1. Bea and Selene have very different personalities and motives for joining the war effort. Compare and contrast their initial feelings about traveling to Lisbon with how they each feel about the war at the conclusion of the book. How do their motives change over the course of the story? Have you ever made a life-changing decision based on motives you questioned afterward? How did your perspective change and why?

2. Secret identities play a pivotal role in THE LIBRARIANS OF LISBON. How do the characters’ feelings about their subversive roles evolve over the course of the story? How do these roles impact their fates?

3. How do Selene and Bea defy the gender expectations of their time? What about the other women in the novel, like Marguerite, Helen or Nora? How have expectations regarding women’s roles in wartime changed since World War II? What role might you have wanted to take in fighting the war had you been alive during that time?

4. Portugal was one of just a few countries that remained neutral during World War II. As you read THE LIBRARIANS OF LISBON, what did you discover about the cost of neutrality? Did the advantages of neutrality outweigh the disadvantages? Why or why not? What do you think the outcome of the war might have been if Portugal had sided with the Allied or Axis powers?

5. Each of the heroines in THE LIBRARIANS OF LISBON experience a transformative love. How are Bea’s and Selene’s romantic relationships similar or different? How does love affect the outcome of the story? Has love ever transformed you or led you down an unexpected path? If so, how?

6. Discuss the scene in which Bea prevents Selene from following Gable, Luca and André down to the beach on the night of Luca’s death. Would you have made the same decision as Bea? Why or why not? What does the choice she makes reveal about her personality?

7. Throughout THE LIBRARIANS OF LISBON, characters are forced to lie to one another to protect themselves, their missions, or those they love. How do each of the characters pay a price for these lies? What are the benefits to their deceptions? Have you ever told a lie to protect someone you love? Are there times when lies might be justified? If so, why?

8. Friendship plays a vital role in Selene’s and Bea’s fates. How did their friendship impact their stories? How did their actions hurt and/or help each other throughout the book? Have you ever had to forgive a close friend for hurting you or betraying your trust? How were you able to move past it and repair the friendship? If you were Selene, would you have forgiven Bea? Why or why not?

9. Of the characters in the book, which one did you find yourself able to relate to the most? Why? Which characters did you find the most difficult to relate to? Which character’s fate did you find the most surprising? The most poignant?

10. What did you learn about Lisbon and World War II from this book that you didn’t know before? Are there any people or subjects you’ll explore further as a result of your reading? What will you remember most about THE LIBRARIANS OF LISBON?