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anusha_reads 's review for:
The Dictionary of Lost Words
by Pip Williams
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS, PIP WILLIAMS
A New York Times best-seller and a selection for Reese Witherspoon's book club, The Dictionary of Lost Word won numerous literary awards and was shortlisted for The Walter Scott Prize.
Set between 1887 -1928, this story is a beautiful blend of facts and fiction. What seems like a bildungsroman about a curious and brilliant little girl evolves into a tale of the birth of a dictionary. The real Dr James Murray appears in the book. He is seen with lexicographers while little Esme is huddled below a table in a scriptorium at Sunnyside, Oxford. Esme is a motherless child and is enchanted with the words her father and his colleagues work on. She begins collecting words of her own.
I loved the questioning nature of this child and admired how she learned so much on her own.
“SOME WORDS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS – I LEARNED THIS, GROWING UP IN THE SCRIPTORIUM. BUT IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHY.”
Another powerful character was Esme’s godmother Edith Thompson (Ditte here), a real Historian and a lexicographer, who contributed many words to the Oxford English Dictionary and who also wrote a biography of her grandfather that didn’t get published. The Dictionary of Lost Words highlights the contributions of many unsung unknown ladies to the dictionary. Ditte is a constant source of motivation and support for Esme.
Some characters leave an indelible mark, and Mabel, a rag vendor and carver, is one of them. She introduces Esme to many words she had never heard before. Despite her struggles, Mabel radiates happiness and resilience.
Lizzie, an Irish maid slightly older than Esme, is her friend, guide, motivator, and helper. Reading about Lizzie’s selflessness toward Esme filled me with happiness. The two go on word-finding escapades, and one particularly endearing moment is when they wear trousers for the first time.
When Esme discovers the word “b.o.n.d.m.a.i.d” on a slip, she hides it in Lizzie’s trunk—a trunk where she begins collecting her own words. The author’s note reveals that Pip Williams’s love of words and curiosity about the absence of women in the dictionary’s creation inspired her to write this book.
The backdrop of the women’s suffrage movement and World War I adds depth to the story, portraying the chaos and its impact on the dictionary.
This book encourages readers to reflect on the history behind words, their evolution, and the nature of language itself. I thoroughly enjoyed this inquisitive, fascinating work of historical fiction!
A New York Times best-seller and a selection for Reese Witherspoon's book club, The Dictionary of Lost Word won numerous literary awards and was shortlisted for The Walter Scott Prize.
Set between 1887 -1928, this story is a beautiful blend of facts and fiction. What seems like a bildungsroman about a curious and brilliant little girl evolves into a tale of the birth of a dictionary. The real Dr James Murray appears in the book. He is seen with lexicographers while little Esme is huddled below a table in a scriptorium at Sunnyside, Oxford. Esme is a motherless child and is enchanted with the words her father and his colleagues work on. She begins collecting words of her own.
I loved the questioning nature of this child and admired how she learned so much on her own.
“SOME WORDS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS – I LEARNED THIS, GROWING UP IN THE SCRIPTORIUM. BUT IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHY.”
Another powerful character was Esme’s godmother Edith Thompson (Ditte here), a real Historian and a lexicographer, who contributed many words to the Oxford English Dictionary and who also wrote a biography of her grandfather that didn’t get published. The Dictionary of Lost Words highlights the contributions of many unsung unknown ladies to the dictionary. Ditte is a constant source of motivation and support for Esme.
Some characters leave an indelible mark, and Mabel, a rag vendor and carver, is one of them. She introduces Esme to many words she had never heard before. Despite her struggles, Mabel radiates happiness and resilience.
Lizzie, an Irish maid slightly older than Esme, is her friend, guide, motivator, and helper. Reading about Lizzie’s selflessness toward Esme filled me with happiness. The two go on word-finding escapades, and one particularly endearing moment is when they wear trousers for the first time.
When Esme discovers the word “b.o.n.d.m.a.i.d” on a slip, she hides it in Lizzie’s trunk—a trunk where she begins collecting her own words. The author’s note reveals that Pip Williams’s love of words and curiosity about the absence of women in the dictionary’s creation inspired her to write this book.
The backdrop of the women’s suffrage movement and World War I adds depth to the story, portraying the chaos and its impact on the dictionary.
This book encourages readers to reflect on the history behind words, their evolution, and the nature of language itself. I thoroughly enjoyed this inquisitive, fascinating work of historical fiction!