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Book club questions for The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis takes an in-depth look at this exciting novel about history and ancient artifacts. There will be spoilers so for more context about the book, check out my spoiler-free review first.
This is such a fantastic novel. I truly felt like we were swept away to Egypt in the ’30s and ’70s and also New York in the ’70s. Loved the timeframe and different locations. It really made this one have an adventurous feel.
The mystery angle was so engaging, and I really didn’t know where the story would go. And what a great ending too.
Let me know what you think about the book in the comments section below!
The Synopsis
Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. That is until an unbearable tragedy strikes.
New York City, 1978: Nineteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.”
Meanwhile, Charlotte is now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art. She’s consumed by her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.
The night of the gala: One of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing, and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening. Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, and a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.
Book Club Questions for The Stolen Queen
- How much did you know about Egyptian history prior to reading the novel? Do you have an interest in this area?
- The story is told in multiple timelines, and from the perspectives of Charlotte and Annie. Do you like the multi-perspective narrative?
- What drew nineteen-year-old Charlotte to the Egyptology field?
- What were your thoughts on her romance with Henry?
- Charlotte experiences unimaginable tragedy when she loses her daughter and Henry. Vowing to never return to Egypt again, she eventually becomes the associate curator of the Met’s Egyptian Art Department. Why do you believe she became so focused on her research on Hathorkare, the rare female pharaoh who is misunderstood by many Egyptologists?
- What did Hathorkare represent for Charlotte?
- Annie’s had a tough time, dealing with her mother’s emotions and pressure to make rent. It’s a lot on her shoulders. How did Annie grow more confident from the beginning of the novel to the end?
- Charlotte believes there is a curse with stealing Hathorkare’s prized items, do you think the curse was real?
- What did you think about all the details of working at the Met and putting together the Met Gala?
- Eventually, Charlotte realizes she has to return to Egypt to find out the truth. What did Charlotte hope to uncover while there?
- In what ways did Annie end up helping the investigation while in Egypt? How were nineteen year old Annie and nineteen year old Charlotte similar?
- There’s quite a bit of details about ancient artifacts, and also repatriation. What are your thoughts about where art and ancient artifacts should be displayed?
- Many mysteries are revealed, Charlotte is proven right with her theory that Hathorkare was a powerful, good leader. And Henry and her daughter Layla are alive. Let’s first talk about her reunion with Henry. Were you surprised with how his life turned out?
- And they both finally see Layla again, who was raised by an Egyptian family and now goes by Fatima. What were your thoughts as you read their reunion?
- What happens next for Charlotte, Annie, Henry and Fatima?
Additional Recommendations
Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Stolen Queen! Here are some more recommendations along with links to discussion questions.
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
Another novel that focuses on Egyptian history is The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. Check out my book club questions here.
Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.
As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
If you’re looking for more in the historical fiction genre, definitely read The Women by Kristin Hannah. Check out my book club questions here.
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
Happy reading!
