How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"One thing I was always happy about, Evie. I was happy you grew up plain, all knees and elbows. You weren't some curly-headed doll. It meant you'd use your brain. And you did. I wanted to keep you that way for as long as I could. When you started getting pretty, I didn't want you to know." (22.3)
Instead of being one of those parents who always tells their (ugly) children how beautiful they are, Evie's mom takes the opposite tact. That's because for her, beauty isn't some kind of wonderful gift; it's a burden.
Quote #8
Mr. Toomer asked her to remove her hat. Mrs. Spooner's fingers fumbled as she did so. When she pulled it off, her blond hair tumbled to her shoulders and glinted in the sunlight that streamed through the courtroom window. (29.17)
Evie's mom was right when she said that her beauty just made people think the worst about her. Even in the courtroom, people see how beautiful she is and immediately think about sex, lust, and infidelity.
Quote #9
A couple had come in, in high spirits, said Iris, and browsed. She remembered them because they were both "so attractive." The woman was dressed all in white. They bought a pineapple vase. They laughed together as the man paid for it. She recognized the man in the picture in the paper. (29.14)
Aw, shucks—it's too bad for Bev and Peter that they're just so attractive. If they weren't so noticeably good-looking, maybe it would have been easier to get away with their torrid little affair.