A knot in the grain and other stories cover

A knot in the grain and other stories

by Robin McKinley

Five tales: A young woman with the power to heal, but no power of speech, meets a mage who has lost—or renounced—his powers; a princess who is chained inside a cave as a sacrifice to a monster finds he is no monster; a troll bargains for a human wife, but will not hold her against her will; an old farmer releases a curse on his own land for love of his beautiful young wife; and a young girl finds a mysterious box in the attic of her family's new house.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?