Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Do you typically read historical fiction? Were you drawn to read The Bookbinder’s Secret based on setting, plot, or something else?

2. The novel features two main plots, tracing events in the lives of both Lilian and Isabel. Do you enjoy multi-plot novels, or do you prefer a tighter focus on a single protagonist? Did you find one of the plots in The Bookbinder’s Secret more compelling than the other?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Lilian begins to jeopardize her professional reputation and personal relationships due to her desire to investigate the mystery. Have you ever pursued a project or question past the point where the people around you wanted you to stop?

2. Caxton serves as a mentor and father surrogate to Lilian, although the two do not share a biological relationship. Who are the individuals who have been most formative in your career? How did these relationships shape you?

3. How did the novel’s treatment of grief, in Lilian’s mourning for her father, compare with your own experience of loss?

4. Harry ultimately forgives Lilian and decides to move forward with their relationship. Have you ever reconciled with someone after the relationship fractured? Was it a good decision to give them a second chance?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Isabel fights to marry the man she loves while her father and uncle fixate on her marrying to solidify wealth and family power. How do you think the way in which people choose partners today has changed since the Victorian era? Are class, income, and family status still considerations when people choose life partners?

2. The novel offers positive depiction of artisans, skilled tradespeople, and small business owners. Are these professions still viewed positively today? What are the risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur?

3. Lilian does not form a positive impression of the Guild of Women Binders and concludes bitterly that “women are used as cheap labor, under the guise of progress” (107). Can you think of other initiatives or projects that purport to help a group of people while not actually doing so?

4. The novel depicts several same-sex relationships, despite being set in a time when these relationships would have been illegal and dangerous. Do you think that historical fiction can provide a lens into identities and experiences not always captured in mainstream history? How does art allow us a more inclusive lens into the past?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Did the pacing and clues of the plot function effectively to create suspense? Were you able to guess any of the major plot twists?

2. Discuss the impact of the first-person narration. Why was it important to have access to Lilian’s inner thoughts and feelings?

3. The plot begins in the autumn and advances as the weather grows colder. How do setting and pathetic fallacy (when the external environment mirrors a character’s inner state) contribute to the novel’s overall mood?

4. Choose one of the minor characters (Dotty, Ambrose Fane, Dr. Ashburn, etc.) and describe what they add to the story. How did the large cast of characters contribute to the novel’s complexity?

5. What is the significance of Harry presenting Lilian with a mysterious new book at the novel’s ending?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine the letter Isabel writes to Isaac in New York, after she learns of her son’s fate. What would the letter reveal and what would it conceal?

2. Draw a logo for Lilian and Caxton’s new combined bindery and bookshop. What emblems and imagery might capture their tastes and history?

3. Imagine you are commissioning a project from Lilian. Which book would you want bound, and why? What would you like the design of the binding to include (consider colors, emblems, etc.)?