The Homecoming Quotes

“The nice thing about life," said Miss Etta, "is you never know when there's going to be a party.”
― Earl Hamner Jr., The Homecoming: A Novel About Spencer's Mountain

“Huh!” said Olivia, with the contempt she reserved for alcohol, those who sold it and those who had a weakness for it. “The day your daddy spends Christmas Eve with two old lady bootleggers is the day I walk out of this house.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“JANE’S WHISKEY FROSTING ¼ cup butter 1 tablespoon cream 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons whiskey (bourbon) Pinch of salt Cream butter, add sugar and salt, then cream and whiskey. Whip until smooth. Frost cake. Decorate with a sprig of holly.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“OLIVIA’S APPLESAUCE CAKE 1 cup of butter 1 cup sugar 2 cups applesauce 2 cups light raisins 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon baking soda 3½ cups flour (sifted) 2 eggs 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons cloves 2 teaspoons nutmeg Pinch of salt Sift together: Flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Take ½ cup of flour mixture and stir into the nuts and raisins. Set both aside. Cream butter until whipped soft. Add sugar a little at a time until mixture is smooth. Beat in eggs vigorously. Alternately stir in flour mixture and applesauce. When all mixed together add nuts and raisins and mix well. Pour batter into a well-greased cake mold. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for one hour. Cool ten minutes, then turn out on cake rack. Frost with Whiskey Frosting when cake is”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“Children are such fragile things, she thought. Arrows shot from her body, gone now beyond any calling back. She catalogued them in her mind. Clay-Boy, so smart and ambitious. Becky, so independent, so capable and vulnerable. Shirley, so beautiful and so maternal. Matt, so self-reliant and full of love and promise. John, with the talent born in his hands to play music on a piano. Mark, all business one minute and wanting a hug in the next. Luke, the handsome wild one with his eye already on some far horizon, and Pattie-Cake, too spoiled to turn her hand for herself, too pretty and sweet to spank. What will become of them all, God only knows. Life be good to them. God, help us all.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“The city lady appeared for a moment as if she were about to back away; but then she looked out into the crowd where she saw one person indicate his own head with his index finger then slowly revolve the finger. The city lady herself was possessed of physical abnormality. She was double-jointed, and in reply to Birdshot’s traveling pellets, she stuck out her hand and began rapidly revolving her thumb a full three hundred and sixty degrees. In his fascination Birdshot forgot to continue his part of the performance, but continued to stare until the lady brought her own performance to an end, but there in the wet snow, in the cold December night, Birdshot Sprouse experienced a unique kind of communication which he had never felt before with another human being. He had reached out to touch someone and that someone had not turned away, but had reached back.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“The grinding poverty of the Depression years had already stamped the older faces with a gaunt gray pallor, but the prospect of a gift, of some slight change from the ordinary, the elusive Christmas Spirit, had animated thin faces and brought hope to defeated eyes. Each newcomer joined the group silently, without any greeting to his neighbor. They were proud and independent people. Accepting any kind of outside help went against their grain, but they had put aside their pride this night so that their children might receive some token of Christmas which they themselves were unable to provide.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“Groans of despair flooded the room. The disappointment in the children’s faces was almost too great for Olivia to bear, but she stood her ground, knowing how greatly Clay disapproved of accepting any handout. “Aw shoot, ’Livy,” scolded her mother. “What wrong can it be in ’em getten a toy or an apple or a candy bar?” “Clay feels real strong about it. He won’t even allow me to take that WPA food the government’s handen out.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“The matter with her is she’s thirteen years old,” answered Clay-Boy. “She’ll live through it,” smiled Olivia. “I just hope the rest of us do.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“When this was done, he placed the filled jars in the refrigerator, then turned to join his grandparents and his brothers and sisters, who were in the living room listening to Fibber McGee and Molly on the radio.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“Standing on the back porch was Charlie Sneed, Clay’s friend and companion in hunting and fishing, woodcutting, drinking and poker-playing. Before the Depression he had worked beside Clay in the machine shop. Since the mill had closed he had become a backwoods Robin Hood, poaching game, some of which he sold in Charlottesville for cash money; the rest he gave to friends or families he knew to be in special need.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“I don’t know that either,” replied Olivia. “I’m feelen reckless. Liven each day as it comes. Let tomorrow take care of itself.” Olivia tried to make her voice sound convincingly free of care, but she didn’t succeed. She and Clay-Boy both knew that the money Clay had left with her last week for food had dwindled to less than three dollars.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“At the foot of the mountain he found another hemlock, almost as pretty as the first. He chopped it down and lifted it on his shoulder. Just at that moment, unwarmed by any sunset light, the gray day darkened into night. He walked in darkness now, for the resin torch had burnt out. He did not mind. The lights of home were within his sight.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“If Clay-Boy had any wish in life it was that his mother would stop reminding him that he was the oldest. It took all the fun out of things to be constantly reminded that he was a combination policeman, referee, guardian and nursemaid to his younger brothers and sisters. “I’m like some old mother duck,”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“That red bird is goen to freeze tonight,” observed Luke. Luke was ten, the handsome one with hair almost the same shade as the red bird in the crab-apple tree. “He won’t freeze,” said Olivia. “A red bird has got the knack of surviven winter. He knows it too. Otherwise he’d of headed South with the wrens and the goldfinches and the bluebirds back when the leaves started to turn.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming

“she tried to make it festive.”
― RosettaBooks, The Homecoming