The Summer of Lost Letters: Chapters 1–3

by Hannah Reynolds
Needing to get away from her small town in western Massachusetts, seventeen-year-old Abigail Schoenberg decides to take a summer job in Nantucket to find out more about what her grandmother was like when she was young and in love with a mysterious man.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–20, Chapters 21–28
40 words 59 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. parry
    a return punch
    Fights between mothers and daughters transcended almost to an art form: I knew how each thrust and parry would land, and how to aim shots low or high.
  2. bunting
    a loosely woven fabric used for flags, etc.
    “You,” I always told her, as we walked away from Niko’s manicured lawn, or left Haley’s porch with its bunting flag in red, white, and blue.
  3. breadth
    the extent of something from side to side
    No one had ever accused me of being sensible (“You have a tad of an overactive imagination,” Dad often said, holding his thumb and forefinger a hair’s breadth apart)—but honestly, who wouldn’t at least consider whether a doorbell during a storm heralded a serial killer?
  4. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
    The box flapped open to reveal a cursory note from the nursing home and a brown-paper-wrapped package.
  5. trellis
    latticework used to support climbing plants
    Yesterday I walked through the garden and saw a cardinal on the trellis and thought of the kisses we used to steal.
  6. penultimate
    next to the last
    What had happened? When had these romantic letters switched to anger?
    Served me right for reading out of order. Hoping for more context, I opened the penultimate letter.
  7. encroach
    impinge or infringe upon
    The rain had lessened, no longer obscuring the woods encroaching on the backyard.
  8. cavalier
    showing a lack of concern or seriousness
    “She didn’t tell me, so I don’t know why I should care.”
    I wasn’t buying her cavalier act.
  9. stonewall
    engage in delaying tactics or refuse to cooperate
    I’d spent my entire life watching how hurt Mom became whenever O’ma stonewalled her. Their relationship had been strained in a way ours had never been, filled with tense silences and it doesn't matter and how morbid.
  10. cerulean
    bright blue in color, like a clear sky
    A bright, cerulean world surrounded me, all endless ocean and cloudless sky.
  11. quaint
    attractively old-fashioned
    Clothing boutiques and ice-cream shops stood shoulder to shoulder, and the people strolling through the quaint downtown looked sun-touched and happy.
  12. bric-a-brac
    small decorative objects
    I clutched my suitcase handle tightly as I rolled it past well-dressed mannequins and nautical bric-a-brac, under hand-lettered signs hanging from horizontal posts.
  13. shingle
    cover with tiles used as siding or roofing
    Gray- shingled houses stood close together on either side of it, surrounded by small lawns and rosebushes.
  14. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    There was an inherent coastal air to these weatherworn homes, with their American flags and signs saying All You Need Is Love and the Beach and Home Is Where the Beach Is.
  15. bauble
    cheap showy jewelry or ornament
    Blown-glass baubles dangled from her ears.
  16. lavish
    bestow or expend profusely
    My dad’s mom lavished her dog with even more indulgence than she did me and my brother.
  17. primer
    the first or preliminary coat of paint applied to a surface
    Did you know people put on a lip primer before they put on lipstick?
  18. arbitrary
    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference
    “Who did we meet at six?”
    “It was an arbitrary number.”
  19. chutzpah
    unbelievable gall; insolence; audacity
    “Think of this like college practice. You’re going to meet people, and you can be whoever you want—you can reinvent yourself, too. Focus on more than your grandma, because you’re seventeen, not seventy. Go crazy. Be bold. What’s your dad say? Have some chutzpah!”
  20. earnestness
    the trait of being serious or sincere
    “Don’t hate me,” Lexi said, an uncomfortable amount of earnestness underlying her wry tone.
  21. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    The group looked at me with consternation, and for a second I was sorry I’d spoken, sure I’d said something horribly embarrassing.
  22. inane
    devoid of intelligence
    Inane to think he was fancy because he had an accent to die for, but I wasn’t evolved enough to think otherwise yet.
  23. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
    “The important ones.”
    Lexi rolled her eyes. “You’re so pretentious.”
  24. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    I squeezed in the back, wearing black shorts and a white top like the others, and let their music and conversation wash over me as they gossiped casually about people I didn’t know.
  25. grandiosity
    high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
    And Golden Doors came into sight.
    The pictures I’d seen hadn’t captured the grandiosity.
  26. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    The house was sprawling and elegant, all gray cedar shingle and peaked roofs and gables and chimneys.
  27. riotous
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    Past the manicured hedges and neatly planted flowers lay a rose garden and a gazebo, and riotous hydrangeas tumbling down dunes to the beach.
  28. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
    A shiver cut through me—of recognition, or foreboding.
  29. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    Trays of sharp Manchego and soft Port Salut; tiers of strawberries and pineapple and cantaloupe; watermelon and feta with sprigs of mint; asparagus and snap pea salad; bowls of olives and of hummus and of baba ghanoush; Brie baked in dough with fig jam.
  30. upholster
    provide furniture with comfortable padding or covers
    The armchairs and sofas were upholstered in cool blues and off-whites to match the low tables.
  31. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    A painting of the beach hung above one fireplace; a gilded mirror above another.
  32. interminable
    tiresomely long; seemingly without end
    We’d been told to use the bathroom off the kitchen, but the wait was interminable, so I went searching for another.
  33. hallmark
    a distinctive characteristic or attribute
    It had all the hallmarks of a well-used study: papers and pens littered the desk; packed bookcases lined the walls.
  34. kosher
    proper or legitimate
    I’d already trespassed—was it kosher to look around a little more, or should I duck out?
    Okay, it probably wasn’t one hundred percent kosher, but surely it was more like marshmallows than bacon.
  35. limn
    trace the shape of
    A boy my age stood in the doorway, limned by light.
  36. affinity
    a natural attraction or feeling of kinship
    I didn’t even know why I denied it, unless, along with my thief pride, I had a heretofore unknown affinity for deception.
  37. ratchet
    move by degrees in one direction only
    My pulse ratcheted up and I hopped back, unable to catch my breath, unable to stop staring at him.
  38. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    He appraised my outfit.
  39. solidarity
    a union of interests or purposes among members of a group
    I glanced at Noah—ridiculous, since he had no reason to cover for me. But. Solidarity in youth. Old people clearly couldn’t be trusted, not after they’d so casually ruined the planet.
  40. mulish
    unreasonably stubborn or rigid
    Looking mulish, the older man backed out of the room and closed the door.
Created on Sat Mar 09 09:57:52 EST 2024 (updated Sat Mar 09 17:00:36 EST 2024)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.