The Girl in the Corner Quotes

“But Dolly’s words, meant to console, left her feeling bereft. She knew this was how she was viewed, defined by her relationships with everyone else, diluted.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“Rae felt awash with shame, as if she had been caught out, exposed, and this gave her another unwelcome insight into the hierarchy of their relationship. How was Dolly in such a position of power?”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“This apparent dismissal, the questioning, was more than just a woman defending her beloved brother; they were the words of a woman who did not have Rae’s back. It was unsupportive and it hurt.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“I am being made to feel like the baddie, the one who holds the key to future happiness; me, who hasn’t done anything wrong except run around at everyone’s beck and call! And let’s forget the family for a minute – this is my marriage, my life; what about me? What about me, Dolly? What about making me happy again?”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“Dolly’s comedic dismissal of something she held dear left her feeling more than a little deflated. It was another blow to the equilibrium they were trying to achieve in the wake of the previous evening’s discussion.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“attraction is not about age or numbers. It’s about two souls who, for whatever reason, become stitched together in time, even if only for a brief while.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“it’s the job of the barman – did you not know that? People mistakenly think we are here to give you drinks but that’s only part of the job; the other part is being a listening ear and giving good advice.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“It always amazes me how many people sit here and tell me they are not lonely, how they like being alone, that they wouldn’t change a thing! Or how very happy they are; and I find it odd that the ones who say they are happiest – the ones who skip and laugh the loudest, who play at being happy – they are usually the people who cry alone on the beach.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“In truth Rae thought this safer than risking expanding the conversation, which might reveal her utter disappointment that her friend’s concern appeared to be how the situation might affect Dolly, and not its impact on Rae – that, seemingly, her wants and needs were again being sidelined.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“You have a very full life, an important life!’ Rae smiled at her, suppressing her desire to scream, I thought so too! I have always put everyone else first and look where that has got me!”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“But it’s not true. Mid-forties is now the equivalent of mid-twenties when we were young.’ ‘I don’t believe that; I think we just hope it’s true because we are in our mid-forties.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“I think people can feel a little lost when they first arrive here and have time to think. I know lots of people who at home look after everyone else – it’s their purpose; it validates their place in the family – and they think coming here will be a wonderful break, but actually they feel a little anxious, like having time off from a demanding job.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“led them to a warren of walkways around a garden. It was beautiful, with varieties of aloe, hibiscus, oleander and bougainvillea growing in beds dug among the spiky grass and filling the air with glorious scents that were only heightened by the midday heat.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“I feel lost. Like I’ve lost my place and my purpose and at the same time I feel trapped. It’s hard to describe.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“Rae was like a superhero whose superpower was getting shit done when no one else could be bothered to try.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“No, it was more the realisation that so many years had passed, slipped away unnoticed from her prime until now, everything moving a little too fast; and sometimes, despite being middle-aged, she still felt as if she were trying to get a foothold. She still felt at some level that she was waiting for things to start, waiting to figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“Rae did this: issued verbal platitudes designed to appease everyone but herself. How she would love to spend time with her daughter! A coffee, a lunch or a quick chat over breakfast – any would do. How she would love to be made a priority in Hannah’s life just for a day, or an hour! But it was not her way. She would never want her kids to feel like she was pressuring them, even when this was to her detriment.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“I used to be the girl in the corner. I still am sometimes; I often think I don’t quite fit – and I don’t think I am the only one. I dedicate this book to all the women who know what it’s like to feel the churn of nerves in their gut at the thought of putting themselves forward, who would rather cling to the wall than dance alone in the spotlight. I would say this to you: if not now, then when? When is it going to be your time? Take a deep breath and take the plunge and hopefully another girl in a corner will be watching, cheering you on! This is how we gain confidence: by supporting each other instead of tearing each other down, by having each other’s backs instead of talking behind them. Women supporting women – what a wonderful, wonderful thing!”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“Those who are memorable and those who are not. It is important in a sea of people to be the one everyone remembers, the one who stands out in the middle of the room, the star; otherwise you might as well be like furniture, the girl in the corner. And who wants to be that? No one. That’s who.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“her”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“You stand out, you shine brightly. Yes, you are quietly spoken, but you have energy and kindness; you are many things, but you are not furniture.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“I know that you think to betray someone, you have to think they shine less than brightly, that they are not worthy of consideration, because if they mattered to you that much – if they stood out, if they were the most important thing to you – you wouldn’t betray them, would you?”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“no bump in the road is worth giving up on a marriage. And it’s made me realise something that she knew all along: that family is the most important thing. It’s everything.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“As her numbness began to fade and her limbs stopped trembling, she felt the oddest of sensations, as if someone had turned on a tap deep in her gut and all her hope, optimism, love and respect for the man had started to drain away, and it was happening quicker than she would ever have thought possible.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner

“There is no such thing as degrees of trust. There is only the truth and a lie. Honest and dishonest. It’s not a grey area.”
― Amanda Prowse, The Girl in the Corner