The Blood Years: Parts IV–V

by Elana K. Arnold
As a Jewish teenager in German-occupied Romania during World War II, Frederieke Teitler struggles with the sacrifices she makes in order to survive.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part I, Part II, Part III, Parts IV–V
15 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. benefactor
    a person who helps people or institutions
    “So,” she says. “It seems we have a benefactor.”
  2. scrim
    anything that obscures or conceals
    I look up at her; she’s a blur, through a scrim of tears.
  3. indistinguishable
    exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different
    Three German soldiers, so similar in build and expression as to be nearly indistinguishable, fill the doorway.
  4. infraction
    a violation of a law or rule
    Are they there because Mr. Fischer has committed some minor infraction, something forgivable?
  5. diaphanous
    so thin as to transmit light
    The diaphanous curtains tremble.
  6. kindling
    material for starting a fire
    The apartment is frigid. Even wood is precious, so when Conrad places some scraps in the fireplace along with strips of newspaper for kindling, I am grateful.
  7. duvet
    a soft quilt usually filled with down
    They’ve pulled their worn duvet close to the hearth, and I sit down as Conrad builds the fire.
  8. callus
    a skin area that is thick or hard from continual pressure
    His nails are dirty now, his fingers stained with soot. Calluses. A scar across the back of one hand.
  9. largesse
    a gift or money given, usually ostentatiously
    He must accept the largesse of a man he does not trust.
  10. ramekin
    a small dish used for baking and serving individual portions
    It’s more food than I’ve seen in one sitting in I don’t even know how long: a small piece of baked chicken, some sliced potatoes, a ramekin of what looks to be lime gelatin.
  11. distend
    swell from or as if from internal pressure
    I do my best to eat every bite. My stomach distends like Mitzi’s did, after her feast of mice.
  12. impenetrable
    not admitting of passage into or through
    He put himself in front of the girl, strong as a house, wide as a wall, immovable, impenetrable.
  13. apathetic
    marked by a lack of interest
    I am apathetic to the news. It wouldn’t matter if George returned; I am keeping my vow.
  14. entail
    have as a logical consequence
    Marcel says it will be better for him to stay here for a while; they need doctors badly, and there’s hope at last that he might be able to be promoted, if Jews are given back citizenship and all that it entails.
  15. timbre
    the distinctive property of a complex sound
    “Astra! Astra!” comes Marcel’s voice again, and then he must catch sight of her leaning from the train, for the timbre of his voice shifts. “Astra.”
Created on Tue Apr 02 10:41:08 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Aug 05 17:07:07 EDT 2025)

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