character

Isabel Gardener Quotes

19 of the best book quotes from Isabel Gardener
01
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“Christmas at home had meant eating Momma’s bread pudding with maple syrup and nutmeg, and reading the Gospel of Matthew out loud whilst Ruth played in Momma’s lap. I was miles away from celebrating like that.”
Laurie Halse Anderson
author
Chains
book
Ruth
Isabel Gardener
Dinah
characters
christmas
remembering the past
nostalgia
childhood memories
concepts
02
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“She did not look into my eyes, did not see the lion inside. She did not see the me of me, the Isabel.”
03
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“I was lost . . . but it was like looking at a knot, knowing it was a knot, but not knowing how to untie it. I had no map for this life.”
04
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“He freed me from the stocks. He is my friend. My only friend.”
05
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“Being loyal to the one who owned me gave me prickly thoughts, like burrs trapped in my shift, pressing into my skin with every step.”
06
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“One by one they dragged us forward, and a man shouted out prices to the crowd of likely buyers and baby Ruth cried, and Momma shook like the last leaf on a tree, and Poppa… and Poppa, he didn’t want them to bust up our family like we were sheep or hogs.”
07
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“My momma and poppa appeared from the shadows. They flew to me and wrapped their arms around me and cooled my face with their ghost tears.”
08
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“I worked as a puppet trained to scrub and carry, curtsy and nod.”
09
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“My belly ached again, as if I were still at sea and the waves were throwing me off balance.”
10
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“I could not eat or drink a thing for my belly was tied up with fear. My thoughts chased round and round my brainpan.”
11
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“I could not visit the prison daily. I was sure to be caught and punished. But I had to visit the prison daily. Curzon’s life depended on it.”
12
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“Half my roll disappeared in one bite. It was the first decent food I’d had since Jenny’s kitchen. Curzon watched me without saying a word. When I licked the butter off my fingers, he gave me his roll.”
13
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“It is honorable to help a friend in need.”
14
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“We couldn’t take Momma’s shells, nor Ruth’s baby doll made of flannel bits and calico, nor the wooden bowl Poppa made for me. Nothing belonged to us.”
15
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“My remembery called up the feel of being locked in the stocks, of my face being burnt, of him watching me from across the courtyard; him watching out for me. ‘Twas Curzon who made sure I survived. ‘Twas he who had been my steadfast friend since the day they brought me here.”
16
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“If an entire nation could see its freedom, why not a girl?”
17
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“My belly flipped with worry . . . It was up to me to take care of things, to find a place for us. I had to be bold.”
18
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“Melancholy held me hostage, and the bees built a hive of sadness in my soul. Dark honey filled up inside me, drowning out my thoughts and making it hard to move my eyes and hands.”
19
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“Momma said we had to fight the evil inside us by overcoming it with goodness.”

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