It Ended Badly: 13 of the Worst Breakups in History

by Jennifer Wright

Much later in life she said that her only true loves had been Mike Todd, Richard Burton, and jewelry.)

In her will, Elizabeth Taylor left Debbie Reynolds some of her most precious pieces of jewelry. Debbie Reynolds had joked, “Take the husband, leave the jewelry.” Given that Elizabeth always claimed that she had only three loves in her life, it’s nice to know that Debbie received one of them in the end.

I root more for the women here and am glad they became friends.

You don’t always “learn something.” Relationships aren’t fortune cookies; they don’t always contain a cool little message for you to carry around after they’re done.

Yes, the saying “a ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for” is a cliché, but it is a beautiful one.

When people say that they’re “just hanging out” or “keeping things real casual,” I always think, Oh, you coward.

If you have had your heart broken because you tried to love, well, then you’re brave, too. You rejected keeping your life the way it was. You abandoned the comfort of stillness. You set off into uncharted territory. That’s very worthy of respect. If the love ended badly, that’s OK. We live longer now than most of the people in this book, and you’re likely not in danger of being beheaded anytime soon. You will have more chances. The world is full of many openhearted people and many opportunities. That may be impossible to think about when you’re heartbroken, because heartbreak is awful, but if you took a chance on love in the first place, you are a courageous soul. There will be a time when you go out and are brave again. Until then, take comfort. And, as Caroline Lamb wrote, “Peace to the broken hearts.”