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Evening in Paradise


"Berlin's new book is a marvel, filled with deeply touching stories about lives ...
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Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

Created: 11/04/19

Replies: 7

Posted Nov. 04, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?


Posted Nov. 30, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
lesleyf

Join Date: 05/14/11

Posts: 119

RE: Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

"Days are brighter when the nights have no electricity."
- Andado
"In Lima the slums were as foul and desolate as in Santiago...But in Chile the Andes are there and the blue sky and you just naturally look up, above the stench and misery.....One thing I still like in the U.S. is windows. How people leave their window curtains open. Walking through neighborhoods. Inside people are eating, watching tv. A cat on the back of a chair. In South America there are High walls with broken glass on them."
-Itinerary
"In Miami it was morning and winter. In the airport women wore fur coats and their dogs wore fur coats. I was terrified by so many dogs. Little dogs with hair dyed peach to match the women's hair. Painted toenails. Plaid bootees. Rhinestone or maybe diamond collars. The whole airport was yapping."
-Itinerary
"Is there a word opposite of deja vu? Or a word to describe how I saw my whole future flash before my eyes?"
-Lead Street Albuquerque


Posted Nov. 30, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
rebeccar

Join Date: 03/13/12

Posts: 548

RE: Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

Page 126: "Sometimes years later you look back and say that was the beginning of... or we were so happy then...before...after [etc.]..."

Page 68: "In Miami...in the airport women wore fur coats and their dogs wore fur coats...Little dogs with hair dyed peach to match the women's hair." The reason this quote made such an effect on me is that it made me think about how people mistreated animals so easily - yeah, dye their hair even if the odor bothers them or the dye burns their skin. And the fur coats - an industry of suffering and death, and even animal lovers had fur cats. Somehow the connection wasn't made between loving one's domestic pets and unnecessary suffering of other animals.


Posted Dec. 01, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
peggyt

Join Date: 08/10/17

Posts: 215

RE: Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

I liked the phrase, “the kiss was soft as mangoes.” It came from the last story, “Luna Nueva.” It was just so evocative.


Posted Dec. 01, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
gwenc

Join Date: 07/14/12

Posts: 94

RE: Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

Is there a word opposite of deja vu? Or a word to describe how I saw my whole future flash before my eyes?"
-Lead Street Albuquerque

She's like that, doesn't see what she doesn't want to, but actually sees everything that's going on, more than most people.
-Itinerary

Sometimes years later you look back and say that was the beginning of...or we were so happy then...before...after...Or you think I'll be happy when...once I get...if we...
-Evening in Paradise

It was a lot healthier when I used to see people as animals.
-Daughters


Posted Dec. 01, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
carolf

Join Date: 07/10/14

Posts: 72

RE: Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

Missed moments. One word, one gesture, can change your entire life, can break everything or make it whole. From Lead Street Albuquerque.


Posted Dec. 02, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
louisee

Join Date: 06/29/15

Posts: 143

RE: Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

p. 41 - "Days are brighter when the nights have no electricity. The sun burst warm in the room..."

p. 60 - "Noble and solemn, like knights."

p. 204 - "When some people die they just vanish, like pebbles into a pool. Everyday life just smooths back together and goes on as it did before. Other people die but stay around for a long time, ..."

p. 225 - "It was undeniably lovely. The Americans were lulled by the ballet-like grace of the bullfight, surprised and sickened when the picador began jabbing..."


Posted Dec. 04, 2019 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
djcminor

Join Date: 03/14/19

Posts: 208

RE: Are there any specific quotes in the novel that you found meaningful?

In "Lead Street, Albuquerque," Berlin writes the following: "Is there a word opposite of deja vu? Or a word to describe how I saw my whole future flash before my eyes?" The lines make me think about the importance of reflection. Berlin brings that idea to the forefront in several of the stories.


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