1. Do you think the author accurately portrays how Southerners and Northerners viewed slavery? Is it a balanced account?

2. Ben wishes that he were dead. Does this statement lead the reader to foretell Ben's death? Are there any other incidents that foretell his death?

3. "Sometimes waiting for something bad to happen is worse than the actuality," writes Rosemary in May 1862. What does she mean by this statement?

4. Near the end of the novel, Mary Byrd tells Rosemary, "I reckon maybe I've grown up a little." What is she talking about? How does this affect her relationship with Derek?

5. Jeff tells Rosemary that "a man must be willing to protect what he thinks is right and try to change what he thinks is wrong" in order to explain his decision to fight for the Union. What would you be willing to "protect" or to "change" in...