In the Time of the Butterflies: Epilogue

by Julia Alvarez
Based on the historical Mirabal sisters, this is a fictionalized account of why and how they decide to fight dictator Rafael Trujillo's oppressive regime in the Dominican Republic.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Epilogue
10 words 465 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. convalesce
    get over an illness or shock
    I rearranged the house where I was going to put each one while they were convalescing.
  2. gurney
    a metal stretcher with wheels
    Rufino and Minerva were on gurneys, Patria and Mate on mats on the floor.
  3. waning
    of the period when the visible surface of the moon decreases
    It is not a remarkable moon, waning, hazy in the cloudy night.
  4. in vain
    without a successful result or effect
    It was something patriotic about how when you die for your country, you do not die in vain.
  5. declaim
    speak against in an impassioned manner
    “Fellow Dominicans!” he declaims in a grainy voice. “We must not let another dictatorship rule us!”
  6. amnesty
    a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment
    After forty days of bombing, they accepted the broadcast amnesty.
  7. coroner
    an official who investigates death not due to natural causes
    The losses. I can count them up like the list the coroner gave us, taped to the box of things that had been found on their persons or retrieved from the wreck.
  8. insignia
    a distinguishing mark or symbol
    Seven rings, three plain gold bands, one gold with a small diamond stone, one gold with an opal and four pearls, one man’s ring with garnet and eagle insignia, one silver initial ring.
  9. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Her voice has that exasperated edge our children get when we dare wander from their lives.
  10. atrium
    the central area in a building, open to the sky
    Then we’ll go to the museum where Minou can get some cuttings from Tono for the atrium in her apartment.
Created on Wed Nov 27 04:09:48 EST 2013 (updated Thu Jul 31 15:33:39 EDT 2025)

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