The Lost Daughter

Compare Nina and Leda. What do the two women share? How are they different?

Analyze the male characters in The Lost Daughter. When do they appear and what role do they play? Do they share any characteristics?

The film adaptation of The Lost Daughter takes place on a Greek island. Leda is a British woman who lives near Boston, and Nina’s family are Italian Americans from New York. What role does Italy and Italian culture play in the novel? How does the story change in a different cultural context?

Discuss the role that Brenda plays in Leda’s life, and compare it to the role that Leda goes on to play in Nina’s life.

There are many similarities between The Lost Daughter and Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet. What characters, symbols, or themes can you compare between the works?

What role does language and literature play in Leda’s life? How does she use language to construct her reality?

Nani, Elena’s doll, is supposed to be the symbol of Elena and Nina’s love, but up close, she is dirty and ugly. What role does the doll’s appearance play in the novel?

The are many different instances of loss in The Lost Daughter. Elena gets lost, Nani is lost, Leda loses Bianca, and Leda herself gets lost as a child. What does the loss of a daughter indicate? What does the novel say about a daughter who has lost her mother?