How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"There are very few boys, if any, boys at school you would fall for."
"That's not true." I said the words automatically. It wasn't until I'd spoken them that I wondered how accurate they were. I had never been seriously interested in anyone. How weird was I? "It isn't about the boys, it's about… love. I haven't found it."
"It isn't about love," Vee said. "It's about fun."
I lifted my eyebrows, doubtful. "Kissing a guy I don't know—I don't care about—is fun?" (3.105-108)
In this conversation, Nora takes a pretty serious attitude toward romance, while Vee's attitude is more lackadaisical. Nora isn't looking for random hookups and meaningless dates, which lets us know that if she does show interest in someone, that person must be pretty special and her feelings for him must be really strong.
Quote #2
"You find the wrong boy, you ask for trouble. You find the right boy, you find love." (7.13)
Wise words from Dorothea. Throughout the book, Nora struggles with feelings about Patch, going back and forth between feeling attracted to him and feeling uneasy around him. Are Nora's feelings evidence that Dorothea's sage advice may be too simple? Can a romantic interest bring both love and trouble?
Quote #3
She always smells like Love by Ralph Lauren. (13.9)
This quote comes in a description of Nora's mom, and it's a reference to maternal love rather than the romantic love that gets most of the attention in the book. Nora's mom isn't around a lot, but her reason for being absent is that she travels for work in order to provide for Nora. Sure, her mom comes across as pretty clueless, but she loves Nora unconditionally, and the mention of her perfume is a little nod to that kind of love.