Kilbourn Public Library Book Club

The September book selection for the Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain.  Steeped in history and filled with heart-wrenching twists, The Stolen Marriage is an emotionally captivating novel of secrets, betrayals, prejudice and forgiveness.

One mistake, one fateful night, and Tess DeMello's life is changed forever.  It is 1944.  Pregnant, alone, and riddled with guilt, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly gives up her budding career as a nurse and ends her engagement to the love of her life, unable to live a lie.  Instead she turns to the baby's father for help and ends up trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.

What kind of tone do you think the prologue sets for the rest of the novel?  Did it succeed in making you want to read further?  Why or why not?

On page 138, Tess writes to Gina that she is still planning on becoming a nurse despite her new family's disapproval, saying,  "I've worked hard for this and I'm going to get that license!"  Why do you think Tess clings to this dream and works so hard to make it happen?

What do you think of Reverend Sam?  Can he truly speak to the dead or is he simply trying to comfort Tess?  Does it matter whether or not his "powers" are authentic?

Near the end of the book, Henry compared his experiences being "trapped" by society to Tess' experiences being "trapped" in marriage.  Do you think this is a fair comparison for him to make?   Why or why not?

Let us know what you think of The Stolen Marriage.