The Rebel Girls of Rome: Chapters 1–3

by Jordyn Taylor
This multi-timeline novel follows the story of two young women: Lilah, a college student visiting Rome with her grandfather in pursuit of a family secret, and Bruna, a Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Rome.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–11, Chapters 12–16, Chapters 17–23
15 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sophisticated
    complex or intricate
    What if this whole thing is a scam? Scams are pretty sophisticated these days.
  2. condone
    excuse, overlook, or make allowances for
    Not that I condone robbing anyone, from near or far.
  3. exhaustive
    performed comprehensively and completely
    Between the scraps of evidence Mom was able to gather and my own exhaustive research on Rome’s Jewish population during World War II, I know a few concrete things about Grandpa’s childhood.
  4. a cappella
    sung without instrumental accompaniment
    Later that night, I was watching my roommate’s a cappella concert when I got a phone call—from Grandpa.
  5. trundle
    move along on or as if on wheels or a wheeled vehicle
    A flower truck manages to squeeze down the lane, the mountains of fresh blossoms quivering as it trundles over the cobblestones, close enough that I feel a whoosh of air against my arm.
  6. curt
    brief and to the point
    With a curt nod, he reaches forward.
  7. sustenance
    a source of food or nourishment
    When his people were hungry, Il Duce, as he was called, claimed Italians were strong, and didn’t need as much sustenance as their portlier Northern European neighbors.
  8. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Tommaso nods slowly, like he’s mulling over everything he’s learned so far about Grandpa.
  9. lopsided
    turned or twisted toward one side
    He flashes a lopsided grin.
  10. leaden
    made heavy or weighted down with weariness
    He climbs the steps with legs that seem leaden.
  11. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    Screams and cries reverberate off the high ceiling.
  12. inquisitive
    showing curiosity
    She has bright blue eyes and eyebrows with an inquisitive arch to them, like she’s always trying to read what’s on your mind.
  13. queue
    form a line or stand in line
    When the next school year starts, I am lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, with nothing to do in the day ahead but queue for rations and scrounge for scraps.
  14. articulate
    express or state clearly
    The idea of marrying a man felt wrong in a way I couldn’t articulate, the way you sometimes just know you’re walking in the wrong direction, and you need to turn back.
  15. sheepishly
    in a manner showing embarrassment or shame
    A little sheepishly, she opens her purse and pulls out a handful of spoons, a crucifix I recognize from her bedroom wall, and a long gold necklace.
Created on Mon Mar 23 06:50:59 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Jun 01 18:54:39 EDT 2026)

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