The Chinese garden cover

The Chinese garden

by Rosemary Manning

"The Bampfield School for Girls is housed in a crumbling country estate where "the physical standards are those of Dartmoor, the religion perverted, and the games mistress a sadist" - and where love between students is the ultimate crime. Into this world comes sixteen-year-old Rachel, a young woman who loves the round symmetries of Latin verse and the melancholy beauty of the Somerset countryside. Rachel is drawn into the conflict between two of the school's powerful figures. On one side is the formidable headmistress, who preaches the virtues of self-control while inviting teachers into her room at night. On the other side is Rachel's classmate Margaret, who openly despises Bampfield, urges Rachel to read The Well of Loneliness and sneaks out for trysts with her beautiful friend Rena. Unwittingly, Rachel becomes caught in a tangle of passions she does not fully understand, a pawn in a moral struggle to which all innocence will be lost."--BOOK JACKET.

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?