Summer by the Sea Quotes

“She knew with painful certainty that the opposite of love was not hate, but indifference.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She was the living, breathing proof that the hard things in life didn't have to defeat you - or even define you.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“It's best to know what your issues are before going ahead with a relationship.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Pop, why didn't you ever marry again?"

"I was a good husband to your mother," Pop said. "I would not be a good husband to another woman. It would not be fair, because I gave everything I had to my first marriage. Love is like that for some people.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“No one had ever told them they might need each other one day, an for some reason, they hadn't figured it out themselves.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“An event in the present evokes past sensations. But science couldn't explain how a foolish heart had the power to overrule common sense.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Everybody's in love when they're eighteen. And everybody gets dumped.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She walked over to the tomato bushes, the centerpiece of the spectacular garden plot. In her mind's eye she could see her mother in a house dress that somehow looked pretty on her, a green-sprigged apron, bleached Keds with no socks, a straw hat to keep the sun from her eyes. Mamma never hurried in the garden, and she used all her senses while tending it. She would hold a tomato in the palm of her hand, determining its ripeness by its softness and heft. Or she would inhale the fragrance of pepperoncini or bell peppers, test a pinch of flat leaf parsley or mint between her teeth. Everything had to be at its peak before Mamma brought it to the kitchen.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“A nautilus shell. I've never found one before."
It was a nice big one, a rare find, not too damaged by the battering waves. Alex couldn't know it, but it was Mamma's favorite kind of shell. The nautilus is a symbol of harmony and peace, she used to say.
"You can have it if you want," he said, holding the shell out to her.
"No. You found it." Rosa kept her hands at her sides even though she wanted it desperately.
"I'm not good at keeping things." He wound up as if to throw it back into the surf.
"Don't! If you're not going to keep it, I will," Rosa said, grabbing it from him.
"I wasn't really going to throw it away," he said. "I just wanted you to have it.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She was the world's best cook. Every night, she used to sing "Funiculi" while she fixed supper- puttanesca sauce, homemade bread, pasta she made every Wednesday. Rosa had loved nothing better than working side by side with her in the bright scrubbed kitchen in the house on Prospect Street, turning out fresh pasta, baking a calzone on a winter afternoon, adding a pinch of basil or fennel to the sauce. Most of all, Rosa could picture, like an inedible snapshot in her mind, Mamma standing at the sink and looking out the window, a soft, slightly mysterious smile on her face. Herr "Mona Lisa smile," Pop used to call it. Rosa didn't know about that. She had seen a postcard of the Mona Lisa and thought Mamma was way prettier.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“It was a store-bought sugar cookie. Not as good as Mamma's, of course. Mamma made hers with a secret ingredient- ricotta cheese- and thick, sweet icing. Now that was a cookie.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She hummed along with the radio while cutting thick slices from the ring of ciambellone she remembered from her childhood, but it was close. She fixed the sweet, lemony bread the way she always did, the slices spread with mascarpone and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
"You're a natural in the kitchen," Pop always said.
Being good at cooking was nothing special. She wanted to be good at Latin, at vector analysis, at Jungian psychology. Not cooking.
Yet she always seemed to be feeding people in spite of herself. In high school, she was the one who brought snacks to study tables or booster meetings. By senior year, she had football players eating cichetti and the students council debating the merits of different types of olive oil.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She patted her hair, which she wore swept up and held in place with spangled pins. The dress was a dramatic strapless red sheath she and her friend Ariel had found in a church thrift shop. Ariel swore that, after alterations, the dress would look as though it had been tailor-made for Rosa. The bright cherry-red was delicious, the open-toed ruby and rhinestone sandals made her look taller and she felt wonderful.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Fresh Tomatoes In Italy, you can find a garden anywhere there is a patch of soil, and in many areas, the growing season is nearly year round. It’s common to find an abundant tomato vine twining up the wall near someone’s front stoop, or a collection of herbs and greens adorning a window box. Other staples of an Italian kitchen garden include aubergine, summer squash varieties and peppers of all sorts. Perhaps that’s why the best dishes are so very simple. Gather the fresh ingredients from your garden or local farmers’ market, toss everything together with some hot pasta and serve. In the early summer and mid-autumn, look for garlic scapes, prized for their mild flavor and slight sweetness. Scapes are the willowy green stems and unopened flower buds of hardneck garlic varieties. Roasting garlic scapes with tomatoes and red onion brings out their sweet, rich flavor for a delightful summer meal. 2 swirls of olive oil 10 garlic scapes 1 pint multicolored cherry tomatoes 1 red onion, thinly sliced Sea salt and red pepper flakes, to taste ½ lb. pasta—fettuccine, tubini or spaghetti are good choices 1 cup baby spinach, arugula or fresh basil leaves, or a combination 1 lemon, zested and juiced Toasted pine nuts for garnish Heat oven to 400 ° F. Toss together olive oil, garlic scapes, tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper flakes and spread in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 12–15 minutes, until tomatoes are just beginning to burst. If you have other garden vegetables, such as peppers, zucchini or aubergine, feel free to add that. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Toss everything together with the greens, lemon zest and juice. Garnish with pine nuts. Serve immediately with a nice Barolo wine.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Dolce is Italian for sweet, and it applies not just to music and food, but also to life itself. Just as every meal should end with something sweet, so should every life be filled with il dolce.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Did you know a child laughs an average of three hundred times a day, and an adult just three?”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“There was a stampede to the food- panzanella with tomatoes and bread, every conceivable variety of pasta, grilled sausages, fresh fish roasted in foil, Napoleon pastries and reginatta made with creamy half-melted ice cream.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“One team takes their shirts off, the other leaves them on," said Paulie. "I vote Rosa is on the shirts-off team."
"In your dreams," she said.
His gaze gave her the once-over. "You guessed it."
"Go shampoo your brain, Paulie”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Rosa was rummaging in the trunk of her car, and emerged with a large wicker basket covered with a red-and-white checkered cloth. She wore a red polka dot halter top, red clamdiggers, gold hoop earrings, big sunglasses and ruby-colored finger- and toenails. The adult-entertainment version of Red Riding Hood.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Rosa discreetly wrapped a paper napkin around her canapé- a dry affair of puff pastry and greasy smoked salmon- and deposited it in a wastebasket. She wasn't discreet enough; Alex noticed.
"Too bad about the food."
"I bet it cost an arm and a leg, too. Boy, these people would probably kill for a piece of pizza right now." Before any important gathering or holiday, her mother used to work on the food for days. Rosa would stand on a stepstool at the counter beside her, shaping meatballs or cutting dough. In the summer, she and Mamma would wrap paper-thin slices of prosciutto around melon balls and served them on toothpicks. There was nothing wrong with keeping food simple.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She was relieved at the conclusion when everyone seemed thrilled with the menu for the reception: tinker mackerel alla Santa Nicola, penne pasta with tomato, arugula and mozzarella, arancini, pizette, egg pasta with lobster and asparagus, Guinea hen with vegetables and a towering Italian cream cake.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“The girls watched them, whispering among themselves. Rosa didn't miss the looks they shot at Alex- adoring, possessive looks. She felt an awkward moment coming on.
"Hey, Alexander," said the prettiest, blondest one of all, "let's go over to my place. My parents are gone for the day."
He looked at them, then over at Rosa. She wanted to die, completely die. She never should have come here, never should have agreed to meet him in town. They were from two different worlds, and unless they were alone, they made no sense together.
"Thanks, Portia, but I can't," he said with a grin. "I'm busy." With that, he brushed the sand off his arms and chest and walked over to Rosa. "Ready?" he said.
Behind her, Linda sighed audibly.
"Completely," Rosa said.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Alexander is a Montgomery. He doesn't belong in some backwater resort town. If he had stayed where he belongs, none of this would have happened."
"If you stay in bed every morning and never get up, nothing will ever happen to you. But that's no way to live."
"I can see why my son likes you.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“At present, the ottoman was occupied by a pair of cats who eyed Alex with blasé effeteness. He stuck his hands in his pockets and eyed them back.
"Romeo and Juliet," she told him. "They used to be lovers, but since that visit to the vet they're just friends."
"Are they friendly?" he asked, stretching out a hand at Romeo's funny pushed-in face.
"They're cats," she said, grinning as Romeo turned up his nose at the outstretched hand. Juliet wasn't interested, either. They poured themselves off the furniture, then minced away.
"I think they've been talking to your friends at the restaurant," Alex said.
"They don't talk to anyone." She saw him glance at the terrarium on the windowsill. "The turtles are Tristan and Isolde, and their offspring are Heloise and Abelard."
"So where are Cleopatra and Mark Antony?" he asked.
"In a tomb in Egypt, I imagine. But you can look in the fish tank and see Bonnie and Clyde, Napoleon and Josephine, and Jane and Guildford."
He bent and peered into the lighted tank. "Fun couples. Is it a coincidence that they all ended tragically?"
"Not a coincidence, just poor judgment."
"Isn't it bad karma, naming your pets after doomed lovers?"
"I don't think they care.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“I meant what I said about seeing you."
"Look your fill." She spread her arms and faced him with reckless confidence, goose bumps and all, even though she knew he'd dated women far more beautiful than she. Pictures of his glossy public life sometimes ran in the "Evening Hours" column of the Times. He always favored a "type." Patrician, fair and WASPy, his dates were as tall and thin as uncooked spaghetti.
Judging by the expression on his face now, Rosa suspected he might be willing to keep an open mind about his type. His eyes didn't just look, they touched. She felt a swift phantom caress on her lips, her throat, her breasts, as his gaze slipped over her.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“Let's get lunch at Aunt Carrie's."
She looked away, trying to hide her vivid memories of the outdoor café. She and Alex had gone there as kids, sunburnt, their hair stiff with salt and their bare feet, to eat clam cakes and blueberry pie.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She was engulfed, and for the first time she understood that a kiss wasn’t something you did with your lips but with your whole self. It was a kind of surrender, a promise, and she couldn’t believe how wonderful it made her feel.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“captures my”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“She wore almost no jewelry, which Rosa later learned was characteristic of women from the oldest and wealthiest families. Ostentation was for the nouveau riche.”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea

“walking again. But being inconspicuous on”
― Susan Wiggs, Summer by the Sea