The 3rd PRS

Hello, everyone. Today I will share some new words from “The Fault In Our Starts”, and tell you about nature in the book.

There are very few descriptions of nature or even environment in the book. However, there is one episode of describing Amsterdam:

“There were elm trees everywhere along the canals, and these seeds were blowing out of them. But they didn’t look like seeds. They looked for all the world like miniaturized rose petals drained of their color. These pale petals were gathering in the wind like flocking birds — thousands of them, like a spring snowstorm…

And on our other side, the canal water was choked with millions of the confetti seeds. Little boats were moored at the brick banks, half full of rainwater, some of them near sinking. A bit farther down the canal, I could see houseboats floating on pontoons, and in the middle of the canal, an open-air, flat-bottomed boat decked out with lawn chairs and a portable stereo idled toward us…”

Since Hazel and Gus visit Amsterdam in May, the weather is calm. Though, they can probably hear leaves of the elm trees waving a bit. The air is clear, and it smells like dampness. Little wood boats hit each other as they wave on water. It’s quite peaceful and nice, just what our couple needs.

As I’ve said before, such descriptions are rare in the book. But this one, John Green, the author, couldn’t help write, because it was Hazel’s dream to visit Amsterdam and see the author of her favorite book in person. It’s beautiful, and it adds variety in the narration.

And here are the new words:

At one’s leisure [ət wəns liʒɚ] — на досуге/в свободное время

A whim [wɪm] — каприз

Assertive [əˈsɚt̬ɪv] — настойчивый/напористый

To indulge [ɪnˈdəldʒ] — потакать

That was all I had today for you. Thank you for reading. Stay tuned ;)