She looks at the swings, and I can see she’s imagining what they’d look like if the kids weren’t there. The guilt of this holds her down momentarily. It appears to be there constantly. Never far away, despite her love for them. I realize that nothing belongs to her anymore and she belongs to everything.

It would then be brought abruptly to an end, for the brightness had shown suffering the way.

It's funny, don't you think, how time seems to do a lot of things? It flies, it tells, and worst of all, it runs out.

Liesel crossed the bridge over the Amper River. The water was glorious and emerald and rich. She could see the stones at the bottom and hear the familiar song of water. The world did not deserve such a river.

I s'pose, I can't have it all my own way, can I? You can't drown in a person unless they let you.

If you ever write a book, I can only give you one piece of advice. Don't let your parents get involved.

It was a style not of perfection, but warmth. Even mistakes had a good feeling about them