The Ship of Brides, by Jojo Moyes

 

Characters
Brides	Others
Margaret “Maggie” Family – father, three brothers, mother left family Letty – mother’s sister Maude Gonne – dog, smuggled on ship Joe O’Brien – husband   Avice Ian Radley – married, wants Avice to be his mistress Family wealthy   Jean Castleforth – 16 years old Stanley - husband Involved in “incident” on ship “Not Wanted Don’t Come”   Sister Frances Mackenzie Chalkie McKenzie – husband, deceased Former prostitute   Irene Carter – Avice’s friend from home	HMS Victoria   Captain George Highfield Robert Hart – nephew, deceased   Henry Nicol – Maine guarding door Wife left him for another man   Dennis Tims – sailor, poker game, boxer       Audrey Marshall – matron in field hospital where Frances was a nurse Arranged marriage to Mackenzie   Mr. Radcliff – hotel owner and pimp Hun Li - cook

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the paperback edition.

1.       Why did Margaret bring her dog with her?   Was that responsible?

2.       Was Jean responsible for the “incident” that happened on the ship?   Should she have been held accountable and not the sailors?  How do you think her husband, Stanley, heard the news?

3.       Were you surprised to learn that Margaret’s mother was not deceased, but had abandoned the family? 

4.       Why did Margaret react like she did when Letty expressed interest in her father?  Did your opinion change once you learned that her mother did not die but had abandoned the entire family? 

5.       Did Frances have a choice about starting to work for Mr. Radcliff in his hotel and eventually becoming a prostitute?  Was it fair to blame her for her fate? 

6.       Were you surprised at how the other brides and the seaman treated Margaret once they knew her history?  Would she receive the same treatment today?

7.       Frances wanted to be judged on her current life and told Captain Highfield that her prior life was “none of your concern” (page 315).   Is it a risk to others to give someone a second chance or ignore previous bad behavior?  Is that a responsible thing to do?

8.       When Captain Highfield told Frances about feeling responsible and judged for the death of his nephew, Robert Hart, she replied, “the only people who still have all the answers are those who have never been faced with the questions” (page 331).  How did this apply to all of the characters?

9.       Why did Women’s friendships make Frances feel so vulnerable?

10.   Would you have done what the women did, leave your families and travel to another country for a husband you barely knew?

11.   What did you like or dislike about the book?  Would you recommend it to others?