The Fountains of Silence: Chapters 16–40

by Ruta Sepetys
Set in Spain during the 1950s, this novel tells the story of how Daniel, an eighteen-year-old American tourist, falls in love with a local girl, Ana, who lost her family during the Spanish Civil War.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–15, Chapters 16–40, Chapters 41–78, Chapters 79–117, Chapters 118–149
40 words 15 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lament
    regret strongly
    But Puri hears some physicians lament that mortality rates of newborns in Spain are particularly high.
  2. susceptible
    yielding readily to or capable of undergoing a process
    Are nuns also susceptible to rickets?
  3. regale
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
    Turning toward the counterfeit sound, Daniel sees Shep Van Dorn regaling his mother with a story.
  4. mogul
    a very wealthy or powerful businessperson
    “That’s Max Factor Jr., the Hollywood cosmetics mogul. He and his wife are staying at the hotel. Franco allows some of the Hollywood studios to shoot movies here.”
  5. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    Ben’s hair is immaculate but his dress shirt is missing a button and shows freckles of a prior meal.
  6. expedite
    speed up the progress of; facilitate
    Ana will need letters of recommendation for her application. If she does a good job, perhaps Daniel’s family might consider it? A letter from an influential American family could expedite consideration.
  7. correspondent
    a journalist who supplies stories for news media
    All the foreign correspondents are chasing the same threads—that Hitler survived and Franco smuggled him to South America; that Texaco secretly fueled Franco during the Spanish Civil War.
  8. ministry
    a government department
    One of the amusing things to me was that there was a ministry called The Ministry of Information and Tourism headed by an old line Falangist who I am sure hadn’t had a new idea in a long while.
  9. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    Their secret conversation resulted in brutal beatings that cost one boy an eye, another his teeth, and Antonio his gait.
  10. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    With a flick of her wrists the fabric billows and settles over the scarred wooden table.
  11. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Julia nods, picking up the chaquetilla, the matador’s ornate, cropped jacket.
  12. earnestness
    the trait of being serious or sincere
    “Tell me, why do Americans love ice?”
    Daniel leans in, challenging her earnestness. “Tell me, why do you ask such difficult questions?”
  13. solemn
    characterized by a firm belief in your opinions
    “I imagine there are many lovely things to get used to in Texas.”
    Daniel rocks back on the chair, looking at her expression of solemn curiosity.
  14. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    The fleeting sensation of fun from the basement disappears.
  15. jaunty
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    The floppy Basque beret versus the jaunty military beret. The reported sign, illegally posted on a wall in San Sebastián, that says, PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS IS NOT SPAIN.
  16. galvanize
    cover with zinc
    He carries the galvanized tub to the well.
  17. leach
    permeate or seep into gradually
    Fear brings bad death, it leaches into the organs and skin.
  18. offal
    viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal
    We have an offal transport to a cosmetics factory the day before.
  19. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    The twisted sheets are now taut; the bed dressed and respectable.
  20. indelicate
    in violation of good taste even verging on the indecent
    Women in Spain don’t smoke, especially not in public. It’s considered vulgar and indelicate.
  21. guise
    an artful or simulated semblance
    While exiled in Paris, Endré and his girlfriend created the identity of “Robert Capa.” They sold their photos to news agencies under the guise of an American photographer.
  22. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    His ruse was eventually discovered and abandoned, but the name ‘Robert Capa’ endured.
  23. beachhead
    an initial position on a shoreline taken by an invading army
    He jumped with paratroopers into Germany; he landed on the Normandy beachhead on D-Day; he was one of the advance arrivals on Anzio.
  24. naive
    lacking information or instruction
    Puri is remarkably naïve. La Sección Femenina, the women’s section of the fascist movement, is succeeding with her cousin.
  25. sultry
    attractive and suggesting hidden passion
    Daniel’s photograph of the Texas party and the sultry girl blowing a kiss to his camera returns to Ana.
  26. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    Ana wipes a meandering hair from her cousin’s eyes and takes her hand.
  27. libertine
    unrestrained by convention or morality
    Sister Hortensia says Americans are known to be indecent and libertine.
  28. lascivious
    driven by lust
    Only her damaged imagination remains active with the representation of lascivious images which fill it completely.
  29. pallet
    a mattress filled with straw or a pad made of quilts
    On most nights, when Fuga’s not roaming the pastures or visiting Rafa, this is where he sleeps. In the corner of the corrugated metal hut between stacks of shovels sits a lantern and a pallet of straw.
  30. likeness
    picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing
    Apart from his tattered clothing, Fuga has only two possessions that Rafa knows of—a magazine clipping of a Miura bull and a small gold pendant with a serene, hand-painted likeness of Blessed Mother Mary.
  31. bereaved
    sorrowful through loss or deprivation
    “May you choke on the bread you earn from this,” spat the bereaved woman.
  32. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    The mantra of bullfighting is “To become a bullfighter, you must first become a bull.”
  33. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    He has courage and strength to battle any man or beast and remarkable finesse while doing it, but sometimes Rafa worries his friend lacks the inherent grace required of a torero.
  34. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    He has courage and strength to battle any man or beast and remarkable finesse while doing it, but sometimes Rafa worries his friend lacks the inherent grace required of a torero.
  35. revere
    regard with feelings of respect
    Most matadors are gentlemen, classically trained toreros. Joselito, Belmonte, and Spain’s beloved Manolete—Rafa reveres them all.
  36. entourage
    the group following and attending to some important person
    Rafa pledges that once he earns money as part of Fuga’s cuadrilla, his entourage, he will secretly compensate the breeders for tainting their bulls.
  37. dote
    shower with love; show excessive affection for
    Puri wraps the child in a hug as he bounces with delight. The older children at the Inclusa have less chance of being adopted, so Puri dotes on them whenever possible.
  38. coveted
    greatly desired
    They will make advantageous marriages and be listed within the coveted Social Register in their city of residence. But is that what they really want?
  39. myriad
    a large indefinite number
    As women sashay down the aisle in a myriad of dresses, his mind wanders to the pictures taped to the wall in his hotel suite.
  40. corral
    collect or gather
    Shep Van Dorn, the U.S. public affairs officer, corrals the media for photos.
Created on Mon Apr 25 12:03:32 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Apr 29 09:08:20 EDT 2022)

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