by Howard Fast
12. How do Dan and Barbara each use work as part of the grieving process following the death of a loved one? How do their attitudes about their work and the people they have just lost differ?
13. Jean suggests to Eloise that no one is ever truly ready for marriage because “It’s so difficult to know anything about yourself, and to learn something about another is almost impossible.” Do you agree or disagree with Jean? Is there always some risk involved in marriage, or can two people know for certain that their marriage will work? How do you think the other married characters in the book would respond to Jean’s assertion?
14. Do you find the affection and later marriage between Sally Levy and Joseph Lavette inappropriate given their age difference? Do you feel the same way about Barbara and Bernie, who have the same age difference, or is their situation different?
15. Several characters in the novel have strong attachments to their homes: Jean’s house on Russian Hill, Jake and Clair Levy’s home at Higate, Sam Goldberg and later Barbara’s house in San Francisco, and May Ling and her family’s home are all treated with reverence and respect by their owners and friends. How do you think being immigrants or second generation immigrants affects those feelings? Do you attach any special meaning to certain places in your life?
