Francesca Forrest’s Reviews > The Threefold Tie > Status Update

"You never had any more morals than a cat," Jack snapped.
"Well, cats are very happy creatures, which is more than you can say for human beings," Everett snapped back.

Actually this is page 109, but Goodreads is showing incorrect total pages, so:

Jack says, "I wanted to see you both so much, and it's so easy to convince yourself that whatever you want to do is right--or at least not so very wrong ..." --great, true observation

She fixed the coffee over a spirt lamp, and rustled up a mismatched assortment of drinking vessels: a flowered coffee cup with a hairline crack, a blue teacup with the gilt rubbing off the rim, and a Turkish tea glass. "Tell me honestly," said Sophie, with a smile, "Doesn't it tke more trouble to find such a charming crockery than simply buying a conventional set?"
--BUSTED!

"I'm not jealous," he assured her. He smiled slightly. "Perhaps a little; but only because he never loved me like he loves you. Certainly he never broke a teacup on my behalf."

--Then Sophie points out that Everett has never broken a teacup on her behalf, and Everett points out the same thing--and then they remind each other of things they've done of a similar order... it's very funny and sweet.

"He's sitting on the other side to hide his crimson face," Everett predicted, grinning. "You've made a conquest."

"Oh nonsense," Sophie said, in the comfortable assurance that Everett was quite right.

--so good. So GOOD.

During the confess-your-wild-oats conversation prior to marriage, it's not just Everett to Sophie but Sophie to Everett:

Everett had seemed bemused more than anything: the forgiveness in these conversations was generally meant to flow one way." --love it; great little feminist dig :-)

such astute portraits of people and feelings. Everett describes Miss Stanton as "dull and inert," and Jonathan thinks,
"He had been sitting next to Miss Stanton all day, and his impression had been one of shyness, reserve: her indrawn breath when she at last thought of something to say, only to hesitate--and then say nothing at all, because the conversation had moved on." --brilliant.

"Jonathan had always seemed to feel emotions much more slowly than other people, anyway. In the moment he just felt stunned, and it was only long after everyone else had already felt their feelings and moved on that he began to feel happy or sad or furious." --I have this sometimes. Very identifiable.

re: Oneida Community's practice of mutual criticism:

Sophie: "It's also meant to clear the air, so small resentments are out in the open rather than festering in secret.

Everett: "I think it would just create new ones. Don't you think people must hold grudges over the things said to them in mutual criticism, if they think it is unfair?"

"You have to take every opportunity for singing in this life."