Beautiful Lies by Clare Clark

Reading Group Guide

Beautiful Lies
By Clare Clark

Discussion Points
1. Why do you think the author chose to open the story with a misdirectin particular, a
charade? What effect did this have on your reading experience? How does it set the tone for the
story to come?
2. Initially, for what reasons did you suspect Maribel never spoke of or contacted her family?
What were you able to piece together as the novel progressed? Why do you think she sent her
mother her address in London and told her about her marriage to Edward?
3. Maribels London is increasingly in turmoil, with political upset driving nearly every
conversation. On page 11, the author writes that, as a politicians wife, Maribel was able to keep
pace with the rest of them and make a fine argument herself, But for all that, she couldnt help
resenting it, just a little. What does this insight tell you about Maribel? Does your opinion of her
change throughout the novel? Why or why not?
4. Mrs. Bryant, we learn, used to tell Maribel that she was histrionic, while Maribel felt that if
she didnt leave home she would suffocate. Edith, the sister for whom Maribel never spared a
thought, is thrilled to see her and seems crushed at the thought of never seeing her again. And yet
Ida, the sister Maribel imagines will understand her journey and forgive her mistakes, the only
family member she seems to care for, flat out rejects her and insists she stay out of her life
forever. Discuss how truth can be shaped by perception and will and how the characters in this
novel, Maribel in particular, experience this chimerical reality.
5. Why doesnt Maribel believe in spirits or sances? What compels Charlotte to disagree and
pursue the possibility? Given her skepticism, why do you think the so-called spirit photograph
Maribel takes of Charlotte disturbs her so much? Why does she so steadfastly refuse to let Mr.
Pigeon examine it? Discuss the role of spiritualism in the novel and the arguments made for and
against its authenticity.
6. After several aborted attempts to contact Ida, Maribel decides to let go of her need to see her
sister until she can present herself as the best possible version of herself that she had left home
for, the version of herself for which she had risked everything. (p. 164) What do you think she
means by this? What is it about her current status that she finds lacking? By the end of the story,
do you think Maribel has achieved that best possible version? Why or why not?
7. At first, Maribel finds herself increasingly attracted to Mr. Webster. She admires his passion
for truth and his willingness to use his position as newspaper editor to sway public opinion and
influence political decisions. Edward, on the other hand, distrusts and dislikes Webster from the
start. Identify the various turning points in the relationship between the Campbell Lowes and Mr.
Webster. In what ways do their opinions change?
8. Early in the novel, its plain that Maribel doesnt want her family to contact her in any way for
fear of the scandal they might cause her and Edward. Discuss the irony of Idas reaction when
she discovers Maribel waiting in her kitchen. Do you feel any sympathy for Maribel? Why or
why not?
9. Several times in the novel, various characters express the sentiment that, When there is
nothing that can be done, and the knowledge that there is nothing that can be done is too much to
bear, it is always better to do something. How do the characters of Beautiful Lies prove this to
be true? Who do you think would disagree with this concept and why?
10. Why wont the nun at the convent in Meiriz tell Maribel anything about her son? Discuss the
significance of the metaphor she offers instead: If she lights this tinderbox she will see only the
pretty flames. It will be her husband who must afterwards sift through the charred remains. He
and the boy. Discuss how this metaphor might apply to other situations in the novel.
11. Maribel and other Victorian photographers struggle to be recognized as artists in a world
where general opinion holds that a camera captures only factthat art is not part of the
equation. It is this same belief, shared by the spiritualists Mr. Webster supports, that ultimately
undoes him. How else is truth manipulated for personal ends in Beautiful Lies? Identify elements
of the story that lend themselves as evidence one way or the other in the argument about the
cameras ability to capture only the reality before it.
12. When Edward suggests Maribel take another round of photographs of Buffalo Bills Wild
West Indians, she declines, calling them players in a flagrantly fictionalized version of their
lives, to which Edward replies, Arent we all? (p.475) Explain what he means by this. Do you
agree or disagree, and why? Is anyone in the novel just what they appear to be?
13. Mr. Webster protests against the indefensible muzzling of the press by the Establishment.
Distasteful though he may be, what wrongs has Mr. Webster really committed? Do you think he
deserved his fate? Why or why not?
14. It is often said that history repeats itself. In her Authors Note, Clare Clark draws several
parallels between England in 1887 and England in 2012. Similar comparisons might be made
between the novels events and socio-political climate and the United States today. Discuss these
similarities. How have things changed, and how have they remained the same?
15. Throughout the novel, the question of truths relationship to beauty pops up in quotations
(including the novels epigraph) and in conversation between characters. What do you think: Are
truth and beauty one and the same, in the end? Is there a kind of truth to be found in beautiful
lies? What makes a lie beautiful or ugly? Discuss the meaning of the books title, Beautiful
Lies and its relation to the work itself.