Adult Book Club Questions for My Lady Jane

patricecarey8
19 hours ago
3 min read

In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind YA fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.

Like that could go wrong.

Quick Review of My Lady Jane

This YA historical fantasy is such a fast, fun read. I love the tongue-in-cheek humor, the confident rewriting of history, and the slow-burn love stories. I also love that while this book is a joy to read, it also has meaningful themes that lend themselves to book club discussions. Who says a book can’t be both fun and deep?

Alert! Intriguing Discussion Ahead

I encourage book clubs to move beyond questions like, “What did you like/dislike about the book?” and “Who was your favorite character and why?” My discussion questions typically focus on ethical and moral dilemmas, book scenarios applied to real life, and character motivations. This blog is part of my Adult Questions for YA Books collection.

Book Club Questions

Jane criticizes G for not being able to control his Eðian change, but she eventually finds herself with the same problem. Have you ever unfairly judged someone and later came to empathize with them?
The book uses Eðians vs. Verities to symbolize England’s conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. While it’s easy to laugh at fictional characters fighting over the morality of people having animal forms, the book taps into the clash that can happen between groups who have deep but different feelings about right and wrong. With that in mind, what about the Eðian/Verity conflict can you apply to interacting with religions, political parties, or other groups you disagree with?
Jane believes all Eðians are honorable because she loves Eðian magic, while G cautions that being Eðian doesn’t guarantee goodness. How might you apply this mindset to groups or movements you might idealize?
Gender roles are a major theme throughout the book, with Jane, Bess, and Gracie (as well as other side characters) breaking expectations for how women of the day should think, speak, and behave. Which broken expectations did you find most interesting? The most relatable? Were there any situations in which you thought sticking to gender roles made sense?
Toward the end of the book, Jane’s heart’s desire is to stay with G, enabling her to control her Eðian change. She is heartbroken when G still can’t, and she wonders if it’s because she’s not enough for him. While this is resolved fairly quickly, what problems can arise in a relationship when people make assumptions instead of honestly discussing such fears? What advice would you give Jane to help her discuss her insecure feelings with G?
As a boy, Edward thought he deserved the throne. As the oldest child, Mary thought she deserved it. Have you ever felt like you deserved something based on age, gender, socio-economic status, or another arbitrary marker? What problems have you seen come from feeling entitled to something?
When G and Edward fight the Great White Bear of Rhyl, G puts Jane-the-ferret in a cage to keep her from coming with them. Jane sees this as G not respecting/trusting her; G sees it as keeping her safe. Are there circumstances in which either spouse is justified in making decisions for the other in the name of safety?
After their marriage, Jane limits G’s ale consumption, both publicly and privately. Was this appropriate for her as his wife? As his queen?
Jane and G have a rocky start to their marriage, but after Jane is deposed by Mary, G proves to be the most loyal person in Jane’s life. Jane, in turn, refuses to denounce G after he’s revealed as an Eðian. What do you think inspired this level of loyalty at this point in their relationship?
Several people have the potential to wear England’s crown—Mary, Bess, Edward, Jane, and G—leading to various perspectives on ruling. Would you want to be a king/queen? What do you see as the pros/cons? What aspect of ruling would you be best at?

Below, you can download a PDF of the My Lady Jane discussion questions to print out and bring to your book club. I hope you have an intriguing discussion!

If you enjoyed these adult book club questions for My Lady Jane, sign up for Patrice Carey Hale’s newsletter to get book club recommendations, book updates, and special content.