“Solitude led to retrospective thinking, and if the past is what you are trying to get away from, then constant distractions in the present are needed.”
― The Elephant Tree
― The Elephant Tree
“We tend not to choose the unknown which might be a shock or a disappointment or simply a little difficult to cope with. And yet it is the unknown with all its disappointments and surprises that is the most enriching. In so many ways this”
― Gift from the Sea: 70th Anniversary Edition
― Gift from the Sea: 70th Anniversary Edition
“Distruggere l'uomo è difficile, quasi quanto crearlo: non è stato agevole, non è stato breve, ma ci siete riusciti, tedeschi. Eccoci docili sotto i vostri sguardi: da parte nostra nulla più avete a temere: non atti di rivolta, non parole di sfida, neppure uno sguardo giudice.”
― If This Is a Man / The Truce
― If This Is a Man / The Truce
“These women, genteel and beautiful, are the rebels who say no to the choices made by silly mothers, incompetent fathers (there are seldom any wise fathers in Austen's novels) and the rigidly orthodox society. They risk ostracism and poverty to gain love and companionship, and to embrace that elusive goal at the heart of democracy: the right to choose.”
― Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
― Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
“So that, upon the whole, there must be some kind of subjection due from every man to every man, which cannot be made void by any power, pre-eminence, or authority whatsoever. ”
― Three Sermons: I. on mutual subjection. II. on conscience. III. on the trinity
― Three Sermons: I. on mutual subjection. II. on conscience. III. on the trinity
Brenton’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Brenton’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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