How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Granddad and Tipper loved the girls so, they couldn't say whom they loved best. First Carrie, then Penny, then Bess, then Carrie again. (3.3)
We're going to go out on a limb and say that most siblings feel their parents play favorites occasionally. But to leave your kids wondering which one of them will be the favorite that day is seriously messed up.
Quote #2
As he grew old, he began to wonder which should inherit the kingdom, since none had married and he had no heir. The king decided to ask his daughters to demonstrate their love for him. (16.13)
Harris's daughters aren't trying to demonstrate their love for him; they're complaining about who deserves what, and trying to get their kids in on the fight. Harris, of course, sees through it.
Quote #3
Antiques and Oriental rugs tell people that my mother may be a dog breeder who dropped out of Bryn Mawr, but she's got power—because she's got money. (17.9)
Except that Harris is really the one with the money, so he's really the one with the power.
Quote #4
We all knew Aunt Bess wanted the Boston house. All the aunts wanted the Boston house. It was a four-million-dollar house, and they grew up in it. But Bess was the only one who lived nearby, and the only one with enough kids to fill the bedrooms. (37.26)
Here's a thought: Sell the house, split the money, keep the island. How many houses does one person really need, anyway?
Quote #5
When we got to Beechwood in late June, Bess had already inventoried Gran's Boston possessions and now began with those in Clairmont. The aunts had copies on their tablets and pulled them up regularly. (60.9)
How not to enjoy your summer vacation: Keep checking your iPad to see if your sisters are lying to you about statues and tablecloths. Don't they know technology is for selfies?
Quote #6
He was making a threat. (61.33-34)
The Sinclair Center for Socialization and Snacks might be a threat, but it's pretty funny. The featured snacks could be fudge, lobster, and wine.
Quote #7
But I was meant to help Mummy keep the house by telling my grandfather that he was the big man, that he was the cause of all our happiness, and by reminding him that I was the future of the family. (62.12)
Sure Penny has fancy rugs and fancy dogs, but without Harris's money, she'd be destitute. Having big money and losing it is, in some ways, worse than never having had money at all—she has no real life outside being rich, nothing that's truly her own.
Quote #8
Then he said Bess was a grasping wench and he had no intention of giving her my house. But later, Mirren told me he'd promised Windemere to Bess. (63.21)
Harris built houses specifically for each daughter, but in his old age, he starts unofficially reallocating the property. It's his favorite sport. Who needs outdoor exercise?
Quote #9
"You have the only beachfront house, Bess, and you have all Dad's approval and devotion. I'd think that would be enough for you. Lord knows it's impossible for the rest of us to get." (66.26)
Bess actually doesn't have her father's devotion—none of them do, since he's devoted only to himself. But Bess has the most stuff, and to the other Sinclair sisters, that equals the most love.
Quote #10
"Carrie gets the pearls, Bess gets the Boston house, Bess gets Windemere…I'll be left alone with nothing, nothing, even though Cady's supposed to be the one. The first, you always said." (69.3)
Penny gets downright pathetic as the book goes on. Her degree of pathetic-ness is directly proportionate to her degree of drunkenness.