“She tried to smile sympathetically, but with her face it wasn't quite possible.”

“The platform underneath the balloon fell on her as she was trying to escape," she explained. "She was crushed.""I'd have been disappointed too.”

“Smiling back at her, it occurs to me that I've never met a mean librarian.”

“Their proof-reader tried to kill herself. She shot herself with a gun.”

“He was a commander in the Russian army at a time when the Russians were our enemies and still part of the Soviet Union . This wasn't very long ago, Alex.The collapse of communism. It was only in 1989 that the Berlin Wall came down." She stopped. "I suppose none of this means very much to you.""Well, it wouldn't," Alex said. "I was only two years old.”

“You can kiss me if you like," she said.Alex let go of her and turned away. "Thanks, Fiona," he said. "But frankly I'd prefer to kiss the horse.”

“If you think it's hard getting in, you should try getting out.”