Diney Costeloe > Quotes

“Don’t let the loss of your loved ones destroy the rest of your life. Mourn them, grieve for them, remember them with love and then gradually, gently, ease them into a secret”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“Thrown us away, more like. I haven’t even had this baby yet, but I know I could never, ever, part with him or her. Still, I suppose it’s all water under the bridge now and it’s no good going on hating you. David says hatred twists your soul. I think he’s right. So, I don’t hate you any more. From your daughter, Rita Harris”
― Diney Costeloe, Throwaway Children

“to win the war? So they can murder me too?’ ‘The thing is, Harry, that you’ve made a nuisance of yourself, and we haven’t time to deal with nuisances like you. It’s better that you’re shut away where you can’t cause any more trouble.’ ‘But I not cause trouble,’ Harry almost shouted. ‘I living in hostel, I have job, I help firefighters.’ ‘Yes, so I heard. Still, the government want to be sure. So, today you’ll be transferred to Brixton prison for a few days while they decide where to send you.’ ‘I want my money,”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“Adelaide realised that to keep hope alive in a world at war, people had to do things they would never have considered doing before. They had to test their courage as they fought against the evil that threatened to engulf them all.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“show his contempt for her.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“from me again, but if you do, then I will write to you occasionally and tell you how your grandchild is doing. I also have to tell you poor Rosie is dead. She was adopted by some awful people when we first got here and they made her life hell. She ran away and when they were coming to find her she took sleeping pills rather than go back. She died because she came to Australia, because you didn’t want her. I’ll say this to you only once. I don’t know how you could possibly have given us away like you”
― Diney Costeloe, Throwaway Children

“She watched a startling ray of sunshine, bursting from a sun as yet unseen, but piercing the greyness of the sky like a shining sword. Even as she watched, another joined it and the clouds were painted a brilliant orange, edged with gold.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“I’m beginning to wonder what we’ve taken on,’ Naomi sighed to Dan one evening when Lisa had been with them for a week. ‘The poor kid is so homesick and I can’t communicate with her except by signs and the odd word or two. I tried to give her a hug today when she was looking very down, but she pulled away and ran out of the room. I don’t know what to do, I feel so helpless.’ Dan pulled”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“Had his wife”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“Then he will die,’ stated Dr”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“Madame Egloff, who stood, hands held out in front of her, expressing her admiration. ‘Please make the alterations, Madame, and have the gowns sent round to Brown’s Hotel by the weekend.’ Half an hour later, when they left Madame Egloff’s salon, Sophie had been dressed and pinned into each of the garments Matty had chosen, and promises had been made to deliver the clothes to the hotel by Saturday morning at the latest. * Monday morning saw them at Paddington Station being conducted to a private compartment on the train. Sophie had never travelled in such style before, being more used to the uncomfortable rowdiness of a third-class carriage, but Matty had insisted. ‘I always travel this way,’ she said. ‘The journey is quite tiring enough without being crammed in next to crying children and shrill women.’ Having directed the porter to place their luggage in the guard’s van, Matty had settled herself into their compartment with a copy of the new Murray’s Magazine, which she had bought from a news-stand at the station. Beside her on the seat was a hamper, provided by Brown’s, with the food and drink they would need for the journey. As the train drew out of the station and started its long journey west, Sophie felt keyed up with anxious anticipation and was grateful for the comforting presence of Hannah, ensconced on the other side of the compartment. Dressed in her new plaid travelling dress, with a matching hat perched on her head, Sophie knew she was a different person from the one who had sat at her dying mother’s bedside, holding her hand. No longer a young girl on the brink of adulthood... but who? There had been too much change in her life in the past weeks that she still had to come to terms with. Who am I? she wondered. I don’t feel like me! She looked across at Hannah, so familiar, so safe, huddled in a corner, her eyes shut as she dozed, and Sophie felt a wave of affection flood through her. Dear Hannah, she thought, I’m so glad you came too. When they had left Madame Egloff, Matty had taken Sophie for afternoon tea at Brown’s. Looking round the famous tea room, with its panelled walls, its alcoved fireplace and its windows giving onto Albemarle Street, Sophie”
― Diney Costeloe, Miss Mary's Daughter

“have their supper now,”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“Right-ho, love,’ he said. ‘If that’s what you want to do, we’ll find out about it.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“Richard. Gran did write to me once, before she died, but though I wrote back to her I never heard from her again. I’m not really sure why I’m writing to you now, except that I’m going to have a baby in June, and I thought about you and thought you might like to know you are going to be a grandmother. Perhaps you are one already, but anyway, I thought you’d like to know. My husband, David, wasn’t very keen on me writing to you, but I felt I had to do it, just this once. If you don’t answer you’ll never hear”
― Diney Costeloe, Throwaway Children

“Today she was twenty-one. Today she was an adult and could decide things for herself. Today was the beginning of the rest of her life.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“everyone was afraid at times, but it was how they dealt with their fear that mattered.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“Rosie, the throwaway”
― Diney Costeloe, Throwaway Children

“stood outside the church waiting for”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“mate,”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“They let the dogs run as they came out on to”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“rocked with the train as it trundled slowly out of the station. The journey was slow, but uneventful. There were no spot checks, for which Mother Marie-Pierre gave thanks, as at such close quarters it was likely that even the most short-sighted inspector would notice that there was little similarity between the picture on the second nun’s papers and the person it purported to represent. It was with great relief that they climbed down from the train when it finally reached Amiens.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“home will be run on strict principles, there’ll be no laxity,”
― Diney Costeloe, The Throwaway Children

“Dear Mum, I expect you’ll be surprised to hear from me after all these years. You didn’t want me and Rosie, well, not enough anyway, and maybe you don’t want to hear from me now. I expect you’ve got lots of other kids now, but I only know about”
― Diney Costeloe, Throwaway Children

“you like that?’ ‘Yes, please, Aunt Naomi,’ Lisa replied and watched as her foster mother prepared the meal. That evening, when Lisa had gone to bed, Naomi said, ‘Where do you think she got to then?’ Dan shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’ ‘I was worried sick,’ Naomi admitted. ‘I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her now.’ ‘Nor could I,’ agreed Dan. ‘We’re her family now and we’re lucky to have her.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“because I need you back”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“AliceAnne”
― Diney Costeloe, Miss Mary's Daughter

“to keep hope alive in a world at war, people had to do things they would never have considered doing before.”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“How could there be a war going on in such a stunningly beautiful world?”
― Diney Costeloe, The Sisters of St Croix

“Mary and Dan went to Mary’s funeral. Lisa stayed at home; they all knew that Tom would not”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name

“asked, ‘Am I going to”
― Diney Costeloe, The Girl With No Name