At twenty-eight I'd had a handful of beaux, but had only been in love once, and that had been awful enough to make me doubt men and myself for a good long while.
Paula McLainIt was our favorite part of the day, this in-between time, and it always seemed to last longer than it should--a magic and lavender space unpinned from the hours around it, between worlds.
Paula McLainTo marry was to say you believed in the future and in the past, too-that history and tradition and hope could stay knit together to hold you up.
Paula McLainHappiness is so awfully complicated, but freedom isn't. You're either tied down or you're not.
Paula McLainIn Paris, you couldn't really turn around without seeing the result of lovers' bad decisions. An artist given to sexual excess was almost a clichรฉ, but no one seemed to mind. As long as you were making something good or interesting or sensational, you could have as many lovers as you wanted and ruin them all.
Paula McLain