1. In City of Light, the upper echelons of
Buffalo society all get what they want by cultivating an
"acceptable" image under which they can do what they want,
regardless of its moral implications. How does this rationalize
their behavior, as well as hide it?
2. Faced with a social order that demanded this "acceptable"
behavior, was there any other way Louisa could react when faced
with a crisis -- such as Millicent's abduction or the vandalization
of her school?
3. Are there any main characters in this story who don't follow
society's code? Who and why?
4. Louisa likes to think of her students as "a generation of
subversives who took up their expected positions in society and
then, day by day, bit by bit, fostered a revolution." Do you think
that this is what she achieved with her students? Was it the best
way she had to help the social progress of women?
5. Why do none of the members of Buffalo society become involved
with the faction that is worried about the affects of the power
plant on the environment?
6. In protecting Grace, was Louisa doing the right thing? Did
her focus on the little girl blind her, impairing her judgement, as
with her decision to not turn Susannah Riley in?
7. Would Louisa have been better off moving away from Buffalo
and merely keeping in touch with the Sinclair family? Would Grace
have been better off?
8. If Abigail's mother wanted to keep her daughter's child far
away from Abigail and from scandal, why didn't she have him adopted
in a family far away, instead of sending it to the asylum?
9. Why does Mr. Rumsey let Louisa know that he planned her
meeting with Cleveland? Would she have been better off never
knowing?
10. Why does Mr. Rumsey seem surprised that Louisa might have
suffered from her experience of conceiving Grace -- or that she
feels badly about her "loss of innocence?"
11. In 1901, Buffalo is one of the richest, most sophisticated
cities in the nation. How does this influence Louisa's life, and
the lives of the wealthy citizens of the city? What do they hope to
achieve on the brink of a new century?
Bonus questions:
What motivates Tom Sinclair's dreams of electrical power? Is it the
vision of industrial progress, the hope of personal fame and
wealth, or something else?
Why was Francesca Coatsworth able to maintain her "alternative"
lifestyle and still be such an influential member of society?
Why do you think Francesca allowed Sarah to disappear into
Singapore after she confessed her crimes?