Discussion questions for your Reading Club or individual thought. Enjoy!
- What was the intended destination of the Sea Venture, and why didn’t the ship reach it?
- Can you speculate as to the medical cause of Elizabeth Person’s headaches?
- What evidence do we see in the story that William Strachey isn’t who he claims to be?
- What events in the story, which occur in particular during the late 16th and early 17th century, led to the loss of Elizabeth’s family? (Hint: One involves religion; another has to do with disease.)
- Several members of the original 150 people on board the ship never made it to Jamestown. Why?
- What talent does Elizabeth/Miranda discover that she possesses, and how does she use it to help others and, ultimately, build for herself a new life?
- Can you think of alternate endings for this novel?
- After reading this novel, do you think you might enjoy reading Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, or perhaps like to see the play performed?