Lisa Hall Brownell's Blog
July 29, 2022
A Reader's Guide to "Gallows Road" for Book Club Discussion
Being invited to talk with book clubs has been one of the best things to happen after the publication of my novel “Gallows Road” this year. Whether meeting in person or on Zoom, it is so exciting to speak with readers and hear their ideas and reactions to the book. I feel very lucky that these groups have welcomed me and shared their insights.
Here are a few questions that other book clubs or readers might want to use to start discussions of "Gallows Road."
1. Why do you think the author begins the story at a point that feels more like the conclusion? Did the first-person narrative affect how you experienced the story?
2. How does Mercy’s childhood shape her character and attitudes when she becomes a young woman? Was her mother cruel for abandoning her daughter or was this a kind of tough love to help Mercy learn to survive?
3. Which do you think is more important to Mercy in the long run, gaining a sense of security or her freedom?
4. In some ways Mercy is like a person wearing blinders—her knowledge is limited by her inability to read and write, as well as her limited experience. What eventually makes her see beyond the strict beliefs of her time period?
5. Illness and death are common occurrences in "Gallows Road," among both the young and old. How do different characters handle tragedy?
6. Why is Mercy initially so attracted to her master, Bryan Palmes? What are his feelings towards her?
7. Do you think that Cate’s behavior toward the Hawk is deceptive, or is she simply using her wits to advance her goal of freedom?
8. The little girl, Zeno, is a tragic figure but she plays a number of key roles in the plot. How does her death result in Mercy’s growth as a character?
9. Why does Mercy try to deny that she is pregnant?
10. Do you think that the Reverend Matthew Graves is a trustworthy character or does he have selfish motives for trying to help Mercy in jail?
11. The sense of place so important in this novel, particularly the proximity to the sea. Why is the Spanish Ship Affair significant?
12. Do you think that the plot of "Gallows Road" transcends its own time period and can relate to important issues today?
Here are a few questions that other book clubs or readers might want to use to start discussions of "Gallows Road."
1. Why do you think the author begins the story at a point that feels more like the conclusion? Did the first-person narrative affect how you experienced the story?
2. How does Mercy’s childhood shape her character and attitudes when she becomes a young woman? Was her mother cruel for abandoning her daughter or was this a kind of tough love to help Mercy learn to survive?
3. Which do you think is more important to Mercy in the long run, gaining a sense of security or her freedom?
4. In some ways Mercy is like a person wearing blinders—her knowledge is limited by her inability to read and write, as well as her limited experience. What eventually makes her see beyond the strict beliefs of her time period?
5. Illness and death are common occurrences in "Gallows Road," among both the young and old. How do different characters handle tragedy?
6. Why is Mercy initially so attracted to her master, Bryan Palmes? What are his feelings towards her?
7. Do you think that Cate’s behavior toward the Hawk is deceptive, or is she simply using her wits to advance her goal of freedom?
8. The little girl, Zeno, is a tragic figure but she plays a number of key roles in the plot. How does her death result in Mercy’s growth as a character?
9. Why does Mercy try to deny that she is pregnant?
10. Do you think that the Reverend Matthew Graves is a trustworthy character or does he have selfish motives for trying to help Mercy in jail?
11. The sense of place so important in this novel, particularly the proximity to the sea. Why is the Spanish Ship Affair significant?
12. Do you think that the plot of "Gallows Road" transcends its own time period and can relate to important issues today?
March 5, 2022
Gallows Road: The Hidden History
My first novel, "Gallows Road," is now available from Amazon, the publisher Elm Grove Press, and other markets. Friends have often asked me, “Is this a true story you’re writing, Lisa?” Although certain plot elements and characters were products of my imagination, the novel was inspired by actual events in New London, Connecticut in the early 1750s.
Wally Lamb, the Connecticut-based author of six N.Y. Times bestselling novels including "I Know This Much Is True," read my manuscript and shared his endorsement for the cover:
“Traversing the same rocky footpaths as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s quintessential New England novel, "The Scarlet Letter," Lisa Hall Brownell’s "Gallows Road" tells an 18th-century story of love, sex, heartache, and hypocrisy. Yet Brownell’s Mercy Bramble is no opaque and respectful Hester Prynne. Mercy is a feisty, unschooled, and outspoken heroine who challenges the morals and mores of the staid, self-satisfied community that seeks to victimize her. I felt a near-magnetic pull into the pages of this humane, character-driven novel. I suspect you will, too.”
So, what first pulled me to this story? Years ago, I’d read about a young servant named Sarah Bramble who was imprisoned, placed on trial twice, and condemned to death for a crime that she swore she didn’t commit. Her newborn’s mysterious death put the teenaged mother’s life in the hands of a jury while three clergymen — and a group called Children of God — all fought to save her soul.
As a New London native, I’d been haunted by this incident, but I’m a storyteller, not a historian. I wanted to explore possible motives, emotions, and a certain “what if?” factor. "Gallows Road" takes place in a time so unlike our era of sharing and selfies. With notable exceptions, few people kept journals, and many girls, like my protagonist, were not taught to read or write. New London did not even have a newspaper until 1758.
Written records do not always tell the whole truth, however; it often depends on who wrote them and what was left unsaid. Ultimately, can any of us know exactly what happened one night, hundreds of years ago, in a remote farmhouse? We do know that on November 21, 1753, Sarah Bramble was executed in New London; some accounts say that thousands watched. It’s also true that more than 250 years later, I sat in the State Archives, carefully unfolded her original death warrant, and saw the sheriff's description of her execution. That’s when I decided to write a story to give forgotten women like Sarah Bramble a voice; my character, Mercy Bramble was born that day. The rest, as they say, is history.
Wally Lamb, the Connecticut-based author of six N.Y. Times bestselling novels including "I Know This Much Is True," read my manuscript and shared his endorsement for the cover:
“Traversing the same rocky footpaths as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s quintessential New England novel, "The Scarlet Letter," Lisa Hall Brownell’s "Gallows Road" tells an 18th-century story of love, sex, heartache, and hypocrisy. Yet Brownell’s Mercy Bramble is no opaque and respectful Hester Prynne. Mercy is a feisty, unschooled, and outspoken heroine who challenges the morals and mores of the staid, self-satisfied community that seeks to victimize her. I felt a near-magnetic pull into the pages of this humane, character-driven novel. I suspect you will, too.”
So, what first pulled me to this story? Years ago, I’d read about a young servant named Sarah Bramble who was imprisoned, placed on trial twice, and condemned to death for a crime that she swore she didn’t commit. Her newborn’s mysterious death put the teenaged mother’s life in the hands of a jury while three clergymen — and a group called Children of God — all fought to save her soul.
As a New London native, I’d been haunted by this incident, but I’m a storyteller, not a historian. I wanted to explore possible motives, emotions, and a certain “what if?” factor. "Gallows Road" takes place in a time so unlike our era of sharing and selfies. With notable exceptions, few people kept journals, and many girls, like my protagonist, were not taught to read or write. New London did not even have a newspaper until 1758.
Written records do not always tell the whole truth, however; it often depends on who wrote them and what was left unsaid. Ultimately, can any of us know exactly what happened one night, hundreds of years ago, in a remote farmhouse? We do know that on November 21, 1753, Sarah Bramble was executed in New London; some accounts say that thousands watched. It’s also true that more than 250 years later, I sat in the State Archives, carefully unfolded her original death warrant, and saw the sheriff's description of her execution. That’s when I decided to write a story to give forgotten women like Sarah Bramble a voice; my character, Mercy Bramble was born that day. The rest, as they say, is history.
