A Million Junes
by Emily Henry
“”Sometimes when we write about conflicts we’re still in the middle of, we produce great emotions, strong feelings, but the technical aspects of the story fall to the wayside, because we don’t understand the interconnectedness of all the elements of our own narrative yet.”
…
“Your work tends to create snapshots of powerful moments. But often it reads as a series of events. This happens, and then this, and then this, and then this. What we’re looking for is: this happens, therefore this happens, but then this happens, therefore this happens.”” (p. 182)
“”Moments are like cherries. They’re means to be relished, shared - not hoarded. You can clutch one terrible moment or experience all the rest.”” (p. 364)
“We may just be moments, June, but to love a handful of people very well, that’s a good life.
…
I was just a moment, and you gave me a million Junes. I was just a moment, and you made me forever.” (p. 391)
“He looked her in the eye.
“Contra mundum?”
She smiled. “Contra mundum.” Against the world.” (p. 404)
“He had listened…. And he was addressing her worries, rather than judging her bitterly, as was the common, if not only, reaction when a woman questioned her ordained role as mother and wife.
…”What if I am not like them?”
His brows pulled together. “No one could deny that you are equal to them in terms of determination.”
As observed from the outside, perhaps… “I’m not good at doing things half-measure.”
…”What if I love you too much,” she said. “What then?”
“Love me… too much?”
“Yes. And what if our connection resulted in a child, and what if I loved the child too much. And it made me stop fighting for the cause with all I have.
…What if I stop fighting because I stop caring, whether I want to or not?”
His features gentled with dawning understanding. “I see,” he said. “It is not only the constraints and loss of credibility you fear.”
…I do not need an excuse not to do battle, day after day. What if having people to love makes me weak?”
…”What if love makes you want to fight harder? What if you look at your daughters and see the best reason to keep campaigning for women’s liberty? Or, think of the sons who much raise hell in Parliament as long as women cannot.”” (p.399-400)