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Saturday 19th February 2005 marks the end of seven hundred years of riding hounds in England. But not everyone is willing to accept the ban. That very weekend the friends and family of Sir Leo Domeyne and his wife Celia gather at their home for their first illegal hunt.
But although at first the hunting party appears to be going well, it’s just a fragile peace. Passion, jealousy and old rivalries are simmering just below the surface and no one’s motives are pure.
The hunt rides out. A fog descends. The field is divided. Two shots are fired.
- Do you think the author wrote the book from a pro- or anti- foxhunting perspective? How political do you think the book is?
- To what extent do you think the author’s own experiences are reflected in the novel?
- What were your views on foxhunting before you read The Chase? Did reading the novel alter these views at all?
- How important do you think hunting is to the lives of the characters in the novel?
- To what extent do you think the thoughts and actions of key characters are influenced by the class they belong to? Consider Gerald, Leo, Henry and Cutter.
- The erosion of English heritage and tradition and is one of the key themes of the book, be it foxhunting, the family estate or the family name. Which characters feel the greatest responsibility to preserve these things? And do they find this responsibility a privilege or a burden?
- The weekend at Eastleigh seems to mark a crisis point in the relationships of several couples in the novel – Charley and Esther, Celia and Leo, Will and Isabella – and all come away changed by the experience. Whose story were you most affected by?
- How did you feel Celia dealt with Leo’s accusations?
- Henry: selfish and attention-seeking but also insecure and overshadowed by her siblings. Ultimately were you irritated by Henry, or sympathetic towards her?
- Do you think this novel would work well if adapted to be a film or TV series? What other films can you think of that are similar?
- Who do you think this book is aimed at? Do you think it would be enjoyed by people of different generations and classes?
- How well do you think the title of the book works? Can you think of another title that might be appropriate?
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‘Clark’s prose is so addictive that once you’ve read one of her books, you want to go back and read all the others…The Chase is the height of Clark’s literary achievement to date’ Matt Thorne, Sunday Times
‘The Chase yields the pleasures of a proper old-fashioned romantic melodrama, updated with a little more sex’
The Times
‘Builds on the achievements of 2004’s A House of Light …but adds a thrilling dexterity with point of view which draws us deep into characters’ lives and minds’ Time Out
‘[Candida Clark is] a storyteller of exceptional skill, and knows just how to ratchet up the tension…a country house novel which is a truly gripping read’
Spectator
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