" They had marveled then at the effervescence, the sophistication, as they sat in the Flore or the Deux Magots surveying glittering evening. Their supreme good fortune, in those far-off days, was to have been alike in their expectations; the naivete of youth had protected them from potential disappointment, not only with the adventure, but with each other. "

― Anita Brookner , The Next Big Thing