Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker

by Gregory Maguire

All paths lead to the same place, and that place is whatever comes next.

Light chooses for itself what to promote.

An openhearted smile, at last. Everyone has one to give the world, at least once; this he believed.

Without a memory, what does experience mean—or matter?

Was music beautiful because it was full of mystery, Dirk wondered, or was it full of mystery because it was beautiful?

In her six-years-and-some she was already more herself than he had ever managed to become himself in the same number of decades.

It’s a sin to tell a lie. But Klara may be in trouble. It’s another sin to conceal the truth.

Never underestimate the value of a mother in wartime. She has the most to fight for.”