The Passion of Tasha Darsky draws readers into the glamorous and competitive world of classical music, capturing its harsh demands and its magical power to move performers and audiences alike. With rare mastery, Yael Goldstein Love offers a sweeping tale of female ambition, unflinchingly rendered in all its danger, confusion, and passion.

1. Tasha Darsky seems blessed with every advantage — beauty, brains, talent, money, fame. Did this make it harder for you to sympathize with her story? Do you think it would have been easier or harder to care about her story if it were told through the eyes of another character?
2. In what ways do you think Tasha’s parents shaped the woman — and the mother — she ultimately became? Do you think she’s fair to them when she recounts her childhood? What do you make of the scene beneath her mother’s partially hidden masterpiece? Do you think that moment of recognition was instrumental in guiding her later life choices, or did it simply present a convenient hanger on which to drape already existing tendencies?
3. Why do you think Tasha allows herself to become involved in a romantic relationship with Masterson? Did her behavior with her teacher make you think less of her? Or did the insecurity involved in that choice make you feel more sympathetic to her? Why do you think Masterson became involved in the relationship?
4. When Tasha breaks off her relationship with Jean Paul she is still very much in love with him. Why, then, does she do it? Did this decision ring true to you? Do you think the relationship would have ended if she had never seen the letter he wrote to his mother?
5. To what extent does Tasha’s relationship with her parents resemble Alex’s relationship with her? Do you think Tasha is a good mother? Do you think it was responsible of her to bring Alex on tour with her; to let Alex become a professional musician at such a young age? How do you think her choices as a mother would have been different if her parents had not functioned as the only other authority figures in her daughter’s life?
6. As Tasha tells her story, she accuses herself of many misdeeds — toward Jean Paul, toward Alex, and even toward music. What are the misdeeds she accuses herself of? Do you agree with her indictments of herself? Do you think there are other indictments she should have made instead of, or in addition to, these?
7. The Passion of Tasha Darsky is an exploration of the interactions between three different forms of love—romantic, parent–child, and artistic. How does Tasha’s artistic passion play into her human relationships? How do her human relationships play into her relationship with the violin? Do you think she would be a better mother, daughter, and lover if she were a less committed artist? Do you think she would be a better musician if she could separate more effectively from the people she loves? Do you think there is anything her artistic passion adds to her ability to love and care for people?
8. Do you think Tasha would have continued to compose her own music if she had never read Jean Paul’s letter to his mother? Would this have been a good thing? Does she think it would? Would your opinion change if you found out she really was every bit as good a composer as she had once hoped to be? Would hers?
9. What does Tasha mean at the end of the book when she says, “And just like that, I’m a musician again”? In what way did she ever stop being a musician? What has changed?
10. The Passion of Tasha Darsky can be read as a meditation on the possibility of devoting oneself wholeheartedly to both career and motherhood. What, if anything, do you think the final scene in the book is meant to suggest about this fraught and timely issue? Do you agree?