How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
James's parents are lawyers at a firm on Wall Street. They work even more than Mom and Dad do, but not because they need the money. Mr. Wentworth is from one of those families that haven't spent the whole trust fund yet. Mom says Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth are not qualified to be people, let alone fit to be parents. Dad says they are probably good lawyers and Mom shouldn't bad-mouth James's parents in front of him. (3.6)
It takes all kinds to have a family, but there are definitely times when you wonder why some people bother. Poor James has two parents who are at best disinterested and at worst neglectful of his emotional and physical well-being. Seeing something like that, when you work so hard to maintain your own family, certainly makes Mom mad. And who can blame her, when it seems like she's trying so hard to make up for their negligence.
Quote #2
We begin every September determined to continue our summer habit of having a civilized sit-down dinner during which we each review our day and discuss future plans. Mom likes to say the McConnell family dinner hour is sacred. And it is. I like hearing how everyone is and what Mom is working on or if Link has a track meet or Dad a plane to catch. It's nice, although, truth be told, our sacred hour tends to erode as the year progresses. (3.9)
These days it feels harder and harder to do things the old-fashioned way, so you have to respect Mom trying her darnedest to hold on to tradition. Eventually we'll all be getting status updates on Facebook in order to know how our sibling's day went.
Quote #3
The thing about Dad is that he makes you want and dread his attention at the same time. I like the fact that he's interested in my thoughts, but I'm always terrified of what he thinks about what I think. After all, I know he's judging whether or not my mind has any kind of a heartbeat yet. What can I safely say about what I thought? (3.21)
This is one of the reasons why Ellen and Link feel like they can't talk to their parents. If you're always being judged, wouldn't it feel less stressful to just keep quiet? Whatever happened to unconditional love?
Quote #4
He and James have tickets for a play on Broadway. It's a revival of some big, serious play from England. The entire run is sold out. One of Mr. Wentworth's clients gave the tickets to him, and he gave them to James. If Mr. Wentworth has any free time, he plays squash or goes out to dinner with Mrs. Wentworth. Link and James get a lot of tickets to plays and concerts in
this way. (3.30)
Mr. Wentworth seems like a pretty awful dad. He's never around because he would rather do anything else than hang out with James. Do you think it's because of who James is, or is it just his natural antipathy to being a parent?
Quote #5
It's not that Dad is a grown-up grade grubber, but our grades are the only objective measure he has of our education. And our education is how our minds will develop a life, never mind a heartbeat. Link says Dad wanted to be a teacher and takes out his career frustrations on us. I asked once if it were true he wanted to be a teacher, and Dad said, "No, only a linguist." Whatever that is. In any event, my father has no patience for people who don't utilize all of their talents or take advantage of all their opportunities.
(4.17)
What are Dad's career frustrations? What does he do for a living? All we know is that he takes a lot of business trips and has strategy meetings. Do you think this was done purposefully by Freymann-Weyr? It certainly makes him feel even more elusive.
Quote #6
You should always feel free to talk to me, Ellen. About anything. Your father and I love you both. No matter what."
"I know," I say in a pleasant and evasive manner.
They do love us. It's nice. I would rather have them for parents than Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth, but all this has been so very beside the point of the information I am seeking.
(5.32-34)
We think everyone would rather have the McConnells instead of the Wentworths for parents. Yikes.
Quote #7
How is it that my father, whom I think I know so well, has picked the wrong—the ignorant—laws to follow? How would Link—how would I—ever follow laws different from Dad's if his are the ones we learn first? (7.67)
This is one of the main problems with growing up. Eventually you are forced to realize that your parents make mistakes, can be old-fashioned, or are sometimes downright bigoted, and then suddenly you have to forge your own path. Ugh.
Quote #8
"Don't look so panic-stricken, Ellen," Dad says. "I'm only trying to get a sense of your life. It seems like I was just teaching Link fractions, and now he has a girlfriend and does math I can't understand."
"Link taught himself fractions," I remind Dad. "It's why he skipped third grade."
"I was speaking metaphorically," Dad says. "You guys change so fast. With you, I have a shot at staying one step ahead."
He has no idea how Link has changed. And if he thinks he's a step ahead of me, he should think again.
(9.11-14)
Poor Dad really is in the dark. He thinks he has a good grip on his kids, but really he's losing them pretty quickly. Why does he think he has more of a shot with staying one step ahead of Ellen but not Link?
Quote #9
Members of the Coven are coming to visit his father tomorrow. The Coven is what James calls his three half sisters. They are from his father's first marriage. The youngest one is thirty-one but was my age when James was born. Mrs. Wentworth was already pregnant when she married Mr. Wentworth. The Coven, somewhat understandably, don't like James's mother. James doesn't like them at all. (9.35)
When we finally learn all the details about James's family, it just gets sadder and sadder. Not only does he have negligent parents, but he also has some half-sisters that resent him because they blame him for being the final nail in the coffin of their parents' marriage.
Quote #10
His essay is about the summer he stayed with the Coven at a house in Nantucket. The house had been his father's before he lost it to the first Mrs. Wentworth in the divorce settlement. James was nine that summer, and his parents were on a six-week tour of Asia. Each sister let him know how she held his mother responsible for breaking up her parents marriage. The essay is funny and sad and mean. It makes you feel horrible for James's mother, but also for the sisters. It makes you want to run a knife through Mr. Wentworth. (10.52)
What does it say about James that he can take something as depressing as his family history and write an essay that comes off as funny?
Quote #11
"I don't know anything," I say.
"Right," Link says. "Neither do they. I just have to remind them of that."
As if any of us needs reminding. Sometimes we are a family made up of people who know each other, but more and more often we are strangers who occasionally realize we are still living together.
(11.60-62)
This is why communication is so important: If there was an open line between Link and his parents, do you think he would've had to leave his exams blank as a bold statement? Probably not.
Quote #12
It occurs to me that the person who has taught me the most about the art of evasive language and behavior is neither of my skilled parents but my brother. How strange that we should have this crucial bit in common and yet be so different. So separate. (14.15)
It's practically the older sibling's job to teach the younger kid how to be evasive with their parents. However, where do you think Link learned it from? We're thinking it might've been a survival response to their dad.