A French Girl in New York Quotes

“Music is everywhere,” Maude said softly. “It is in the water, in the wind’s hum, in the bird’s cry, in the boat’s horn. Rhythm surrounds us. That is one of life’s greatest gifts.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Especially something as boring as law,” Ben added.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking you can change a man. You will only waste your time.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“we’ll drown our sorrows in buckets of ice cream,”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“The bare elms, dressed in a white robe of ice crystals, showed the way in an enchanting alley resembling a pathway to an elfin world. Whispering secrets, the snow-draped branches entwined amorously in a wide, cathedral-like canopy. The coarse, dark barks wrinkled with centuries-old wisdom, eyeing the pedestrians in solemn silence. “I’ll just give this pathway another name,” Maude decided. “Whispering Walkway will be its new name because if you listen closely enough, the trees’ rustling sound like a melodious murmur.” “I”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Lindsey turned to Maude and said sweetly, “I guess I’ll be seeing you in Ms. Tragent’s class this evening since Jazmine’s Dad managed to get you in. She usually takes nothing but the best, but seeing as you’re James Baldwin’s charity case, she couldn’t say no to the poor, little French orphan he’s taken in, could she?” Maude’s face grew hot with anger. “You know what? Nobody’s even heard of the name Lindsey Linton in France. So I guess Mrs. Tragent must really like charity cases if she’s taken your sorry, shallow self in her class,” she retorted.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“This is la vie en rose”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Yeah,” answered Matt smoothly, looking directly at Maude. “This one was a real fury. She yelled at me like a mad woman. I’m sure you could’ve heard her all the way to France.” Maude”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Parlez-vous anglais?”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“never rely on what you think you know or what you think sounds best. You have to keep an open-mind and open yourself to different types of music all around the world and across time.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“I have decided to enter the arena, sacrifice my well being, and bravely do what is best for our country. I have decided to enter politics.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“a deep breath and started singing: There is nothing left for me to do But to live without you To bear the pain and misery Of your silent memory As she played, she released the pain she had been holding back for years. Her parents were dead. They were gone forever, but she was still alive. Though her pain was severe, it also gave her strength. Strength to sing in a clear voice, strength to overcome her fears, strength to master her initially shaky fingers, and strength to let her notes reverberate through the audience. Our souls will meet again Oh yes, we’ll smile again I won’t ever be alone The”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Maude turned to the piano and sang her first song. She had played it many times before but this time was different. She had grown. Maude wasn’t the same person she’d been six months ago, and her performance wasn’t that of a mere teenager—it was that of a young woman who had looked at life in the eye and refused to bend her spine. She finished her first song and prepared herself for the second. She had planned to sing “Sunrise” from her debut album, but now she knew she couldn’t play that song, not after all she’d just been through. Maude dedicated her second song, John Lennox’s “Coming Home,” to her parents.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“He had no idea what to say to her. He did the only thing he could think of. He took her in his arms. His warm embrace acted like a catalyst and Maude started crying, sobbing, wailing helplessly, limply against his chest. Her cries came from deep within, while he rocked her gently, stroking her hair, wrapping her frail body in his arms. When she finally lifted her head, her face, streaming with fresh tears, she looked calm though still in pain. “Your shirt,” she moaned pointing towards his mascara-stained shirt. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, smiling softly at her. He handed her a handkerchief. “I’m a mess,” she observed miserably between sniffles. “You’re beautiful,” Matt replied.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Maude nodded. She never answered his texts: nothing would ever happen between Thomas and her after what he’d done. However, Maude was no different from the next girl, and read each message with a high degree of flattered indifference.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Suddenly, she understood. Matt and she had never been friends. They were more, so much more. He drove her crazy. He was incessantly irritating, arrogant, and completely full of himself, but they also had crazy musical chemistry, and he was funny. He made her laugh, when he wasn’t laughing at her that is. And she had feelings for him. Never would she have believed herself capable of falling for a guy with whom she couldn’t spend over five minutes before getting angry with him, but there they were. Those feelings were there and there wasn’t much she could do about them but tell him how she felt. And she hated Lindsey Linton! She hated the fact that he was probably dancing with Lindsey while she was here wasting time with Thomas.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“How dare you stand in front of me, ordering me how to shape my life to better suit your flimsy pseudopolitical ambitions!”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Your lies echo in my head Can’t sleep, I toss around in bed My heart is full of regret What should I have seen? What didn’t I get? I should’ve known better I should’ve realized sooner Although I was burned I”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Then her voice rang out full of emotion: I trusted you, I fell for you Your eyes were kind, your heart felt true How did you dare, oh how could you Take my heart and break it in two Her voice quivered with heart-wrenching emotion as she sang the chorus Betrayed but not broken A door shuts, another opens I’ll be strong, I will move on Your memory won’t last ‘til dawn Betrayed, but I refuse to be broken In time you will be forgotten Her fingers ran beautifully across the piano as she played her piano solo without singing. The hard keys forced her to pour her whole strength in her fingers. Usually when she played, it was effortless. On this piano, however, she felt the energy running through her arm and explode at the tip of her fingers when they entered in contact with the hard, rusty, ivory keys. It was as if Maude was fighting against the resistant keys, trying to dominate, to master them, and the result was breathtaking.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“her face forever frozen in enraptured delight.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“she stopped, breath taken. Although the air was chilly, a warm glow filled Maude as she took in the magnificent view that unraveled itself beautifully before her eyes. The city in all its splendor stood before her, separated by the sea but yet so close she could almost reach out to it.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“The sun had barely come up, but the city was already full of life. Men carried dark suitcases, and women in stylish winter coats scurried along like ants in a gigantic ant farm, all of them knowing exactly where they were headed, no time needing to be wasted. Business men and women poured out of never-ending lines of yellow cabs that never had to wait long before new, hurried customers jammed themselves into the vehicles. It was Matt and Maude’s turn to scramble inside a cab Matt had successfully hailed.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“First of all, Jaz thinks Manhattan is New York, but that isn’t true. Haven’t you visited the other boroughs? Brooklyn? Queens?” Maude shook her head. “Did you even visit The Statue of Liberty?” Same answer. “Coney Island?” “I haven’t had time to visit all these places. I have so much to learn about music. New York can wait.” “No, it can’t. I love the Baldwins, but they eat and drink music and sometimes forget that there are other interesting things in this life aside from it.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“You’re so peaceful while you sleep I could watch you for a lifetime Immersed in a slumber so deep You don’t hear the clock chime But suddenly daylight appears The rays of light dance on your skin Your morning smile chases away my fears With you, the shadows can’t win”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“All I’m saying is that Paris is a lot more than what you say in your song. Paris isn’t just a beauty queen. She’s full of passion. She’s the city of the French Revolution. And every other revolution as a matter of fact. Paris is also today the epicenter of every important strike. Never take the subway on a strike day. Or you’ll be crammed in with hundreds of other people wishing you could be anywhere else in the world. Paris is a city full of life, like every big city. Paris can be a very dirty city too. There’s lots of pollution. All I’m trying to say is that you should describe Paris as she really is, its different layers. Not some soapy, postcard version of it. Put more emotion in it.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Her face was in an ocean of light that shimmered on her brown skin, while she sang, a faint smile on her lips. Her hair was tied in a lazy bun over her head, which enhanced her natural beauty. She had heard Matt enter and was satisfied to think that she hadn’t betrayed any emotion when he arrived, unlike their previous encounters.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Matt’s Creation Room was a wide, colorful space dedicated to music. The walls were splashed with bright orange paint, green sofas, and cushions, which contrasted with the serious, dark upright Yamaha piano in the center of the room. There were other instruments in the room: several guitars, a violin, several drums, a bass guitar. The walls were like a private Hall of Fame covered with posters and even relics of famous singers. One wall was covered with pictures of Matt and his three platinum albums Matt, Superstar, and Moving On. The room was bathed in light entering through the wide windows. It was Matt’s Creation Room and he had obviously decorated the room according to his own tastes. After finishing her scales while waiting for Matt, she posted herself next to the windows to practice her audition song for La Cenerentola that Saturday evening. It was a beautiful, sorrowful song that Cinderella sang in the first scene about a king who looked for true love not in splendor and beauty, but in innocence and goodness.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Something in Victoria’s voice made Maude look up at Victoria. For a split second, Maude saw in Victoria’s eyes a haunted look that mirrored her own. For a small instant, a veil was lifted. The woman and the girl could see each other’s pain like no one else could. It was the haunted look of a suffering that had been too long suppressed and silenced and could only be comprehended by another person bent by the weight of similar anguish caused by a tragedy. The woman and the young girl looked at each other and recognized it for what it was.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Victoria, whom Maude so greatly admired, also had a keen eye that James didn’t possess, although he made up for it by having a keen ear. She knew that something was wrong, off-key with Maude and her family. The Ruchets hadn’t called her once since she’d arrived at New York, and Maude never spoke about them. She’d told James to “fatten” Maude up because she had instantly seen at the airport the kind of neglect Maude had suffered from. Although she hadn’t had a moment to discuss this with Maude, she had fondly observed the gradual change that had already begun to take place in the young girl, who laughed more and had formed fast friendships with her children.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York

“Maude had heard Victoria talk the first week she had been there and couldn’t help but feel awed and intimidated by her strong, assured tone, her detailed facts, and her power of persuasion.”
― Anna Adams, A French Girl in New York