Paris Secret (Swan) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, please use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Paris Secret ... then take off on your own:

1. How would you describe Flora Skyes? She could be considered a "no-nonsense" professional, a type many people find lacking in warmth or kindness. Is this the case with Flora, or is she a sympathetic character? Do you root for her?

2. Paris has often been called "the most beautiful city in the world." Does Karen Swan do a good job of bringing it alive for you? If you have been to Paris, do her descriptions ring true? Are they evocative of what you know or remember of the city? What about the other cities besides Paris that Flora visits?

3. Are you an art aficionado? If so, how well does the author write about the precious artwork in the novel? If you are not versed in art and/or art history, did you find the author's descriptions and in-depth analyses of the paintings interesting and understandable? Could you follow the descriptions ... or were you confused ... even a little bored?

4. At what point did you begin to suspect Nazi involvement in the artwork's history? Does knowing, from the author acknowledgments, that it was based on a news item deepen your appreciation of A Paris Secret?

5. Talk about the Vermeil family and each of its members. What do you think of them?

6. What were your first impressions of Natascha and Xavier? On meeting them, did you suspect that there was more to them than they presented to the world? Why or why not?

7. Do the book's central mystery and the novel in general live up to your expectations? What about the love affair? Is it necessary? Does it strengthen or weaken the storyline?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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