Quotation Contest for August 2007
It’s time again for the Used Books Blog quotation contest. Last month’s contest was won by Chris Tozer of Cat’s Cradle Booksellers, who correctly identified a quote from Ghostwritten by David Mitchell.
This month I’ve plucked another quote from the ocean of literature available in hopes of keeping you up late racking your brains and thumbing through your bookshelf for the answer.
When she started kindergarten, he began to hang the sign on her door every morning, in the form of a single word. At first it was a game for her, to wake each morning with great excitement and see what waited on the door. Early on, the daily sign reflected his expectations and aspirations in the first words of English he had so resolutely taught himself upon his expatriation from Japan to the United States: EXCELLENT. AMBITIOUS. DETERMINED. SUCCESSFUL. Only as the years went by did the sign on the door monitor both her fall into trivial girlish adolescence and the commensurate, steady deterioration of his approval, branding her life with the ways she let him down: DISAPPOINTING. LAZY. SILLY. FAILURE.
Think you know? Simply leave a comment and identify the title and author of the quote. Thanks for playing and good luck!
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Memoirs of a Geisha?
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Gceres,
Thank you for being brave and taking the first guess at the quotation! Memoirs of a Geisha is an interesting choice. However, I haven’t gotten around to reading it (yet) … so, that’s not the correct answer.
September 8th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
How about an update on the title? I’d like to read the book!
September 8th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
M. Sager,
I’m glad you like the quote. It’s an interesting book and, in fact, I’m reading an ARC by the same author right now. That’s a bit of a hint I guess, but there are more sizable hints in my original post.
I’m hoping to get a few more entries before having to reveal the answer myself. However, I’ll do so on September 19th.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:25 am
Fish of the Inland Seto Sea by Ruri Pilgrim? This is a total shot in the dark; however, even if I’m wrong - Pilgrim’s book sounds interesting and I’ll probably get a copy.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:31 am
P. Clark,
Pilgrim’s book does sound interesting and you clearly picked up on at least one of the hints. So, it’s not Fish of the Inland Seto Sea, but Sea is in the title. Many thanks for contributing and giving the quotation a shot!