"If Burke Denby had not been given all the frosted cakes and toy shotguns he wanted at the age of ten, it might not have been so difficult to convince him at the age of twenty that he did not want to marry Helen Barnet."
"Of course the inevitable happened. However near two roads may be at the start, if they diverge ever so slightly and keep straight ahead, there is bound to be in time all the world between them. In the case of Burke and Helen, their roads never started together at all: they merely crossed; and at the crossing came the wedding. They were miles apart at the start—miles apart in tastes, traditions, and environment. In one respect only were they alike: undisciplined self-indulgence—a likeness that meant only added differences when it came to the crossing; and that made it all the more nearly impossible to merge those two diverging roads into one wide way leading straight on to wedded happiness." (From the book)
This all sounds complicated. This complicated situation is conveyed to us by the couple and some of their friends. However, more complications rise when a daughter is caught in the middle - a clever and wonderful girl who had to endure a sad and bitter life: live with her abnormal mother and be employed by her father, without knowing it's him. Her parents know what's best for her, but does Betty know what's best for herself? Will Betty be able to forgive her parents? (Summary by Stav Nisser)
"Of course the inevitable happened. However near two roads may be at the start, if they diverge ever so slightly and keep straight ahead, there is bound to be in time all the world between them. In the case of Burke and Helen, their roads never started together at all: they merely crossed; and at the crossing came the wedding. They were miles apart at the start—miles apart in tastes, traditions, and environment. In one respect only were they alike: undisciplined self-indulgence—a likeness that meant only added differences when it came to the crossing; and that made it all the more nearly impossible to merge those two diverging roads into one wide way leading straight on to wedded happiness." (From the book)
This all sounds complicated. This complicated situation is conveyed to us by the couple and some of their friends. However, more complications rise when a daughter is caught in the middle - a clever and wonderful girl who had to endure a sad and bitter life: live with her abnormal mother and be employed by her father, without knowing it's him. Her parents know what's best for her, but does Betty know what's best for herself? Will Betty be able to forgive her parents? (Summary by Stav Nisser)
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Chapters
- Chapter 1
01 - Dedication & Chapter 1: Frosted Cakes and Shotguns
36:14 - Chapter 2
02 - An Only Son
15:52 - Chapter 3
03 - Honeymoon Days
17:29 - Chapter 4
04 - Nest-Building
28:28 - Chapter 5
05 - The Wife
22:25 - Chapter 6
06 - The Husband
11:41 - Chapter 7
07 - Stumbling-Blocks
32:40 - Chapter 8
08 - Diverging Ways
32:36 - Chapter 9
09 - A Bottle of Ink
50:15 - Chapter 10
10 - By Advice of Counsel
26:36 - Chapter 11
11 - In Quest of the Stars
13:59 - Chapter 12
12 - The Trail of the Ink
26:20 - Chapter 13
13 - A Woman's Won't
16:50 - Chapter 14
14 - An Understudy
24:05 - Chapter 15
15 - A Woman's Will
23:02 - Chapter 16
16 - Emergencies
25:59 - Chapter 17
17 - Pink Teas to Flighty Blondes
11:04 - Chapter 18
18 - A Little Bunch of Diaries
30:20 - Chapter 19
19 - The Stage is Set
13:35 - Chapter 20
20 - The Curtain Rises
14:11 - Chapter 21
21 - The Play Begins
18:00 - Chapter 22
22 - Actor and Audience
24:29 - Chapter 23
23 - 'The Plot Thickens'
12:46 - Chapter 24
24 - Counter-Plots
13:49 - Chapter 25
25 - Enigmas
14:52 - Chapter 26
26 - The Road to Understanding
24:21