Discussion Guide
Questions
THE
KOMMANDANT’S GIRL
- What do you think about Emma’s choices in the
book? Were they believable, given the circumstances she faced? What
were her other options?
- Do you think the ends that Emma was seeking
justified the means, i.e., her choices and actions?
- Despite being only nineteen years old, Emma
seemed wise beyond her years. Did her character change throughout
the story? How?
- What was the most difficult challenge faced by
Emma? Do you think you would be capable of making such decisions if
you were in her shoes?
- What role does Krysia play in the story?
Lukasz? How do you think they affected Emma, and how might her
situation have turned out without them in her life?
- Do you agree with Emma’s decision to keep the
paternity of her unborn child a secret from her husband? Why or why
not?
- Emma kept secrets from both of the men in her
life—the Kommandant and Jacob. Do you think real intimacy is
possible in such circumstances?
- In a perfect world, what do you think Emma
genuinely wanted to happen between her and Georg, and between her
and Jacob?
- How do you think Marta felt about Emma? Do you
think her feelings for Jacob compromised her mission with the
resistance? Do you believe that there was more to her relationship
with Jacob than she let on to Emma?
- At the end of the book, Emma and Lukasz were
escaping to freedom. In your mind, how do their lives turn out?
Where do you think Emma winds up one month after the end of the
book? One year? Five years?
- Pam Jenoff is careful to portray the
Kommandant as a sympathetic character, despite his allegiance with
the Nazi party. Did you like his character? Were you able to look
beyond his political ties and feel sympathy for him? Why or why
not?
