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Dr. Richardson uses an unconventional way to help Anna tap into her childhood memories. What did you think of this method? Did it help or do harm?
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|
12
|
76
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Should Anna still be a cop?
|
|
10
|
55
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Humbert attributes his pedophilia (or "nympholepsy") to his childhood romance with Annabel. How far can we trust this explanation? How do we reconcile Humbert's reliance on the Freudian theory of psychic trauma with his disdain for psychiatrists?
|
|
3
|
15
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
In the early stages of his obsession Humbert sees Lolita merely as a new incarnation of Annabel. In what other ways does Humbert remain a prisoner of the past? Does he ever succeed in escaping it?
|
|
5
|
32
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
What does art offer Humbert and that sexual passion cannot? Is this aesthetic appeal merely the mask with which Humbert justifies his perversion, or is the immortality of art the thing that Humbert has been seeking all along?
|
|
5
|
48
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
What characteristics do the women narrators (Astrid, Cara, Nini, and Isabel) share? In what ways are they different? Do you see any parallels in their lives?
|
|
5
|
38
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
Which character's life and choices do you relate to the most? Which has stuck with you after finishing the book?
|
|
12
|
112
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
Overall, what did you think of Mercy? (No spoilers in this thread, please!)
|
|
34
|
236
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
Overall, what did you think of The Hunter’s Daughter? (No spoilers in this thread, please!)
|
|
23
|
202
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
What did you think of the ending? Anna's journey isn't over—what do you think is next for her?
|
|
12
|
93
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Anna undergoes tests for the Lyssa variant. What do you think the inclusion of this gene type represents in the context of this story?
|
|
12
|
102
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Humbert Humbert is an émigré. To what extent is the America of Lolita an exile's America? In what ways is Humbert's foreignness a corollary of his perversion? Is it possible to see Lolita as Nabokov's veiled meditation on his own exile?
|
|
2
|
21
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
Because of her father, Anna struggles with her morality throughout the book. What were your opinions of Anna as you read?
|
|
12
|
72
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Forests play an important role in this story. Other than being a setting, what do you think is the symbolism of the forest in this book? Is there more than one interpretation?
|
|
7
|
110
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
What red herrings did you pick up on, either while reading or at the end of the book?
|
|
5
|
56
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Veles, also known as Weles or Volos, was widely worshipped throughout Slavik territories around the 10th century. Had you heard of this deity before reading the book? Why do you suppose the author chose to include Veles and not a better-known figure?
|
|
14
|
90
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
How much do you think Anna’s mother knew about her husband’s activities? Do you think she felt her daughter was involved?
|
|
11
|
64
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Do you think Anna's mother is a bad person?
|
|
14
|
105
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Anna hides her identity from everyone, even those closest to her, because she thinks most people “would recoil from that proximity to evil” – they’d shun her because of her father’s activities (p. 250). Do you agree with her?
|
|
14
|
63
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Who did you suspect of carrying out the murders? Were you surprised at the identity of the guilty party?
|
|
19
|
102
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Was Anna's father the only reason why Anna felt like a monster? How do you think her mother might have played a role?
|
|
11
|
68
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Overall, what did you think of Lolita?
|
|
4
|
32
|
September 21, 2025
|
|
Do you think Anna is on her way to healing?
|
|
10
|
78
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Isabel and Elena don’t understand why their mother is so intent on helping her father, even though Steve was never a part of Cara’s life. Why do you suppose Cara felt she needed to support him? What would you have done in her place?
|
|
13
|
42
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
Astrid is sued by her second husband, and at first she fights his claim. After playing Helene, though, she agrees to pay him what he wants without further confrontation. What was it about this role that changed her? Why do you suppose she gave in to him?
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|
6
|
23
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
For what audience would you recommend The Hunter’s Daughter? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
|
|
11
|
102
|
December 19, 2025
|
|
Do you think gender plays a big role in the paths each character takes through the book? How about society's changing ideas about love and sex?
|
|
5
|
48
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
Why do you think so much of the book is spent with the young women who weren't part of Ivan's initial story?
|
|
3
|
33
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
Why do you think the final chapter was written in 3rd person while the remainder was in the 1st person?
|
|
2
|
52
|
December 26, 2025
|
|
How did you feel about the initial shift to Astrid's point of view? How did it change your understanding of the characters?
|
|
6
|
66
|
December 26, 2025
|