The House at Riverton

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel’s final revelation completely changes our understanding of the central tragedy. How did the book’s unfolding mysteries affect your experience of it as your reading progressed?

2. How does Riverton Manor compare to other famous literary houses in literature, such as Manderley in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca? How do these settings create a wider context for your experience of the novel?

3. What did you think of the novel’s structure, shifting between Grace’s life in 1999 and her memories of the past? How did this dual timeline impact your reading experience and your investment in the protagonist?

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

1. Grace’s defining choice is to reject Alfred out of loyalty to Hannah, sacrificing her own happiness. Can you recall a time you felt a professional or personal duty so strong that it required a significant sacrifice?

2. Grace records her story on tapes to preserve her memories for her grandson, Marcus. In what ways do you or your family keep important stories and memories alive for future generations?

3. Hannah feels trapped by the expectations of her family and class, yearning for a life of greater purpose. In what ways do you think modern life place comparable pressures on young people and their opportunities?

4. Hannah and Grace’s deep bond is explained by the revelation that they are half-sisters. To what extent do you feel that sibling relationships create a deep and lasting bond? Why is this?

5. The Hartford siblings create “The Game” as an elaborate escape from the adult world. What role did imaginative worlds or secret games play in your own childhood?

6. How does the novel’s depiction of memory as something “slippery” and involuntary resonate with your own experience of how memories can surface unexpectedly?

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

1. Riverton Manor acts as a microcosm of a British society in flux after World War I. Which characters or events best illustrate the tension between the old, rigid class system and the forces of social change?

2. How does Hannah’s struggle for education and a career reflect the broader challenges and changing roles for women in the early 20th century?

3. What does the book’s handling of Robbie’s “shell shock” suggest about how societies have historically understood and dealt with the psychological trauma of war?

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

1. Grace’s story is her personal memory. Were there specific moments when you found yourself questioning her version of events or her interpretation of other characters’ motives? Why was this?

2. Consider how Morton represents generational difference, first when Grace is of the younger generation interacting with older characters, and then when she is older interacting with younger characters. How does this express the passing of time and social change in the novel?

3. The house itself is a powerful symbol in the novel. How does Morton use Riverton to mirror the decline of the Hartford family?

4. The revelation that Grace is Hannah’s half-sister recontextualizes the entire story. Were you surprised? In what ways does the novel foreshadow this secret and Grace’s suppressed knowledge of it?

5. Consider another book or books by Kate Morton, like The Forgotten Garden or The Clockmaker’s Daughter. How does The House at Riverton compare in its use of dual timelines, family secrets, and historic settings?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Hannah’s final gift to Grace is a “ticket to a new life” in the form of a secret bank account. If you had a “ticket,” what “new life” would you choose?

2. The novel ends just as Hannah’s escape is revealed. What do you envision for her future? Does she find the freedom and purpose she always craved in her new, anonymous life?

3. Consider the descriptions of the film made by Ursula Ryan. Write a screenplay for the final scene that portrays the narrative as she understands it.