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- Do you find the Count an appealing, even memorable character?
- How do you see the Count changing during the course of the
novel?
- Why does the Count decide to throw himself from the roof of the
Metropol? Why does the encounter with the handyman lead him to
change his plans?
- The Count’s life under house arrest is greatly influenced by his
relationship with four women: Nina, Marina, Anna, and Sofia. What is
the nature of the Count’s relationship with each of these women?
- How does the Count’s experience of time change over the course
of the novel and how does it relate to his father’s views as
embodied by the twice-tolling clock?
- In Book Five, the Count has decided to get Sofia out of Russia.
What occurs over the course of Book Four to lead him to this
decision? Why does he choose to remain behind?
- Talk about the other characters who play an important part in
this novel. The handyman, the actress, his friend Mishka, and even
Osip Glebnikov. Consider the incident with the honey.
- In the conclusion, what is the significance of the toppled
cocktail glass in Casablanca?
- This novel has a unusual premise set half a century ago in a
country very different from ours. Nonetheless, do you think the book
is relevant today? If so, in what way is it relevant?
- The Count was spared the death penalty for
writing the poem, "Where is it
now?". This poem questioned the purpose of the new Soviet Union.
Make comparisons with Russia under Putin, 70-some years later?
* Questions courtesy of the author,
Amor Towles
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