How do they define themselves and each other? What influence does their childhood, and their difference in age, have on their personalities and current relationship with each other? What role does the family’s wartime experience play? What does Nadia mean when she says that she and her sister quarrel over “the inheritance of character, of nature”? Which do you think are most important to him? Is her considerable-and oft-advertised-sex appeal her primary attraction, or do you think it might be something else? What do you learn about his attitudes towards life and people from his book on tractors?Ĭonsider all of the ways in which sisters Vera and Nadia are different. Nadia’s father becomes embroiled with Valentina for a variety of reasons, including his loneliness, romanticism, and generosity. Whom do you believe? Do you feel sympathy for Valentina? What do you think Valentina’s real motives are? Does she really want the best possible life for her son, is she simply after money, or does she seek love and contentment for herself? Go back to some scenes in the novel where she explains what she wants and defends her own actions against the accusations of Nadia and her sister. What would you do if you had a parent or family member who seemed to be entering into such a flawed allegiance? How far would you go to stop such a wedding? Do you think that Nadia responds appropriately?
Nadia at first responds by trying not to judge, and instead diplomatically asks questions about both parties’ motivations.
The novel begins with Nikolai’s dramatic announcement that he plans to remarry to a woman fifty years younger than he.
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