Thanks to the long days of rain, the blades of grass glowed with a deep-green luster, and they gave off the smell of wildness unique to things that sink their roots into the earth.

It's not right for one friend to do all the giving and the other to do all the taking: that's not real friendship.

Autumn finally arrived. And when it did, I came to a decision. Something had to give: I couldn't keep on living like this.

I can't imagine how American readers will react to a novel, but if the story is appealing it doesn't matter much if you don't catch all the detail. I'm not too familiar with the geography of nineteenth century London, for instance, but I still enjoy reading Dickens.

He does not exist here, with me, but flesh that does not exist will never die, and promises unmade are never broken.

A certain type of perfection can only be realized through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect.

Someone once said that nothing costs more and yields less benefit than revenge,” Aomame said. “Winston Churchill. As I recall it, though, he was making excuses for the British Empire’s budget deficits. It has no moral significance.