What is the relationship between Michelotto the gooseboy and Lucrezia Borgia?

Re-read the section entitled "The Heart of the Matter" on pp. 271-276. Discuss the significance of Lucrezia Borgia's experience in the gondola.

What causes Primavera Vecchia to lose the power of speech?

What is the name of the eighth dwarf?

Explain the process by which the dwarves choose names for themselves. Use textual examples to guide your discussion.

What prompts Vicente de Nevada to undertake the quest to find the branch from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

Who is the speaking subject of the short prose piece on p. 137? Who are the "brothers" to whom the speaker refers?

Bianca de Nevada narrates both the opening and closing sections of the narrative. Explain how this "bookending" technique impacts the narrative as a whole.

Review Gregory Maguire's comments on pp. 277-...