1. Demelza occasionally worries about Ross’s feelings for Elizabeth, his former fiancée. Do you think Demelza’s concern is justified, or is she making too much of something unimportant?
2. Ross and Demelza hold two christening parties—one for upper-class guests and one for poorer guests. As could be expected, Demelza feels uncomfortable and out of place during the first party but fine during the second. How does Ross manage to fit in and be perfectly comfortable in both settings?
3. When Tom Carne and John Treneglos argue at the party, Ross intervenes to apologize for Carne’s behavior. Ross says to Treneglos, “Modes and manners vary with the breed…those with the same code can speak the same language” (p. 42). Do you think it would have been possible for Carne and Treneglos to communicate effectively with each other? What kinds of differences have you run into with other people that make communication especially difficult?
4. As Ross reacts to Jim Carter’s death, Verity suggests that the Poldarks are all sentimentalists at heart and that it is a more dangerous trait than cynicism. Which do you believe is more dangerous, cynicism or sentimentality?
5. Demelza and Keren both marry into a class and lifestyle that differs greatly from those in which they were born and raised. What similarities and differences do you notice in the ways Demelza and Keren adapt to their new lifestyles?
6. Do you support Demelza secretly meeting with Andrew Blamey and organizing his rendezvous with Verity? Do you think Francis and Ross react fairly or unfairly when Demelza eventually confesses her actions to them?
7. When Ross thinks about marriage, he is struck by the fact that though he and Demelza are attached to each other as closely as possible, “they were yet separate beings irrevocably personal and apart, and must remain so for all efforts to bridge the gulf” (p. 99). To what extent do you think Ross and Demelza genuinely attempt to bridge this gulf? Do they communicate with each other as well as they can or should?
8. Several characters express concern about their reputations and are secretive about their actions, whether they are immoral or perfectly harmless. Why do you think rumors and suspicions spread so quickly throughout the various towns and homes?
9. Keren complains that the common folk are dull, narrow, and no more than half alive. Dwight, on the other hand, enjoys the locals and suggests that a closer look reveals an admirable depth to their personalities and attitudes. Given that both Keren and Dwight are outsiders to the community, why do you think their perspectives differ so greatly? With whom do you agree?
10. Ross criticizes the upper class at Warleggan’s party and blames Jim Carter’s death on their selfishness and sloth. Demelza vehemently counters that he is stereotyping both the upper and lower classes. This seems like a reversal of their earlier relationships to different classes during the christening parties. What do you think prompts Demelza to make this argument at the ball?
11. The initial description of Andrew Blamey supplied by Ross and Francis does not seem to match his actions later in the novel. What do you think accounts for this difference?
12. Do you agree with the general public’s assessment of who is at fault and to what degree for the conflict between Dwight, Keren, and Mark? How is Ross’s reaction different? How much blame do you place on each character?
13. Ross insists that he will not borrow money from friends during tough financial times. Do you commend his attitude, or do you think he is being foolishly stubborn?
14. After Julia’s death, Ross bleakly reexamines his life and considers it a “frenzied futile struggle ending in failure and near bankruptcy” (p. 387). He feels as though a phase or epoch of his life has come to an end. How would you respond to his self-assessment? Do you think a specific phase has come to an end for Ross? If so, what is that phase, and what lies ahead for him?
15. To what extent do you condone the behavior of the locals during the shipwrecks at the end of the novel? Why do you think Ross invites the crew to stay at his house overnight? Does this gesture successfully make up for the locals’ behavior?