The Spectacular

by Fiona Davis

your father has said that he won’t let me propose unless you listen to him.”

Ugh men in the 50s

tiny flame of excitement at having made a decision and followed through. She was in charge of her own life now, for better or for worse.

Idk why it annoys me so much that she always refers to him as Simon

“Do you want to marry him?” Marion hadn’t ever been asked this by anyone; the wedding had simply been a given. “I don’t know.” “I think you could do better.”

“There was a warehouse fire that destroyed some of the records.”

“I actually create the puzzle, then send it to the Times and hope they use it. So far, they’ve published three of mine.”

that, I mean, to have kids eventually?” How to explain? The thought of having a child with Nathaniel made her feel slightly queasy. But with someone else, someone smart and ambitious and kind, she would.

Lithuanian immigrants here, like Martinek,”

Okay but Lithuanians aren't Slavic

“She did. It was tough to convince her, and she agreed only after we included a clause in her contract that she could return to New York every Sunday after the matinee, so she could see you and your sister on her day off.”

“But not in the way that you think. My preference isn’t for the ladies, if you know what I mean.”

No way a mn in 1956 just straight up tells someone hes gay like this right after meeting them

I’ll always treasure the past few years, even when I had to watch you eat broccoli and waffles, and I hope you’ll always be a part of my life.”

Feels unnecessary to rip him about his broccoli habit rn lol

“No. I don’t want to hear it. I’ve had enough.”

Ugh why not just listen to him

mother, as I mentioned, became a schizophrenic at the age of thirty-seven. But that’s not the whole picture. Her father did, too, at thirty-five. I knew that there was a good chance it would affect me as well.”

I knew I could never be a father. There was no way I could pass my genes on to a child, it wouldn’t be fair.