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Emina
Kenan’s elderly neighbor, a prickly woman who lived through World War II. Kenan realizes that her difficult demeanor is the result of the loss and grief of war, though he still struggles to sympathize with her, since she seems so ungrateful for his help. Mrs. Ristovski is determined to survive this next conflict, though Kenan sees that part of Mrs. Ristovski – her innocence and optimism – has already died.
Mrs. Ristovski Quotes in The Cellist of Sarajevo
The The Cellist of Sarajevo quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Ristovski or refer to Mrs. Ristovski. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
One: Kenan
Quotes
"You've never lived through a war. You have no idea what it will be like."
"It won't last long," he said. "The rest of Europe will do something to stop it from escalating."
She snorted. "That won't matter for me. I'm too old to do the things one must do in wartime to survive."
Kenan wasn't sure what she meant. He knew that she had been married just before the last war and that her husband was killed during the initial days of the German invasion. "It might not be that bad," he said, regretting it immediately, knowing it wasn't true.
"You have no idea," she repeated.
"Well," he said, "I will help you. Everyone in the building will help each other. You'll see."
Mrs. Ristovski picked up her coffee and took a sip. She didn't look at Kenan, refusing to acknowledge his smile. "We'll see," she said.
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Three: Kenan
Quotes
He thinks of Mrs. Ristovski. He doesn't know what made her the way she is, but something has killed her, he can see now that she is a ghost as well. She has been a ghost for a long time. And to be a ghost while you're still alive is the worst thing he can imagine.
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Mrs. Ristovski Quotes in The Cellist of Sarajevo
The The Cellist of Sarajevo quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Ristovski or refer to Mrs. Ristovski. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
One: Kenan
Quotes
"You've never lived through a war. You have no idea what it will be like."
"It won't last long," he said. "The rest of Europe will do something to stop it from escalating."
She snorted. "That won't matter for me. I'm too old to do the things one must do in wartime to survive."
Kenan wasn't sure what she meant. He knew that she had been married just before the last war and that her husband was killed during the initial days of the German invasion. "It might not be that bad," he said, regretting it immediately, knowing it wasn't true.
"You have no idea," she repeated.
"Well," he said, "I will help you. Everyone in the building will help each other. You'll see."
Mrs. Ristovski picked up her coffee and took a sip. She didn't look at Kenan, refusing to acknowledge his smile. "We'll see," she said.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Three: Kenan
Quotes
He thinks of Mrs. Ristovski. He doesn't know what made her the way she is, but something has killed her, he can see now that she is a ghost as well. She has been a ghost for a long time. And to be a ghost while you're still alive is the worst thing he can imagine.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
