How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I want to study what I like," Clara had insisted, almost adding, "I don't want to end up like you!" (4.4)
We're kind of glad Clara doesn't add that last part—it would be kind of a low blow at her dad, who's older parents forced him into the mold of what they wanted him to be. Clara's dream is more than just studying something she enjoys; it's to not end up unhappy and cold like her father.
Quote #2
"I dreamed I got a parcel in the mail," her mum was babbling. "A big brown parcel, like the ones Nan sends sweaters in, and I knew Lonnie was inside. It said so on the label. It said: 'Fragile. Lonnie inside.'" (12.22)
It's possible that Marigold worries about Lonnie because she knows how soft he is and how much he's suffered from not growing up with a father. She wants to see him become something greater than a shiftless lad who changes his major every semester, but is afraid of getting too close to him or applying too much pressure.
Quote #3
"I've made up my mind, Sef," [May] said, puffing. "I'm absolutely set on it. I'm having this party, and Lonnie's coming to it, and I don't care what Stan says." (25.2)
The rest of this book couldn't happen without May deciding that it's time for the family's petty conflicts to cease and for a celebration to begin. After having endured too much loss in her life, May's dream is for the family, small as they may be, to come back together and forgive.