: Portia and Henry, Margaret and Captain
Fisk of the Sacramento, and even Nancy and Henry, at least in the beginning. Do you agree? If so, why do you
think that is?
- At what point do Margaret and Nancy start to get along? What sparks their friendship?
- Though it’s a wretched situation for everyone involved, which Mrs. Oades do you think suffers most? With
which woman do you most identify?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Ballantine Books.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
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