Reading Group Guide
for

The Empress Emerald

by J.G. Harlond

About the book:  Setting and historical background.

  1. The Empress Emerald takes the reader into different countries between the years 1900 to 1940. Which setting did you enjoy the most and why? Did you find the sections set in Spain, India or England the most interesting?
  2. To what extent does the author convey the unsettled nature of the first half of the 20th century? What did you learn about this era which you didn’t know before? Do you think the settings she re-created were convincing or accurately depicted?
  3. Inevitably in a book which spans 40 years, some scenes and events are either missing or only briefly referenced. The author had to make choices about what to include and what to omit. Were there any particular parts of the story which you would have liked in more detail?

About the characters.

  1. Millicent Cleaver abducts the baby Leo in the opening chapter then abandons him at the Anglican orphanage. How did you feel about Leo’s subsequent reunion with Millicent and his forgiving attitude towards her? Should Leo hate Millicent?
  2. To what extent is Sir Lionel Pinecoffin’s influence over Leo as a young man positive or negative? Was Pinecoffin responsible for Leo’s success or was what he did an example of the worst aspects of the British Raj?
  3. Is Leo’s real father, Leonid Kazan, a buffoon or a victim of circumstance? Do you want to laugh at him or can you feel sorry for him?
  4. Why do you think Leo makes no attempt to seek his birth mother?
  5. The theme of personal identity is strong in this novel. How did Leo develop and change throughout the book?
  6. Given the epoch, and Davina’s age and upbringing, was what happened to her in London in 1918 shocking or reprehensible?
  7. Leo and Davina both become thieves. Could either of them be excused for this behaviour?
  8. To what extent do Leo and Davina have similar life-experiences?
  9. Do you think the end of the novel suggests Leo and Davina will ‘live happily ever after’?

General.

  1. How would you have liked the novel to end?
  2. What might happen in a sequel?
  3. If The Empress Emerald was to be made into a movie, which actors could play the lead roles?
    1. Leo (as a young man) ...........................................
    2. Davina (as a young woman) ................................
    3. Millicent Cleaver ..................................................
    4. Sir Lionel Pinecoffin .............................................
    5. Alfonso .................................................................
    6. Other characters...................................................