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readingwhilemommying 's review for:
The Dictionary of Lost Words
by Pip Williams
This book speaks to so much of what I love about reading, writing, and life that it was hard for me to put down. What an emotional, captivating read!
Esme is the daughter of a lexicographer who is working to compile words for the first-ever Oxford English Dictionary. While young, she joins her father in the Scriptorium, a garden shed/work area where a staff of "dictionary men” research and edit the volume’s entries.
Young Esme stays quiet on the floor beneath the word-sorting table. One day a slip with the word "bondmaid" falls and she picks it up, curious about what it means. This one word sets the stage for Esme's lifelong quest to discover “the words of women.” Words that were misplaced, partially defined, or discarded by the male staff. Esme's life, with its joys, tragedies, heartbreaks, and challenges, are all in some way affected by her love of words and her goal of making sure the words of women became part of history.
She relies on her friends from all walks of life--aunt Ditte, maid Lizzie, or the unkempt Mabel at the town market--to supply words for her secret project. "Knackered," doesn't just mean tired. It also means what a lifelong servant like Lizzie feels when she's working, from sunup to sun down, in service of others.
This novel also explores Esme's roles as daughter, mother, wife, and friend and how she navigates these to grow from an inquisitive child into a quiet yet powerful woman. Williams weaves in both England's early 1900’s suffragist movement and WWI into the narrative.
I loved reading about Esme's life, her passion for words, and the way she made her distinct mark on the issues that stirred her soul. If you're a fan of female-centered coming-of-age stories that entice with themes of literature, romance, feminism, history, and friendship, give this book a try. I think you'll love it as much as I did.
P.S. The author's note at the end also reveals what parts of this fictional tale are based on historical fact. It's intriguing to see how Williams was able to so deftly include many tidbits pulled from real life.
Esme is the daughter of a lexicographer who is working to compile words for the first-ever Oxford English Dictionary. While young, she joins her father in the Scriptorium, a garden shed/work area where a staff of "dictionary men” research and edit the volume’s entries.
Young Esme stays quiet on the floor beneath the word-sorting table. One day a slip with the word "bondmaid" falls and she picks it up, curious about what it means. This one word sets the stage for Esme's lifelong quest to discover “the words of women.” Words that were misplaced, partially defined, or discarded by the male staff. Esme's life, with its joys, tragedies, heartbreaks, and challenges, are all in some way affected by her love of words and her goal of making sure the words of women became part of history.
She relies on her friends from all walks of life--aunt Ditte, maid Lizzie, or the unkempt Mabel at the town market--to supply words for her secret project. "Knackered," doesn't just mean tired. It also means what a lifelong servant like Lizzie feels when she's working, from sunup to sun down, in service of others.
This novel also explores Esme's roles as daughter, mother, wife, and friend and how she navigates these to grow from an inquisitive child into a quiet yet powerful woman. Williams weaves in both England's early 1900’s suffragist movement and WWI into the narrative.
I loved reading about Esme's life, her passion for words, and the way she made her distinct mark on the issues that stirred her soul. If you're a fan of female-centered coming-of-age stories that entice with themes of literature, romance, feminism, history, and friendship, give this book a try. I think you'll love it as much as I did.
P.S. The author's note at the end also reveals what parts of this fictional tale are based on historical fact. It's intriguing to see how Williams was able to so deftly include many tidbits pulled from real life.