Do you think Sasha made the right choice leaving Andrei in his moment of tragedy to pursue her dreams of acting?
At the age of seven, Sasha heard Chekhov’s Three Sisters on the radio, and it changed her life. Did you ever have a childhood experience that changed your life?
How did the war change Sasha’s mother and uncle? How did it affect her grandmother and grandfather?
Grandpa is a true believer to the point that he disowned his own son. Why do you think he can’t let go of his old ways of thinking? Can you imagine a situation where you would disown a loved one?
Sasha and Andrei are drawn together, again and again, despite their different views of life. Was there anything they could have done to make their relationship work?
Sasha’s uncle’s journal is a foundation of her beliefs. How did his experience shape her view of Soviet life? Would Sasha have followed the same path if she had not found his journal?
Against the landscape of Stalin’s terror and post-war reality in Russia, do you think Sasha’s mother needed to be so tough on her daughter?
How do you think Marik’s death affected Sasha’s life? Was she able to transform the guilt she carried after “the accident in the woods” into a positive force?
Andrei pulled many strings to help Sasha escape to America, risking his career and possibly his life. How do you think the story ends? Why is Andrei so drawn to Mayakovsky?
The reality of war portrayed in Kolya’s journal was not the reality Sasha learned in school. Do you think these dual realities exist in today’s world?
