Discussion Questions for Book Clubs

Some readers asked me to post a list of discussion questions for Marked: The Witchcraft Persecution of Goodwife Unise Cole (formerly titled The Mark of Goody Cole). Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Do you think the people of Hampton were justified in their treatment of Unise Cole?
2. Did any part of Unise Cole’s story inspire you in some way? If so, how?
3. Was the book what you thought it would be?
4. What events were the most interesting to you? Were there any surprises?
5. (New title only) Was the ‘cast of characters’ in Appendix IV helpful in keeping everyone in the story accounted for? What about the maps?
6. Did the story give you a sense of what life might have been like in 17th century Hampton?
7. In several places the author departs from a non-fiction narrative to use imagined scenes and dialogues to tell the story. Did you feel these scenes were effective?
8. Unise Cole’s life was/is the subject of several legends. Do you feel the book successfully separated the facts from the fiction?
9. Were you sympathetic or critical of Unise? How about the author, what was her feeling towards Unise?
10. No one knows why Unise Cole did the things she did. What’s your theory? Is it possible that she really was a witch?
11. (As Nigel says in Spinal Tap, “But it goes to eleven.”) The author changed the title of the book. For better or worse?

Happy Reading in the New Year!

Cheryl @hamptonwriter