READERS GUIDE
SISTERS OF HEART AND SNOWReading Guide
1. In Sisters of Heart and Snow, author Margaret Dilloway juxtaposes Tomoe Gozen’s story with that of Rachel and Drew Snow. What comparisons can you draw between them? Discuss the impact of Rachel and Drew reading Tomoe’s story during this time in their lives.
2. Rachel and Drew’s mother, Hikari Sato Snow, and Lucy, Killian Snow’s new bride, were both mail-order brides. Both wanted to come to the US and were okay living under Killian’s “rule” to do so. Were you surprised by how comfortable they were with that type of life? Did they make the right decision to come?
3. Hikari’s story is mostly told through Rachel’s and Drew’s recollections of interactions with her. It’s clear that she lived, at times, a very difficult life. Do you sympathize with Hikari? Did your opinion of her change over the course of Sisters of Heart and Snow?
4. At its essence, this is a book about sisters. Rachel and Drew are foils of each other. Their relationship changes drastically over the few months in which Sisters of Heart and Snow takes place. What stimulates this change? Did you relate more to one sister or the other?
5. Hikari’s life was vastly different from Rachel’s and Drew’s. Are some of these differences common to all mother-daughter relationships? And how do these differences impact the relationship Hikari has with her daughters, as compared to other mother-daughter relationships you are familiar with?
6. Tomoe’s story is an epic saga, a coming-of-age story of a female samurai warrior. While Tomoe struggles throughout the story, she eventually finds happiness. Was she wise to leave the battle at the end? What impacted her to leave—was it the love she learned from Yamabuki? Is it okay to not always be strong?
7. Throughout the tale, Tomoe and Yamabuki taught each other many lessons. What lessons did Rachel and Drew teach each other?
8. Rachel and Drew’s relationship with their father, Killian, was complicated from childhood. Rachel spends much of the novel corresponding with her father only through their lawyers. In the end, Killian agrees to talk with Rachel, rather than wait until the trial. What causes him to agree to this? What is the impact of this meeting on Rachel?
9. Many different types of relationships are explored throughout Sisters of Heart and Snow. Rachel’s relationship with Hikari was never smooth, but in the end, Rachel cares for her ailing mother. Rachel has a very different relationship with her own daughter, Quincy. How has Rachel’s relationship with her mother impacted her relationship with her daughter? Has Rachel parented differently as a result of the way she was raised?
