How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When the lights went off the accompanist kissed her….Not only was everyone there certain of a kiss, they claimed they could identify the type of kiss: it was strong and passionate, and it took her by surprise….Or was it that they wanted her too, all of the men and women in the room, and so they imagined it collectively. They were so taken by the beauty of her voice that they wanted to cover her mouth with their mouth, drink in. Maybe music could be transferred, devoured, owned. What would it mean to kiss the lips that had held such a sound? (1.1)
Look out, ladies and gentlemen. This is right at the beginning of the book, and it's letting us know that art is going to be a major force in the story. Look what a little opera does to the audience. They're all falling in love with the singer's voice, so much so that they may even have hallucinated a kiss. Patchett is letting us know that art will pretty much dominate this book. And yeah, as you know, it's mostly opera.
Quote #2
Tiny people, insects, really, slipped out from behind the curtains, opened their mouths, and with their voices gilded the walls with their yearning, their grief, their boundless, reckless love that would lead each one to separate ruin. (1.8)
Maybe your average eleven-year-old is more interested in a Batman birthday party than an opera one, but opera sure made an impression on Mr. Hosokawa way back then. And it hasn't stopped now: he seems like a pretty stable kind of guy in general, but here he is, far from his home and his family on his birthday, in a place where he has no interest in doing business, just to listen to one opera singer. It sounds like that's his version of the sort of reckless stuff he saw in Rigoletto. Plus, "boundless, reckless love" isn't a bad description of what Mr. Hosokawa will have by the end of the novel. As for "ruin," well, we'll let you decide.
Quote #3
It was soaring, that voice, warm and complicated, utterly fearless. How could it be at once controlled and so reckless? (1.12)
A driver's ed teacher probably doesn't think something can be controlled and reckless at the same time. But then again, a skilled stunt driver can do pretty crazy things that are still under control. Opera's a bit like that too: crazy, over-the-top, and completely unafraid. But it also takes hours of practice and tons of control to make it sound that way. Is Patchett telling us something about art in general here? Is art meant to be incredibly under control and incredibly unafraid?