All Questions from the publisher. 1. One of the major themes of this novel is the writing process. The author describes on pages 195-197 how different writers go through with it. Discuss the differences between the working habits of these writers and what you have learned as a reader.
2. Nicolas Kolt was confronted with a sudden and enormous fame. From a simple young man, he becomes vain and superficial. Did you find this characterization realistic? How did it affect your opinion of Nicolas?
3. Nicolas’ trip to St. Petersburg is an important moment in his life. He visits several houses belonging to famous Russian writers. Discuss how these places are described and what they trigger in Nicolas.
4. At the beginning of the novel, Nicolas Kolt is not the most attractive character. Why? How do you feel about him at the end of the book?
5. Social networks have transformed our lives and the lives of writers who are on them or using them. What do you think of writers using the social networks, to connect with fans or talk about their own work? How do social networks affect your own life?
6. Nicolas Kolt has an online relationship with another woman, and they exchange sizzling text messages and photos, but never meet. Nicolas does not believe that he is being unfaithful, although his girlfriend Malvina considers this the same as being an affair. What is your opinion?
7. The sinking of the Sagamor is used by the author to symbolize several aspects of Nicolas’s life. Which ones? What are the positive and negative aftereffects of this event? What do you think Nicolas Kolt has learned?
8. The tragic disappearance of Nicolas’s father is at the core of this book. Discuss Nicolas’ relationship with his father and how this shaped him into the writer he became. Point out the images and themes that de Rosnay uses to describe Nicolas’ childhood.
9. Tatiana de Rosnay has admitted that this is the most biographical book she has ever written. Can you pick out the similarities between her life and that of her young hero, Nicolas Kolt?
10. If you have read Sarah’s Key, A Secret Kept, and The House I Loved, Tatiana de Rosnay’s previous novels, can you pick up any themes that are common to all four books?
Must be a group member before inviting friends
All Questions from the publisher.
1. One of the major themes of this novel is the writing process. The author describes on pages 195-197 how different writers go through with it. Discuss the differences between the working
habits of these writers and what you have learned as a reader.
2. Nicolas Kolt was confronted with a sudden and enormous fame. From a simple young man, he becomes vain and superficial. Did you find this characterization realistic? How did it affect your opinion of Nicolas?
3. Nicolas’ trip to St. Petersburg is an important moment in his life. He visits several houses belonging to famous Russian writers. Discuss how these places are described and what they trigger in Nicolas.
4. At the beginning of the novel, Nicolas Kolt is not the most attractive character. Why? How do
you feel about him at the end of the book?
5. Social networks have transformed our lives and the lives of writers who are on them or using
them. What do you think of writers using the social networks, to connect with fans or talk
about their own work? How do social networks affect your own life?
6. Nicolas Kolt has an online relationship with another woman, and they exchange sizzling text
messages and photos, but never meet. Nicolas does not believe that he is being unfaithful, although his girlfriend Malvina considers this the same as being an affair. What is your opinion?
7. The sinking of the Sagamor is used by the author to symbolize several aspects of Nicolas’s life. Which ones? What are the positive and negative aftereffects of this event? What do you think
Nicolas Kolt has learned?
8. The tragic disappearance of Nicolas’s father is at the core of this book. Discuss Nicolas’ relationship with his father and how this shaped him into the writer he became. Point out the images and themes that de Rosnay uses to describe Nicolas’ childhood.
9. Tatiana de Rosnay has admitted that this is the most biographical book she has ever written. Can you pick out the similarities between her life and that of her young hero, Nicolas Kolt?
10. If you have read Sarah’s Key, A Secret Kept, and The House I Loved, Tatiana de Rosnay’s
previous novels, can you pick up any themes that are common to all four books?