“All of this was mine, simply for agreeing to marry a man I did not love but who was, in the end, the only man who had ever asked.” — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share Image
“Elisabeth was the same as ever, and I was the same as ever around her; no longer a confident college senior, I was diminished… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“Who was this woman before me, her face imprinted with the expectations of others? I was Mom. I was Wife. I was Tragedy. I… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
Why were there so many barriers between us, always? Barriers of clothing, of etiquette, of time and age and reason. — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“my breath sour against my fist, which I still held to my mouth as if this was a sorrow that could be stifled.” — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“And this was the greatest gift that aviation could ever give me; not the sense of freedom but the sense of permanence, coupling, of… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“ashamed of it even as I craved it. “Oh, she does! There’s a party tomorrow,” — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“Now and adult, allowed a glimpse of these first cracks in my family's perfect surface, I couldn't help but wonder what else I didn't… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“To live for oneself is a terrifying prospect; there is comfort in martyrdom... p 364” — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“For I can think of no fate drearier than sitting at home...for the rest of my life, watching all of you go off one… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“And this—instead of happiness—would be only what the two of us deserved, after all.” — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“...all his smiles were just a little sad around the edges, as if he knew happiness never could last very long” — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“And I did not speak German well; I found the language harsh and guttural, my ear simply couldn’t find it pleasing, and so my… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“No, this was the career I wanted; a writer could be employed for as long as she could hold a pencil; for as long… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
“His death notice included the mention that in 1880, he had married Alice in Wonderland. I like to think he would have been pleased… — Melanie Benjamin Copy Share
