"The indoor plants were among the first to venture outside and breathe the fresh, cold air of Mitford's early spring." Chap. 1, A Tea and a Half, p. 1

"'He who is not impatient is not in love,' said an old Italian proverb." Chap. 2, Step by Step, p. 29

"Step by step. That was the answer." Chap. 2, Step by Step, p. 34

"He shuddered at the memory of Pauline Barlowe, who, burned horribly by a man known as LM, had not only endured the agony of skin grafting and the loss of an ear, but had to live with the bitter truth that she'd given away four of her five children." Chap. 3, Eden, p. 41

"Clearly, the much-discussed and controversial affliction from which St. Paul had prayed thrice to be delivered had been diabetes." Chap. 3, Eden, p. 65

"Her old life was written on her face, as all our lives are written, but...