The Ice Swan Read Online By J’nell Ciesielski - Read The Ice Swan(36) Online free

Discussion Questions

Why do you think Wynn has complicated feelings toward his title, and how does his chosen occupation reflect these feelings?
What does Svetlana learn about herself over the course of the story? In what ways have her altered circumstances forced her to change?
In 1917 heart surgery was not part of medical practice. In fact, it was said that, “Surgery of the heart has probably reached its limit set by nature. No new methods and no new discovery can overcome the natural difficulties that attend a wound of the heart,” and that “The surgeon who operates on the heart will lose the respect of his colleagues.” Given that this was such a radical procedure, would you have allowed Wynn to perform heart surgery on you?
After Svetlana and her family escape Russia, they must embrace new places and traditions in order to survive. If you’ve ever had to uproot your life, how did you cope? Were you resistant to your new home or did you welcome it?
What do Svetlana and Wynn admire about each other? In what ways do their personalities complement one another?
Do you think Wynn made the right choice to operate on Harkin or should he have consulted other medical advice first?
Dancing is Svetlana’s passion and the only way she can truly express herself, just as Wynn finds his calling through surgery. If they were never allowed to dance or be a physician again, might they have found true contentment in other ways? Or does the heart long only for its true passion, never settling for less?
Svetlana states time and again that Russians are not known for their optimistic outlook, citing the miseries penned by Tolstoy and Pushkin to be a true reflection of life. Do you think this contributed to her denial of happiness and love? Or was the Revolution more to blame?
Setting takes a large role in TheIce Swan, from revolutionary Russia, to war-torn Paris, and finally to peaceful Scotland. How are each of these places significant to Wynn and Svetlana? How does each location help them to grow, not only as individuals but as a couple?
Most often we read about rags to riches stories, but TheIce Swan provides the reverse. Svetlana begins as a princess with the world at her feet only to be cast down into a basement begging for food. What kinds of challenges might a person in this position face, physically and mentally? Would they truly be able to say that money doesn’t buy happiness?

The Ice Swan by J’nell Ciesielski

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