Quotes from book
The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune
Susan Howatch

The Wheel of Fortune is a novel by Susan Howatch and recounts the trials and tribulations of a fictitious British family, the Godwins, who appear to be part of the minor aristocracy.

“Redemption's just a word and as I'm not a Christian it means nothing to me.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 6: Hal

“Bloody men! sometimes I feel I hate them all.'
'Your God slipped up. She should have created just one sex, women, and arranged for reproduction by cloning.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 6: Hal

“Every woman needs a special friend of her own sex with whom she can 'have a haircombing' about everything from menstruation to male monsters, and Julie had become that kind of special friend.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 2: Ginevra

“But magic can't operate without a magician, and being a magician can beat a man to his knees.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 6: Hal

“Friendship's best,' I said, 'and friendship's forever because no baby can come along to spoil it.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 1: Robert

“Sexual desire has to be dead as a doornail before a man and a woman can be genuinely at peace in a platonic relationship.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 6: Hal

“Success on that scale don't make for happiness. Look at Asquith. Why does he drink? I wouldn't want you to end up a drunkard like that.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 1: Robert

“Ghosts, unshriven souls, psychological hang-ups — they all exist in the mind to put people through hell — they're just different ways […] of looking at a given situation.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 6: Hal

“Acquiring carnal knowledge is like swimming in the sea … The sea's so beautiful to look at, so wonderful to swim in, but you must never bathe unless it's safe. People so often drown in the sea and some coasts are so very dangerous, … like the Coast of Gower.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 1: Robert

“I deserve to be thought a coward. I am a coward. I'm just so bloody afraid of dying — of losing —'
'Anyone in their right frame of mind should be afraid of dying. That doesn't mean you're a coward.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 2: Ginevra

“Boredom on social occasions is an inescapable hazard for the over-educated”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 1: Robert
Context: Boredom on social occasions is an inescapable hazard for the over-educated, and for the over-ambitious it must be endured.

“Remember, everything passes, even the most unspeakable horrors”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 1: Robert
Context: Again, be patient. And have courage. Remember, everything passes, even the most unspeakable horrors.

“Distrust grows out of lies. Wrong-doing grows out of distrust. Tragedy grows out of wrong-doing.”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 3: John
Context: Distrust grows out of lies. Wrong-doing grows out of distrust. Tragedy grows out of wrong-doing. But out of honesty grows love and love's so powerful, it'll be like a suit of armour, protecting Robert, protecting you.

“Romance is the opiate of the dissatisfied”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 1: Robert
Context: Romance is the opiate of the dissatisfied, it anaesthesises them from the pain of their disordered second-rate lives [... ] If romance is the opiate of the dissatisfied then surely nostalgia is the opiate of the disillusioned, for those who see all their dreams come true and find themselves living in a nightmare.

“A rational disposition must necessarily preclude a romantic outlook in life”

Susan Howatch book The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune (1984), Part 1: Robert
Context: A rational disposition must necessarily preclude a romantic outlook in life, and only the failures of this world can afford to dispense with a rational disposition.