“The baby closed its mouth, staring at him with hope and small hiccups.
“Jesus,” he said. He lay down on the bed, pulling the pillow under his head, and drew the whole bundle of coat, shawl and infant up against his shirt. A tiny hand closed tight on the lace. One sob erupted, and then changed midbreath to a soft sigh.
Women, he thought sardonically, sinking in the bedclothes, with sleep revolving and closing in his head. He moved one finger, feeling a cheek as soft as down.
What’s your name?
Ask the girl. Remember that…
Maddy…
It was wrong. I must leave thee now.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry, little girl… I’m so tired. I never deserved you, did I? Maddy… but I loved you.
I always loved you.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“He liked radical politics and had a fondness for chocolate.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“It had not seemed difficult, on a small income, to know what was right to do....Now, with so much, it was daily a decision: what was necessary, what was frivolous...It was so much gray--so little black and white; for a year she'd spent more of her time questioning herself and how she lived in Truth than she had done altogether in her life.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“The flame in her was slow and deep-he was going to incite it with the fire in himself; he was going to make a blaze to burn down cities, to lay waste cathedrals and castles and plain meetinghouses-to make a world where it was only him, and only her, and this bed, and one flesh.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“Dost though even know what would become of me? Thou dost not." She exhaled sharply. "Friends would disown me. It is our way. I would be alone!"
"No," he said unexpectedly. He turned and held his hand to her, palm upward, empty, a simple masculine offering. "Maddygirl. With...me.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“He didn’t reckon that God owed him anything. He reckoned that he’d had it all, and wasted it. Burning lakes and howling fiends had just never seemed that convincing, perils hardly fit to frighten naughty children.
He turned over, staring up at the darkess.
Damned…having found out now what hell was really like.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“He put his fist against his chest. “Burn, Maddygirl,” he said. Then he turned and left her in the flickering gloom and thunder.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“He lifted his eyes. They were the color of the deepest heart of hurricane clouds, deeper blue than the sky behind him.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“He felt her draw a little shuddering breath, and then a wet tumble of water on her cheek. She whispered, “God forgive, Jervaulx—that I sh’dovethee.”
That I should love thee.<\i>
It broke the spell that held him. Had she said that? He pushed back, gazing at her.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“"There was no public to humiliate him here. They already knew he was a lunatic. They expected it. He could burst into howls of insanity, and they would only smile those gentle smiles at him and wrestle him into the chains."”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“"The duke stopped beside Maddy’s chair. He turned to Mr. Pember and in the sort of tone that could command regiments, uttered. “Cat.””
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“The flowers were opulent, full-blown, topple shower petals at a touch. He thought that she might topple that way, falling all at once into his hand, a soft drift of blossom between his fingers. The roses bowed their extravagant heads, nodding, but she was all stiff prim and black, back in her bonnet, so that he could not see her face unless she looked directly at him.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“There was no public to humiliate him here. They already knew he was a lunatic. They expected it. He could burst into howls of insanity, and they would only smile those gentle smiles at him and wrestle him into the chains.”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
“Was that what she meant? Why she cried? Because he was an animal afraid to leave its cage, no words to say what he thought, no thoughts but muddled mad stupid thoughts?”
― Laura Kinsale, quote from Flowers from the Storm
Laura Kinsale
Born place: The United States
See more on GoodReads
“Better a spirit that does not quite fit in this world than one that is broken.”
― Donna Gillespie, quote from The Light Bearer
“Aaman got taken for being illegal, you’ve tried to find him but haven’t had any luck, and you’re crying because you haven’t found him. That’s what it sounds like. Is that what’s going on?” “Yes.” “Are you crying over Aaman because he was a great gardener or did something happen between you guys?”
― Sara Alexi, quote from The Illegal Gardener
“I suggest you...Fuck."
Even if it was an invitation, I doubt I would have been able to take her up on it just then. Inspiring as she could be in bed, I just didn't have it in me at the moment.”
― Douglas Hulick, quote from Among Thieves
“I’ll never understand why some people can’t just let others live their lives, you know,” Danial said. “You don’t have to understand. You don’t have to agree. Just leave people alone. When I look at the moon and planets and stars, all that narrow-mindedness and hate seem so petty. The universe is such a big place. One hundred thousand light years just from one end of the Milky Way to the other. One hundred. Thousand. Light years. In the time it’s taken for light to travel from one end of our galaxy to the other, thousands of generations have passed. It really makes you realize how small we are, doesn’t it? How short our time on earth is.”
― J.H. Trumble, quote from Don't Let Me Go
“I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi)”
― Eve Ensler, quote from I am an Emotional Creature
Love May Fail
The Ancient Secret o...
More Than Two: A Pra...
The Seven Songs of M...
The IslandersBookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.
We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.
Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.
