1. Both Alice and Eleanor are "scarlet women," or at least think of themselves as such. How have each of them "sinned"? How does this affect their views of themselves, and their relationships with their communities?

2. The same themes -- murder, betrayal, persecution, and the death of loved ones -- run through both the present day story of Alice and her family, and the World War II-era story of Eleanor and William. In some ways, history repeats itself, but the themes are not always realized the same way between the equivalent characters in each era. How are the stories parallel? When they're not, how are the themes altered by the difference?

3. Alice tries to protect her son, both from the effects of her sentence and from the false charges against him. Eleanor tries to protect her daughter from the knowledge of her real father, as well as from the consequences of her own actions, doubt, and worry. She also tries to protect Yoshi from discovery. How does each woman succeed in protecting her children? How does she fail?

4. Throughout the novel, various characters suggest that Alice is crazy. Since much of the story is told from Alice's point of view, if the accusations were true, her viewpoint would be an unreliable one. How does the author let the reader know that Alice's viewpoint is trustworthy? Is her viewpoint always reliable? When the narrative shifts to other characters' viewpoints, how is their trustworthiness (or lack thereof) communicated?

5. The love affair between William and Eleanor is echoed in Alice and Colin's relationship. How do they repeat the story? How do they change it?

6. How do absent family members haunt the characters?

7. In what ways is Owen like Lowell? In what ways is he different? How do his similarities and differences to his father affect the way his relationship with Alice plays out?

8. In what ways do Alice and Calpernia complement each other's strengths and support each other?

9. How are Jeremy's and Carrie Ann's actions affected by their families? Are they able to escape the influence of their parents? What happens when they try?

10. How do Colin's relationships with animals and with nature accentuate his feelings about himself?

11. How does the island setting shape the community and the story? Would the story have turned out differently if it were set in a metropolitan area?

12. William's famous painting of Eleanor seems almost to be a character in and of itself. What relationships do the characters in the novels have with the painting, and how does the painting affect their relationships with others?