“Although she tried not to let the rumors that she had followed the Prince out of vanity bother her, she had known that it was partly true. Her aching heart, however, gradually informed her that it was much more than just partly true.”

“But although she was with family and friends, she'd never felt more alone. She felt as if she'd lost a vital part of herself and she had - her heart.”

“Many years before, she had read, and recognized as true, the words of W. B. Yeats: 'A Pity beyond all telling is hit at the heart of love'. She had smiled over the poem, and stroked the page, because she had known both that she loved Colin, and that compassion formed a huge part of her love.”

“He was aware he did not love her. He had married her because he liked her haughtiness, her seriousness, her strength, and also because of some vanity on his part, but as she kissed him for the first time he was sure there would be obstacle to their inventing true love.”

“With her ten-year-old nephew as a guide, she tried to think of it as an adventure. And then came the more difficult part-she had to try to convince herself that she liked adventures.”

“She had defeated loneliness by bringing to life the books that peopled her imagination and making friends of them.With devastating clarity she saw that her ability was not only a panacea for unhappiness. It was her lifeblood. Part of the very fiber of her being. And here, in Hollywood, it could be fulfilled. She didn't want to be an actress. She was one. All she had to do to be a star was to be true to herself.”