July 21, 2020 – 2:32 AM
Bringing Down the Duke
From Goodreads:
- England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.
This is a book I purchased because (1) it's a historical romance set in 1879, and (2) it's got a feminist message. It's got 413 pages and I completed it in a few hours, so it's a fairly easy read without a lot of confusing jumbo that some historical fiction novels try to shove in for the sake of realism! The author very conveniently included some discussion questions in the back!
Code:
[spoiler]Surprise!content here[/spoiler]Discussion Questions:
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1. What obstacles do you think Annabelle and Sebastian will face now that they have finally chosen to be together, considering the opposition their union will encounter in their social circles? How do you envision their first year of marriage?
2. Why do you think Annabelle rejected the position of Sebastian's mistress even thought it would have given her the safety net she badly needed? Do you agree or disagree with her choices?
3. Annabelle and Sebastian navigate complicated gender and power dynamics as they build their relationship. How would you describe these? How do you think their relationship compares to modern standards?
4. Annabelle and her friends organize protests and lobby politicians to fight for their rights. What parallels can you draw to today's politician activism? How has political activism changed since then?
2. Why do you think Annabelle rejected the position of Sebastian's mistress even thought it would have given her the safety net she badly needed? Do you agree or disagree with her choices?
3. Annabelle and Sebastian navigate complicated gender and power dynamics as they build their relationship. How would you describe these? How do you think their relationship compares to modern standards?
4. Annabelle and her friends organize protests and lobby politicians to fight for their rights. What parallels can you draw to today's politician activism? How has political activism changed since then?
aaaand my opinions:
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I thought the book surprised me by how it managed the power and gender dynamics between a common woman and a duke. If anything were slightly different it may have turned out differently. Annabelle was stubborn and prideful and completely unafraid of upsetting him unless it was with his personal or official business, and Sebastian respected her as a woman—and more importantly, as a person. He could have hurt her or tried to use his influence to blackmail or use her, but he used it to protect her from people who were willing to wield their power irresponsibly (see: the police).
There were moments of dubious consent in the book, especially where kisses were concerned, but seeing the interactions from Annabelle's POV made it clear that her reservations were tied to propriety rather than being with him, and almost immediately after she's willing to risk it all for him.
I like how the possibility of being his mistress was explored. It would have been beneficial for both of them, but it was not what either of them really needed in the end. Annabelle, a woman who suffered reputation damage early in her life, was unwilling to become a man's mistress, and Sebastian would have ended with a second unhappy marriage if he'd made her his mistress instead of his wife.
I HAVE MORE THOUGHTS BUT I WANT TO HEAR YOURS.
There were moments of dubious consent in the book, especially where kisses were concerned, but seeing the interactions from Annabelle's POV made it clear that her reservations were tied to propriety rather than being with him, and almost immediately after she's willing to risk it all for him.
I like how the possibility of being his mistress was explored. It would have been beneficial for both of them, but it was not what either of them really needed in the end. Annabelle, a woman who suffered reputation damage early in her life, was unwilling to become a man's mistress, and Sebastian would have ended with a second unhappy marriage if he'd made her his mistress instead of his wife.
I HAVE MORE THOUGHTS BUT I WANT TO HEAR YOURS.