Reading Group Guide

Dear reader, Thank you so much for joining me on Rhys’s journey. I hope you loved the read. As a token of my appreciation, I have put together these questions to spur discussion. If you have a bookclub, please feel free to contact me as I would be delighted to attend your meeting via Skype and discuss ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH with you.

—MeghanHolloway

Question 1

Home is a strong undercurrent in the story, and each character expresses the bond they feel with home. Do you think where we come from plays a

role in molding the person we become? Rhys and Henri both identify home as a specific place, but do you think it is always a location? Or can

home be something more?

Author Insight: The meaning of

Rhys’s wife’s name, Aelwyd, is

hearth.

Question 2

The story was told through three perspectives. Did you feel like this format worked well for the story? Did you learn something about the characters through

another’s perspective? What did the flashbacks tell you about of Rhys’s character

and his relationship with his son?

Question 3

Owain’s story takes place largely off-page, but his presence is keenly felt throughout the story. Through Rhys’s flashbacks, you see him grow from boyhood to

adulthood. How does his involvement in the war shape his character? Owain’s epigraphical letters give a timeline of the events of occupied Paris. Did these

letters add meaning to the read for you, both in terms of the history and the character?

Author Insight: Owain’s last letter to his father is dated the same day as the story begins.

Question 4

Do you agree with Owain when he says “Sometimes violence is necessary. It is simply a

matter of finding what you believe is worth defending.”? Do you think that if he had not

become involved with saving children, if he did not have a family of his own, he would still have

that opinion? Is Owain still true to his moral beliefs at the end of the story?

Question 5

Do you agree with Henri when he says art is the only thing that survives? What do you think is the role of art in a culture’s identity? Do you believe the efforts many made to preserve the art and culture being destroyed by the Nazis was as important as the

efforts made to save lives?

Question 6

Did you know about the history of the Louvre during the war before reading the book? Did the history and geography feel authentic to you as you read? Did any of

the events, people, or locations inspire you to do your own research into the era?

Author Insight: General Patton made an appearance in the

story along with his Bull Terrier, Willie, and his ivory handled pistols.

Question 7

Both Rhys’s and Henri’s experiences in the First World War shaped their characters. Why do you

think similar experiences influence people differently? Rhys says war shreds men; Henri thinks

war heightens a man’s understanding of himself and those around him. Do you think both are true?

Question 8

How are Henri and Rhys similar? What do you think makes Rhys different from Henri? Did you

find Henri to be a sympathetic character? Does a character need to be “good” for you to be

engaged with their story?

Author Insight: Henri/Heinrich’s last name, Jaeger, and

Rhys’s, Gravenor, both have the same meaning: hunter.

Question 9

Even though Rhys knew war would have destroyed his son, he still thought he should have done his duty. “A man does what needs

to be done.” Is this sense of responsibility honorable or foolish? Do you think that sense of obligation is dated, or does it still have a

place in today’s society?

Question 10

Do you think Rhys and Charlotte’s attraction and affection evolved solely out of reliance on one another throughout the journey? Do you think a relationship forged in hardship is

an authentic one? How did Charlotte’s presence influence Rhys’s journey, aside

from simply a means of transport?

Author Insight: Charlotte’s character was inspired by an old photograph I

found in my great-uncle’s belongings after he died. He was a medic in the European theatre in WWII, and I found a photograph tucked away in an old book in which he is

standing beside a battered ambulance. The person sitting in the driver’s seat of the ambulance was a woman.

Question 11

Do you think Henri would have killed Owain after he extracted the information he wanted from him? Do you think Rhys was right to kill Henri when he did not know the situation he

was walking into between the two men?

Question 12

Otto becomes very much a partner in Rhys’s journey. Did you know anything about standard poodles or the history of war dogs before the read? There is the saying that you can judge a man’s character by the way he treats animals.

What does Otto’s interactions with the characters tell you about Rhys, Charlotte, and even Henri?

Author Insight: Otto was inspired by

my own standard poodle, Aidan.

Questionsfor the Author

Do you have questions for me? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @AMeghanHolloway or visit my website

at www.meghanholloway.com

Thank you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story that is so

close to my heart. Rhys, Charlotte, and Otto will remain some of my

favorite characters I have ever written, no matter how many books I write. I hope their journey lingers with you, and I hope the themes of the story resonated with you. If you would like for me to speak to your

bookclub, please email me at author.amholloway@gmail.com