Book Review: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
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"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." ~Pip Williams.
The title drew me in. The concept of losing words, and more so, who was responsible for lost words, was even more intriguing.
The Dictionary of Lost Words is set in the early twentieth century during the height of the women's suffrage movement when women's lives were hidden between the lines of men who tried to write history for us.
In 1901, the word “Bondmaid” vanished from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Meet Esme, a curious girl in the “Scriptorium,” her father's word-filled haven. While unnoticed, she secretly rescues neglected words realizing the silence surrounding women's experiences as she grows into a young woman. Amid suffrage and war, Esme secretly crafts The Dictionary of Lost Words, unearthing a hidden narrative in a man-written history. The novel unfolds in a garden shed, the Scriptorium, constructed by the actual lexicographer James Murray. Behind his home, Murray and his team of male scholars dedicate themselves to collecting words and their definitions.
The story spans over a hundred years, from prologue to epilogue. The author does an excellent job crafting rich, complex, unique, and fully developed three-dimensional characters. I'm a sucker for a good bildungsroman, and it was a joy to watch the protagonist grow from a young girl into a woman and all the nuances that come with maturing, falling in love, motherhood, navigating and nurturing these relationships.
Although I give this novel a strong 5/5 stars, this book calls for patience and focus—the first third is extremely slow-paced. But I promise you won't regret not putting it down. Historical events inspire The Dictionary of Lost Words. The "Author's Note," strategically placed in the back matter, is equally interesting as the story itself. However, I recommend waiting until after you've read the novel to dive into the Author's Note—just know there's a golden nugget of history waiting for you when you get there.
Esme's empowerment is a reminder to honor women who've battled against the male ego since the beginning of time. Pip Williams skillfully captures this essence, delivering a narrative that resonates across generations.
Bravo to Williams for this powerful and thought-provoking story and providing a piece of important women's history.
A resounding FIVE stars for The Dictionary of Lost Words
My favorite quote (maybe my favorite quote ever):
"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." ~Pip Williams.