"Leonard Marnham, an employee of the Post Office, had never actually met an American to talk to, but he had studied them in depth at his local Odeon" (pg. 1.)

"He should do without his glasses. The things he really wanted to see were up close. A circuit diagram, a valve filament, another face. A girl's face" (pg. 5.)

"Leonard had never seen an American football game, never even heard one described. This routine...seemed over-demonstrative, too self-loving, to represent any serious form of game practice...these were grown men, showing off...but...the certainty that the catch would not be fumbled [was] almost beautiful, an unforced subversion of the surroundings - the concrete, the double fence...the cold" (pg. 18.)

"Leonard had no ready means to respond to an insult. He had not received one in adult life. He was nice to people, and they were generally nice back to...