Wednesday, October 19, 2022

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

 
First Line: Before the lost word, there was another.
 
Motherless Esme Nicoll has grown up in the Scriptorium, the garden shed where her father and other dedicated lexicographers have joined Dr. James Murray to collect words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. From the age of five, she sat under the sorting table unseen and unheard until the day that a slip falls from the table and flutters underneath. The slip is for the word bondmaid, and Esme rescues it. This simple act fires her already insatiable curiosity and begins her lifelong quest to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.

As Esme grows up, she realizes that words and meanings relating to women's and common people's experiences often go unrecorded, and she determines to gather all these words for her own book, The Dictionary of Lost Words.
 

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This deeply affecting book had me seeing the world through Esme Nicoll's eyes and thinking of words and language in a much deeper way. Williams' book made me realize how much we take for granted-- such as which words are included in a dictionary and which are not. The story of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary is extraordinary to begin with, and I love how Williams wove Esme's story into its history. (Read the Author's Note!)

I became Esme as I read The Dictionary of Lost Words. I felt what she felt. I saw the world through her eyes. The most important people in the world to her (her Da, her Aunt Ditte, her surrogate mother Lizzie, the compositor Gareth) became all-important to me, too. I don't often have this strong of an emotional response to a book, and when I do, it leaves me a bit discombobulated (in a good way).

Williams wove just enough of the actual putting-together of the Oxford English Dictionary into this book to make me feel as though I had a hand in making it, too. Esme's life spanned the women's suffrage movement and World War I, and each event in her life shaped her outlook and her dedication to rescuing "lost words".

Character. Story. Time period. The power of words to shape our world. As I read The Dictionary of Lost Words, I thought of words and phrases I'd grown up hearing all the time that are no longer commonplace. I pondered their demise... and wondered what Esme would make of it all. The world Pip Williams created made me think, and it made me feel. How marvelous!

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
eISBN: 9781984820730
Ballantine Books © 2020
eBook, 378 pages
 
Historical Fiction, Standalone
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

10 comments:

  1. Oh, my, Cathy! The story of words, a great character, strong description, what more would you want? Words really do have power, and people don't always realize the power they have and the ways in which they're manipulated. So interesting! Yeah, I can see how this one got your highest rating.

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    1. It gave me a lot to think about, and I'm still a bit surprised that I identified so strongly with Esme.

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  2. A five-star read? Wow! Those don't happen very often. I have to add this one to my TBR list.

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    1. If you get a chance to read it, I'll be interested in your opinion, Dorothy.

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  3. I've wanted to read this one for awhile; I love books about words and this one really intrigues me. The fact that you loved this one so much makes me want to read it even more. :D

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    1. I hope you get a chance to read and enjoy it, too, Lark!

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  4. I'm waiting my turn for this one from the library. You just reinforced my interest in reading it.

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    1. Between what I already knew about the making of the OED and the character of Esme and her penchant for "lost words"... I think you're going to like this one, Kate.

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  5. I think I had this novel on my TBR for awhile but then never got to it. So glad you liked the story. Now I might put it back on my list. Sounds good.

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    1. I thought it was very good. Thanks for stopping by!

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