The Two-Family House Quotes

“We always think our own grief is the worst—worse than everybody else’s. But the truth is, we never know for sure what the people around us are feeling.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“The daily dread of being judged, of being measured and found lacking in some way, no matter how small, was a burden she carried, compact and profound. It was a too-heavy purse, worn and comfortable on her shoulder, which she did not know the weight of until she set it down.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“I have had some bad things happen, but then a lot of a lot of wonderful things happened to me too. An awful thing happened to you...but you mustn't let it ruin the happiness that lies ahead for you, dear.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“It wasn't just tragedy that stripped you of control, Helen wanted to explain. It was the good things, too.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“Rose filled their coffee cups again and thought how lucky she was to have Helen for her sister-in-law. When Helen was beside her she felt braver, resilient. They would go through this together.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“Some things we just have to accept, so we can save our strength for other problems.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“As she stood before her door, she knew that she wanted a girl not only because of the clothes she could dress her in or the ribbons she could put in her hair. She wanted someone to laugh with, someone who could cry to her, someone she could comfort and understand. She yearned for a daughter for reasons she had not previously been able to explain. And now that she had the words to express her longing, she knew it would only be more difficult to ignore.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“Abe was a lucky man. He told himself that every morning while he dressed and every night before he went to sleep. Abe wasn't religious but every day he thanked God for his beautiful wife, his four healthy sons, his brother and his business. Sometimes he left out his brother, but only when Mort was being a pain in the ass.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“You just summed up the difference between men and women, sweetheart. Men kvetch, and women suffer in silence!”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“She thought she had heard every kind of sound a person could make, witnessed every expression the human face could conjure up out of pain, joy, or grief. That was what she thought before this evening.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“Perhaps if the fathers of the two babies born had been present, they would have thought to shovel. But the storm had prevented their return, and neither had been home.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“Most days she felt less like a mother and more like a lonely zookeeper working overtime.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“age. But after she turned five, Helen could count on one hand the number of times she had seen Natalie break down. The first was when Teddy died, and the second was when Natalie was eleven and broke her elbow. The third was Mimi’s wedding, when Rose yelled at her in the hallway, and the last time was”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“Mort stared after his brother and shook his head. Who would’ve thought Abe could have pulled that off so smoothly? Maybe he didn’t give him enough credit. Sometimes you can’t predict what a person is capable of, he thought. Sometimes you just can’t tell.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“We always think our own grief is the worst—worse than everybody else’s. But the truth is, we never know for sure what the people around us are feeling. I have had some bad things happen, but then a lot of wonderful things happened to me, too. An awful thing happened to you yesterday. But you mustn’t let it ruin the happiness that lies ahead for you, dear.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“For years, she had felt like she was running around in circles too. She had spent the first part of her married life wasting energy on an impossible task. It was only now that she realized how unattainable her goal had been. Mort would never be happy. There was no test she could pass that would change him.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“So she apologized, over and over, until apologizing felt just the same as having an ordinary conversation. She grew accustomed to it.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“We always think our own grief is the worst - worse than everybody else's. But the truth is, we never know for sure what people around us are feeling. I have had some bad things happen, but then a lot of wonderful things happened to me, too. And an awful thing happened to you yesterday, but you mustn't let it ruin the happiness that lies ahead for you, dear.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“Since when is sleeping through the night is a crime ?
It's not. But the boys always let us know if they needed something. They were hungry ,they cried. Tired, they cried. Needed a change, they cried. How are we going to know what this one wants if she never cries ?
Helen burst out laughing.
What ? What's so funny ?
You just summed up the difference between men and women, sweetheart. Men kvetch, and women suffer in silence!”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“By the time she made it up the stairs to her own front door, Helen knew several things she hadn’t known half an hour earlier. On the way down the steps, she hadn’t realized how alone she had felt or how often that feeling of isolation crept into her days. She hadn’t recognized that the tasks that drove her routine had taken over and that the best parts of being a mother—the connection, the companionship—had been missing.”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House

“babies,”
― Lynda Cohen Loigman, The Two-Family House