Introduction

Set in the backdrop of a prestigious all-girls boarding school, this provocative new novel from the “Miss Oliver’s School for Girls” series explores the personal lives of those within the school’s small community and the empowerment, strength, and resolve it must find in the face of a surprise adversary.

"Some are called to serve in schools. Some are called to write. Davenport is called to both" -Annie Dillard

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Excerpt

EIGHT

If anyone had asked Rachel if she still thought she had the right instincts for her job at this point, or whether she was in over her head, she would have wondered why the question had even come up. Gaylord Frothingham had assured her she was in good shape and that he’d taken care of everything. And even if she had known of Francis Plummer’s experience yesterday, she would assume that his loss of mojo was an aberration. Yes, she was disappointed in herself for hanging up on her husband without getting the details of the terrible thing that had happened in his Chicago office, but she trusted him to understand how disappointed she was to learn he wasn’t going to be home for their planned weekend together. She hadn’t predicted that the job would be easy, only that she was the right person to get it done. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Consider the role Rachel Bickham plays in her first year as the head of Miss Oliver’s School for Girls. What are some of the strengths she brings to the position? What are some immediate obstacles standing in the way for her? For new heads, some schools hire a coach who is an experienced professional (often a former head of school) to provide advice behind the scenes. If you were that coach, what advice would you give Rachel?

2. In the first faculty meeting before school begins, one faculty member says that all the assistant dorm parents wanted to see Rachel together, to which Rachel responds, “I never meet people in groups.” What does Rachel accomplish in that scene? Why did Gregory van Buren approve of her response?

3. Boarding schools serve many purposes, with just one of them being education. What are some reasons why Claire Nelson enrolled intoMiss Oliver’s? What about Amy Michaels? How does a boarding
school impact friendships and relationships among classmates and
with teachers?

4. Claire’s past with Mr. Alford of her previous school provokes difficult discussions with varying perspectives among the adults of the book. What is the law’s position on this, and how does that position compare to the viewpoints of Rachel, Claire, and Claire’s father? Why do you think the adults’ views differ from Claire’s classmates’ views? Keeping in mind that the novel takes place in the early 1990s, do you think society has changed its perspective on this subject?

5. Though storied in his legacy and legendary as a figure in the school, what did Francis Plummer need from the school throughout his career than he never got? How did his time abroad in Italy affect his mindset of where his place was at Miss Oliver’s?

6. Contrast Francis Plummer to Gregory van Buren. What was his
standing at the start of the novel among the school faculty and
teachers, and how did it change? Why do you think his working
relationship with Rachel is so different from Francis’s relationship
with her?

7. Arguably one of the most controversial characters in this novel is
Amy’s father, Mitch Michaels. Thinking of his role as a radio show
host and as a father, do you have any sympathy for Mitch? Does he
have any admirable characteristics? What motivates him to range
an attack on Claire, even after meeting her and learning she is his
daughter’s best friend?

8. Aside from school politics, Rachel struggles with her long-distance relationship with her husband. Why do you think that distance changes relationships between spouses? How does that relationship compare to relationships between students and their teachers, like Claire and her father, or Amy and her parents?

9. Ms. Richardson secretly arranges a meeting that Rachel discovers and attends, to everyone’s surprise. What was the impact of Rachel’s presence and Amelia’s support of her? In what ways did it alter the course of the conversation and change the attitudes of the people at the meeting?

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