DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
A Gentleman In Moscow		  
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  1. Do you find the Count an appealing, even memorable character?
  2. How do you see the Count changing during the course of the novel?
  3. 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?
  4. 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?
  5. 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?
  6. 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?
  7. 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.
  8. In the conclusion, what is the significance of the toppled cocktail glass in Casablanca?
  9. 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?
  10. 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



  
 
Discussion Questions for A Man Called Ove are Listed
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
A Man Called Ove		  
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  1. How do Ove’s core values lead him to appear as such a cranky old man, when he is in fact nothing of the sort?
  2. Ove loves things that are useful. How does this worldview fail him when he believes himself to be useless? How is he
    convinced that he can still be useful?　
  3. Ove has some major disagreements with the way the world turned out. Still, there are some undeniable advantages to the modernization he finds hollow. How do these advantages improve Ove’s life, even if he can’t admit it?　
  4. Ove believes in the value of routine. How can following a routine be both comforting and numbing? How can we balance routine and spontaneity? Should we?
  5. Which, if any, of the supporting cast (Parveneh, Jimmy, the Lanky One, Anita) did you find yourself identifying with?　
  6. The author writes that when people don’t share sorrow, it can drive them apart. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?　
  7. Ove adopts a mangy cat. What do you think of his relationship with that cat? What does the cat allow him to express that he couldn’t otherwise say?　
  8. Ove and Sonja’s travel to Spain. Ove spends his time helping the locals and fixing things. How does Ove the "hero" compare and contrast to his behavior in the rest of the book? Is that who Ove really is?　
  9. What is the key to Ove and Sonja’s romance? Why do they fit so well together?　
  10. What other books or movies have similar characters and themes as portrayed in "A Man Called Ove"?
    11.