40 pages • 1 hour read
Karen CushmanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
How do the details Cushman includes regarding midwifery during medieval times impact the experience of reading the story?
One of the book’s major themes is The Power of Kindness. Choose three acts of kindness offered from one character to another, and explore how the story would have been different if the offering character hadn’t chosen kindness. Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Compare and contrast Alyce and Jane as characters. What do they have in common? How are they different?
What is the significance of Chapter 7, in which Alyce tricks the villagers regarding the devil? What is her goal? Does she achieve it?
Cushman’s novels are known for their strong female characters who overcome obstacles to find who they are. Analyze Alyce’s character and how she grows. What are the three greatest obstacles Alyce faces along her journey, and how does each help her overcome something to move forward? Do these events intertwine?
In Chapter 12, the magister asks Alyce what she wants. Does Alyce’s answer track with her character development in previous chapters? Why or why not?
How do Cushman’s diction and dialogue choices contribute to the novel’s atmosphere and setting? Use examples from the text to support your answer.
In Chapter 5, Alyce’s character arc is jumpstarted by the merchant telling her she’s beautiful. What does this moment say about how others help a person grow and change?
Why is it significant that the inn’s sign depicts an orange cat with cheese? How does this relate to Alyce’s—and the cat’s—place in the world?