Quotes from Diane Chamberlain

seen that quick alteration of her features

Ben sat numbly on the sofa at first, then walked into the kitchen

around the open windows, but it was too

barely test in the normal range, but that woman could run this farm. She graduated from the colored high school in Ridley, which is no small feat given the environment she grew up in.

But she could only play herself with Kyle and Lou, and that was the one role for which she could never memorize the lines.

seeing his face light up when I told him. He was so happy

The hostility and venomous response the topic of sexual trauma and rape in the military brings up, especially with men from my Era, is revealing. This opposition speaks to their guilt and toward the truth that stays hidden.

Well, like Gaston says, it's hard to control who you fall in love with," he said. "You love somebody that deeply, you're willing to risk everything to be with them.

candle. They'd eaten dinner on the rear deck

possible. He has this attitude that nothing bad can happen to him, that he is protected in some way. I never have that feeling. Instead, I am certain my death is waiting for me around the next bend in the road.

redhead." CeeCee remembered

done for the last few days has been completely wrong, even though you did it with the best of intentions. This is the risk you agreed to take. There are always consequences." "Can I leave the baby with you?" she asked.

there. She'd learned not to grow attached to anyone, too fond of anyone, so there could be no surprises and no hurt.

No matter how many people care about you, she thought, if you can't be open with them about who you truly are, you are still alone.

He was mercurial—self-conscious one minute, brazen the next.

It seemed like all she did these days was wait.

Richards and Maureen Sherbondy, also contributed their ideas at various points in the story, as did my sister, Joann Scanlon, and my assistant

And grief is never quick and easy," he said. "It takes time to get through." "I'll never get over it," I said. "Not over, but through. That's the key word. You can't skip it. You have to go through it.

It was me—the weak-willed, easily seduced, insecure girl I'd become. I was the obstacle I'd be carrying around with me for the rest of my life.

Elliott, Marvin L. "Miracle of Hickory: Mass Media and the 'Miracle'." (2007), North Dakota State University.

Maybe if I'd never set foot in the chapel, everything would have turned out okay. I would have learned to be satisfied with what I had. As I got to my feet after the service, though, I knew it was already too late. The seed was planted for everything that would follow. The damage was already done.

I bristled, but tried not to show it. The last thing I wanted today was an argument with Charlotte. She was still furious with me for telling Mary Ella the truth about her surgery—which I admitted to her before Ann Laing had a chance to tell her—and she was never going to let me forget about the beach trip, either. "I'm going to go over to the Harts' house this week to see how they're doing," I said

More often than not, family stories turn out to be etched in sand rather than granite. Even the parts we think are true—even the parts about ourselves—crumble under scrutiny. These are the lies we tell everyone who knows us. These are the lies we tell ourselves.

I haven't prescribed the birth control pill yet and I won't be starting today without getting approval from the man of the house.