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I'm in the publishing business so maybe I can speak with some authority here.
I think that the people at Random House say that the quotes are "fair use," meaning that the material quoted is a small amount used for commentary and or review purposes. (They weren't quotes? Well, that's your opinion.)
This way a writer can quote a few lines from a book and not have to pay for the quote or ask permission for the quote. That's, er, fair enough, but in practice, it gets vague. The LA Times charged me over $200 to quote a few sentences from an editorial. But I asked, paid, and received permission.
If you don't ask permission to quote material, you are wide-open for a lawsuit if the aggrieved part can afford to hire a lawyer and pay the retainer.
So yes, they're right, but not really. Is that clear? Welcome to the world of publishing and copyright. If you're an author, better show the quotes and ask permission. Did I say you should show that you're quoting?
