BookBrief Logo
Excellent Women
Goodreads ratings
3.92 / 5
Add to Your Library

Sign in to save this book to your reading lists

"Excellent Women" Quotes

A single woman finds herself entangled in the lives of her eccentric neighbors and their romantic dramas.

Quotes

I suppose an unmarried woman just over thirty, who lives alone and has no apparent ties, must expect to find herself involved or interested in other people's business, and if she is also a clergyman's daughter then one might really say that there is no hope for her.

Barbara Pym

societyrelationships

I had always disliked the idea of separateness, of being in a category and somehow different because of it.

Barbara Pym

individualityidentity

It was the kind of voice that suggested that common sense and efficiency were the mainsprings of her character.

Barbara Pym

personality

It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without soup or a dessert.

Barbara Pym

food

I had not thought of myself as being particularly lonely, but it is surprising how much you miss the companionship of a married man.

Barbara Pym

lonelinessrelationships

I felt that he was a man who might have many friends, but not one confidante.

Barbara Pym

friendship

It was a depressing thought, but there it was: either you had to be married or give the impression that you were. The alternative was to be regarded as a failure.

Barbara Pym

societyexpectations

It was a relief to turn away from these domestic matters to those of the church, where one could be detached, critical, even unkind, without any danger of arousing personal feeling.

Barbara Pym

religiondetachment

I had never really come to terms with being an only child, and it was something I resented.

Barbara Pym

familyidentity

I had always been glad that I was not attractive to the opposite sex and I had always thought that men were rather silly to be attracted by women.

Barbara Pym

attractionbeauty