THE WILTED ROSE BOOK CLUB: The Witch’s Daughter Discussion #1

Hello! I can’t wait to share with you my thoughts about The Wilted Rose Book Club’s March Book Selection, The Witch’s Daughter! But most of all, I can’t wait to know what you think about this book so far! This is a moment for all of us to connect and chat about our impressions, so don’t be shy! Here below, the questions for you related to Imbolg Chapters 1-9. Suggested dates: March 1st-March 10th. Use the “LEAVE A REPLAY ” field to comment.

1) Bess sees in Tegan her sister Margaret. What do you think about the relationship that the two have?

2) In the book, the main characters have to face the Great Plague. Families are exterminated by the bacterium. This reading comes at a time where we have to deal with our pandemic situation, the Covid-19. On page 137, Bess’s mother says: “You are the daughter of a proven witch. These are times, unlike any we have known. People live in fear, although they do not know of what.” She basically states that people fear what they don’t know. And, I would add, people fear what they can’t control. Over the millennia, the human race had to face many deathly adversities, disease and the witch trials are just two examples that clearly show this. Do you think that in our modern society, people have changed the way they cope with fear of disease and death? How do you live the coronavirus pandemic?

3) Bess is attracted to Gideon even if he appears to be a dark character. She tries to reject him, but she finally falls in love with him. However, she doesn’t accept his dark nature and she decides to escape from her fate which is bound to him. Based on what you know from the first part of the book, do you think that Gideon is so dangerous?

4) How do you enjoy the book so far? Is there something that you had wished to happen?

MY THOUGHTS

I think the relationship between Bess and Tegan is very important. I can’t say much for now, but it’s clear that Bess was given the opportunity to make up the time she had lost when her sister died, by taking Tegan under her wings to protect and teach her the old ways. On page 18, A tightness gripped my chest as I realized it was not my youngest self the girl reminded me of, aside from her age. It was Margaret, my dear sweet baby sister. Margaret of the light step and easy laughter. Margaret, who adored me as much as I did. Yes, there was something about the openness and innocence of this girl that has also been at the heart of Margaret’s character. Something to remember is that Bess feels guilty for Margaret’s death. So, this also is a time for her to heal her wounds of guiltiness.

From what I see and feel as a human being, people haven’t changed their way of coping with fear. Fear is a trait for our survival, it stays unmuted over the millennia. I can be wrong, but even if we are given more tools to cope, more tools to get distracted and to overcome our fears, we still have the same reactions to things we can’t control or we don’t know about. I think it all makes sense in the end. In a way, we can be more advanced, but we can still be very primitive if we want to survive over deathly adversities. What I learned is to embrace our fears, accept them, and this attitude will be helpful to get over the fear of the Covid-19 pandemic more peacefully.

I would have liked to learn more about Gideon. He follows the left hand path; he helped Anne, Bess’s mother to heal her daughter in exchange of something. To keep nature balanced, there is always something to exchange when you ask for something like that. An energetic channel opens up between the speller and the target. Where there’s darkness there’s light and so the opposite is true. Why is Bess so attracted to him? He’s obviously a charming, powerful man. But she’s scared to get closer to him because being raised as a christian makes her fearful of anybody who practices black magic.

I like this book. However, I feel that there is something missing. I wished to have seen more interaction between Bess and Gideon. But, I’m just halfway through the book and I can’t wait to know what’s going to happen next!

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