How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"You thinking about getting married and settling down in these parts?"
He staggered back from the screen door and turned. "In these parts?" He looked horrified. His hair nearly stood on end. (6.56-57)
Arnold Green may be in town to make a buck during the recession, but he's definitely not planning on settling down and staying here. Despite the fact that he falls in love with Miss Butler, he still calls New York City his true home. What kind of environment do you need to be in to feel at home?
Quote #8
"Grandma, what in the world was a snake that big doing in the house?" I said, at the end of my rope. "What was any snake doing in here?"
She propped the smoking gun against the marble-topped table to wipe her wet eyes. She hooked her spectacles over both ears. "That snake lived here, up in the attic." (6.110-111)
Yep. Grandma Dowdel's house is just as strange and dangerous as she can be. Unsurprisingly, she's not concerned when a giant snake appears in her attic and scares the dickens out of Maxine Patch in the midst of a sexy nude portrait session. Who would be? Well, aside from just about everyone we know.
Quote #9
Seeing my teacher in our front room was eerie. When I showed her to a chair, her eyes roamed the room. She read Grandma's Souvenir of Starved Rock pillow. She noticed the flat square in the carpet where we'd taken down the stove after winter. Since most of what she'd heard about us Dowdels didn't make for polite conversation, ours drifted. (6.143)
It's weird having Miss Butler over for dinner, and probably even more unnerving for Miss Butler—who has heard some pretty interesting stories about the Dowdel household. Mary Alice probably wants dinner to be over as quickly as possible, before something crazy like the infamous snake incident happens again. Have you ever wondered how people might judge you if they saw your home?