Ashes to Asheville: Chapters 17–28

by Sarah Dooley
Following the death of their mother, twelve-year old Fella and her sixteen-year old sister Zany travel from West Virginia to Asheville to try to unite their divided family.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–28
20 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. triumphant
    joyful and proud especially because of success
    “That means it doesn’t count! Next is K! The K in Flying J Truck Stop counts! Then L! Left Lane Closed! I got two!” She laughs triumphantly before her face gets serious.
  2. bottleneck
    slow down or block by creating an obstruction
    Ten or fifteen cars have bottlenecked trying to get into the open lane.
  3. glimmer
    a flash of light
    We sit in the car awhile longer, feeling squishy and cold and sort of proud of ourselves, before Zany pulls us back onto the road, heading toward a distant streak of light beginning to glow through the snow clouds. It’s barely a glimmer, but I think it might be the sun.
  4. faze
    disturb the composure of
    I don’t understand how Zany can find Adam cute when he keeps his dad’s truck such a mess, but it doesn’t seem to faze her.
  5. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    She scoops out a couple of McDonald’s bags, much to the dismay of Haberdashery, who is waking up enough to scavenge.
  6. rig
    a truck consisting of a tractor and trailer together
    The only people I see are truckers walking to and from the big- rig parking lot on the other side of a fence.
  7. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    I don’t like being close to so many parked cars, grim and shadowed.
  8. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    I don’t know how far away Asheville is from the border, so it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference to me, but I do know we’re not going to be able to walk the whole way. Still I plod after Zany.
  9. beeline
    the most direct route
    At the rest area, I make a beeline for the snack machines.
  10. reception
    quality or fidelity of a broadcast
    When I go into the building after her, I think she’s studying the giant map on the wall, but she turns out to be listening to the radio, which is going on about two missing kids who sound awfully familiar. The reception is spotty, maybe because of the rain.
  11. whir
    make a soft continuous sound, as of something in motion
    I’ve started to relax, settling down into the warmth of the truck, when there’s this whirring, thumping noise and I feel like I’m falling.
  12. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    I have not ventured to stand up and get a look, but Mama Shannon’s voice is getting farther away.
  13. backpedal
    reverse or retreat from one's position on an issue
    Mrs. Madison does something then that I’ve never before heard her do. She backpedals. “That isn’t exactly what I meant to say.”
  14. waver
    be unsure or weak
    Mama Shannon’s voice wavers. "You haven’t been hurt?”
  15. kin
    a person related to another or others
    “But we are kin,” I say. “She’s my kin and you’re my kin, so you two are kin. Mama Shannon, too. And family takes care of family. That’s what Mama Lacy said in her letter. She said to take care of her family. She told me that.”
  16. sluggish
    lacking energy, quickness, or alertness
    Now that I’m no longer running, I’m starting to feel strange, anyway. Sluggish. I have to keep blinking my eyes, scrubbing at them with my knuckles.
  17. scuff
    poke at with the foot or toe
    I occupy my two minutes wandering the store, poking at the wallpaper, scuffing at the floor.
  18. rustle
    a light noise, like the noise of leaves blowing in the wind
    There’s a rustle and then Mama Shannon’s voice comes on the line, shrill and shaky.
  19. brisk
    quick and energetic
    “Oh.” Such a little sound, with so much inside it. Then she says, in a brisk voice more like herself, “If we can talk your mother into it, I believe that is a wonderful solution.”
  20. curlicue
    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
    We stop at the base of the hill, where there’s a fancy new bakery with curlicue wrought-iron fencing and a patio with umbrella tables.
Created on Fri Mar 18 12:18:17 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Mar 25 11:59:40 EDT 2022)

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