In The Shadow Of The Lamp by Susanne Dunlap release celebration: Quotes

This week on the blog, I'm doing a series of posts to celebrate the release of In The Shadow Of The Lamp by Susanne Dunlap. Today, I'll be sharing some of my favourite quotes from the book.

Goodreads description

'It's 1854 and sixteen-year-old Molly would give anything to change her circumstances as a lowly servant in a posh London house. So when she hears of an opportunity to join the nurses who will be traveling with Florence Nightingale to the Crimea, she jumps at the chance. The work is grueling, the hospital conditions deplorable, and Miss Nightingale a demanding teacher. Before long, the plight of British soldiers becomes more than just a mission of mercy as Molly finds that she's falling in love with both a dashing young doctor and a soldier who has joined the army to be near her. But with the battle raging ever nearer, can Molly keep the two men she cares for from harm? A love story to savor, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes imagining of the woman who became known as "the lady with the lamp."

Quotes

Please note that these quotes come from an advance readers copy. There may have been changes in the finished copy of the book.

' If they never got closer than they were then to the battles, it might seem glorious, I thought. They wouldn't see the fear and pain on the men's faces, just where they moved, like the painted lead soldiers rich children played with.'

'Every now and then a puff of white smoke would come from above Sevastopol, followed by a distant boom. Like fireworks during the day but instead they were guns. I saw up close what they did to soldiers, and it wasn't glorious or pretty.'

'I saw her standing in the middle of the ward. The sun streamed in through the rows of windows in a pattern that showed floating specks of dust and made the dingy linens look almost white. Miss Nightingale, dressed all in black was like a statue there, her eyes travelling up and down the rows, looking for anyone in need...'

'I wanted him to tell me more, not just about the water, but about the strange buildings that crowded the shore, with their odd shapes and fancy decorations like a lady's lace collar.'

'Words are so different when you speak them than when you write them'

I hope that these quotes will whet your appetite for more because I absolutely loved In The Shadow Of The Lamp- it's an amazing book! If you're interested you may want to read my review.

NOTE: In March I started a feature called Super Snippets to share some quotes from books like in this post but I've discovered another blogger who does this too and feature 'stealing' isn't right so I won't be doing a separate post for it anymore but I hope to include some quotes I like in my reviews. This is just a one off to celebrate the release of In The Shadow Of The Lamp.

Super Snippets (2) : The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K Madigan

Recently I've seen quite a few quotes that I love in books so I thought it would be a nice idea to start a new feature here sharing and commenting on all of my favourite quotes or 'snippets' from the books that I have been reading/reviewing on the blog and so Super Snippets was born. I hope that the snippets from the books that I share will whet your appetite for more and give you a better taster of the book so you can decide whether you would like to read it or not. Any suggestions for the feature would be welcomed!

Today's snippets are from The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K Madigan, which I reviewed yesterday.

Goodreads description

Lena has lived her whole life near the beach — walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves — the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf. But her father — a former surfer himself — refuses to allow her to take lessons. After his near drowning years ago, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport. Yet something keeps drawing Lena to the water . . . an ancient, powerful magic. And one morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail. Now nothing can stop Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.
And soon . . . what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life forever.

Some of my favourite 'snippets' (with help from my book club)

'Lena's world had become a tangle of broken sleep and waking dreams...voices in her head and mermaids in the water...locks and keys and calls from the sea.'

I love this beautiful imagery that appears frequently in Madigan's writing because it makes Lena's world so vivid and feel more alive.

Lena's heartbeat slowed as she gazed out at the sea. Her breathing calmed. She didn't try to study the conditions; she just drank in the soothing ocean breeze and the hypnotic sound of the surf.'

'She could hear a mournful, sweet song reaching up to her ears from the depths of the sea. It was like no human song she had ever heard, sounding more like a thousand violins and flutes playing at once.' 

How are those quotes for appealing to the senses?

"Lena," persisted Cole. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Her parents and Grandma Kath had stopped talking and were looking at her now. Lena raised her eyebrows at them and said to Cole, "Happy."

 
This one really stood out to me because it made me pause for a minute and think about what she said. It's a memorable quote!
  

New Feature: Super Snippets (1)

Recently I've seen quite a few quotes that I love in books so I thought it would be a nice idea to start a new feature here sharing and commenting on all of my favourite passages or 'snippets' from the books that I have been reading/reviewing recently and so Super Snippets was born. I hope that the snippets from the books that I share will whet your appetite for more and give you a better taster of the book so you can decide whether you would like to read it or not. Any suggestions for the feature would be welcomed!

Note: Credit goes to MizB of Should Be Reading for inspiration from her Teaser Tuesday meme, where one sentence from your current read is shared.

This week's snippets come from Frederica by Georgette Heyer, which I reviewed yesterday. The last three I have chosen are all from The Marquis of Alverstoke, because some of the things he says are so funny:

'From her shining head of golden curls to her little arched feet, neatly shod in kid boots, she presented a picture to take any man's breath away..... and her eyes, which gazed innocently upon the world were of a heavenly blue and held the hint of a wistful smile.'

This is a description of the main character Frederica's beautiful sister Charis who is debuting in her first society season thanks to the sponsorship of Lord Alverstoke.  The description makes her sound angel-like to a humorous note. From this, I can definitely see why so many men would fall for her looks as Heyer has made them seem close to perfection. The descriptions of the characters are not like that all the way through the book though as that would be rather annoying so don't let it put you off.

"[...]my memory is reasonably good—unlike yours, dear sir!”

“Mine is erratic,” he said imperturbably. “I remember only what interests me."

 

"Do you forget that I am your sister?”

“No; I’ve never been granted the opportunity to forget it."

 

"Do you mean to tell me that Mr. Trevor read my letter?” demanded Lady Buxted indignantly. “Your secretary?”

“I employ him to read my letters,” explained his lordship.(Alverstroke)
“Not those written by your nearest and dearest!”

“Oh, no, not them!” he agreed."

The last two snippets come from the beginning chapters of the book, where one of Alverstoke's sisters is trying to persuade him to hold a coming out ball at this house for his niece's first London season. You can just imagine her face when he says this! I think that they are great examples of the sparkling wit in Georgette Heyer novels that is harder to find in other regency romance novels.