Name: The Dictionary of Lost Words
Rating: 4.025193798449612 (129 reviews)
ISBN: 9781529113228

PIP. WILLIAMS

The Dictionary of Lost Words

This book was heartbreaking, memorable, enchanting, unique. It moved me in unexpected ways. I've had so many similar thoughts about the meaning of words and how they define people and society, but I've never thought about words in regard to dictionary definitions. Whoever creates dictionary definitions, like those of the early days of the OED, greatly impact the meaning those words have on individuals using those words. Placing the publication of the OED in the context of early twentieth century feminism is something that I hadn't known to explore, but greatly need to delve into after finishing this book. If you're someone who cares to read about linguistics, feminism, history, romance, this book is perfect.

Paige Leitner

Pip Williams

In 1901, the word 'Bondmaid' was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the 'Scriptorium', a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word 'bondmaid' flutters to the floor. Esme rescues the slip and stashes it in an old wooden case that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. While she dedicates her life to the Oxford English Dictionary, secretly, she begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set when the women's suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It's a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape the world and our experience of it.

Overall a really bland story that was somehow super predictable. I felt that it was super repetitive at parts, but not enough detail for others. I couldn’t believe how fast people’s deaths were covered but we got pages about foliage and/or definitions. Not my favorite 

Paige Paul

Francesca Starecheski

Much needed, as my words, indeed, are lost.

Slow start. Last 100 pages are great. Lots of character building and background information in the first half of the book. 

Ashlee williams

"In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word bondmaid flutter to the floor unclaimed. Esme seizes the word and hides it in an old wooden trunk that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set when the women’s suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It’s a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape our experience of the world."

Daniel Kilby

The authors' arguments, while both valid and compelling, were all but lost in the poor (non-existent) editing.

Colleen

2 Stars
 
*An amazing premise dragged down by an insipid main character lacking agency and personality *

ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


I love words. Coming from a family of bookworms, it is no surprise that I love reading. But more than that, I love words themselves. Each word is an adventure that follows a twisted path through thousands of years of history and culture. Language is an ever-fluent universe constantly flowing and evolving while generation after generation seeks to find the perfect word for whatever moment they experience. Words are tricky. Words are complicated. Words are beautiful.


  “Words define us, they explain us, and, on occasion, they serve to control or isolate us.”

I was so ecstatic to read The Dictionary of Lost Words. It sounded like it was absolutely perfect for me and checked off everything I want in a book. It is the story of a young girl growing up amongst her father’s work on the Oxford Dictionary and a feminist evaluation of how the lack of women involved in the project had a huge effect on narrowing official English to a male perspective. My heart literally surged when I first read the synopsis for this book, because it sounded utterly perfect for me. But sadly, this book did not live up to my (admittedly sky-high) expectations. Although the premise and the start of the book were good, I struggled to even finish this, because the main character was so apathetic and utterly lacking in agency and personality. Then the story turned into this crawling misery-fest with Tess of the d'Ubervilles vibes of doom and desolation. And that is NOT a story of which I care to be reminded.

If this hadn’t been an ARC, I would have abandoned before the halfway point. Yet I trudged on hoping desperately that the story would turn around and be inspiring. Unfortunately, the vast majority of it was a tedious slog. I simply didn't care about the characters. And since this is an entirely character-driven story, there was nothing left to connect to. The fact that the whole story (other than a few letters and the epilogue) was told in first person from Esme’s perspective meant that the reader spent the entire time locked into her dull, spineless monologue. I quickly lost all patience for Esme. She made me want to literally scream at some points. Her refusal to take any action or responsibility in her life yet playing the martyr when it suited her was extremely frustrating. I won’t give away spoilers, but Esme’s destruction of her life due to small events was so selfish. And her refusal to acknowledge how fortunate she was both economically and by being surrounded by people who loved her unconditionally made it all the harder to summon even an ounce of sympathy for her.

I wanted more from the exploration of the words. It is undeniable that the dictionary being almost entirely written by men led to a skewed result. Those men were the gatekeepers who decided which words were acceptable and which definitions were relevant. Women having little to no voice in those decisions led to a lasting legacy of inherent sexism in the English language. The entire premise “that words and meanings relating to women's and common folks' experiences often go unrecorded” was underserviced.

The subplot about suffragism was also disappointing. This was mainly due to Esme’s involvement being yet another instance of her mindlessly going with other people’s opinions and desires. Geez, that woman was monumentally lacking in spine.

The story is based around the real-life history of the construction of the first Oxford English Dictionary. Several real people are included in the story. The historical details both surrounding the dictionary and general time period were well-researched. The writing itself was well-done and also beautiful at times. It was just too bad that Esme’s self-destructive malaise and lack of personality ruined most of the book.


  “I realized that the words most often used to define us were words that described our function in relation to others. Even the most benign words- maiden, wife, mother - told the world whether we were virgins or not. What was the male equivalent of maiden? I could not think of it. What was the male equivalent of Mrs., of whore, of common scold?... Which words would define me? Which would be used to judge or contain?”

Look, I won’t deny that the end of The Dictionary of Lost Words is good. Really good. But I hated at least 80% of this book, and spent several weeks dragging myself through it. As good as the ending (and the very beginning) of this book was, that wasn’t enough for me to justify raising my rating to three stars. I can see why some people will love this book. And I won’t hate on them for that. I really, truly wished I could have been among this book’s fans. I would even be interested in giving Williams’ work another try in the future, because despite my issues with this book, it still had a lot of potential for a debut. But that doesn’t change the fact that my predominate emotion upon finishing The Dictionary of Lost Words was disappointment.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 2 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 1 Star
Originality: 3 Stars

Joana da Silva

A beautiful book that took me completely by surprise. I thought it was going to be cheesy and lame, that it wouldn't get to me at all. Oh, how wrong I was. It's a lovely story about the power of words and their meaning in history. Huge shoutout to Lizzie, the real MVP of this book. Oh, and where can I find a Gareth? Of course, it's a fictional man because there isn't a flaw in sight.

The kind of book you can't put down, even though the end leaves you sobbing. The dictionary elements are very enjoyable for lovers of English. 

Elizabeth Park

Rachel Kanyid

It took me a while to get into this, but I did enjoy it.

Wonko the Sane

Continuing 2022’s string of strong book club picks. I was going to rate it a nice solid four, until I blubbed my way through the final quarter. It made me care about a straight couple, which is a feat that earns the fifth star on its own.

Tess McMahon

I have to admit, I was hesitant to read this book as I sometimes struggle getting through historical fiction, but this book had me mesmerised. I totally escaped into Esme’s world of words, and I truly felt like I was there in Oxford. The book broaches some important themes of the time, through some really believable characters. I also absolutely loved the section at the back with the timeline of the Oxford dictionary and the photograph - it just shows how impeccably-researched the book was. One of the most original things I’ve read in a long time.

"The Dictionary of Lost Words is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Before the lost word, there was another. It arrived at the Scriptorium in a second-hand envelope, the old address crossed out and Dr Murray, Sunnyside, Oxford, written in its place. It was Da's job to open the post and mine to sit on his lap, like a queen on her throne, and help him ease each word out of its folded cradle. He'd tell me what pile to put it on and sometimes he'd pause, cover my hand with his, and guide my finger up and down and around the letters, sounding them into my ear. He'd say the word, and I would echo it, then he'd tell me what it meant"--

A Novel

Cheri McElroy

Esme grows up around men who collect words for the first Oxford Dictionary. But she soon discovers that words relating to women and common people are often overlooked. So she begins her search for these lost words.

Esme is a wonderful character set in the women's suffrage movement and I was cheering her on. The novel is well-researched and written. I loved it..

Allison

Did not expect to cry reading this. A great read about how English words have been skewed negatively towards women with historical sprinkles of the British suffragette movement and World War I. Author followed the true timeline of historical events as they played out. A timeline is added at the end of the novel and also points out what bits of the novel were true, fictional, and based on actual people but with embellishments.

Stephanie Ridiculous

What a sad read!

I loved the idea of exploring how language is developed, authenticated, recorded, and validated by men - leaving the language of women, of the poor, of the marginalized, out of history. I don't know how that could have been explored more, but I wish it had been. 

I felt like so much of Esme's journey was maddeningly sad, lonely, heartbreaking, difficult - I do think that was the point, but it made for an at times difficult read. Folks all across history had difficult lives. Their stories would not make for enjoyable reading, or at least they wouldn't make for feel good reading, and I really felt that here. There are a lot of choices Williams made that seemed unnecessarily rough for Esme, but it was important to remember that satisfying and uplifting conclusions are often lacking in real life. I appreciated that about this book; it's very real and tangible, mixing the sad and frustrating with the brief joys that punctuate life.

One other thing that I appreciate about Williams here is the ability to convey what's going on without being crude, crass, or graphic. There is some strong language, there are devastating losses; but there's no graphic sex, no gratuitous violence - Williams gives us enough to paint the picture and trusts us to fill in the blanks & I love that.

Eva Bailey

3.5 stars. A beautiful novel with such an original premise. I found myself immediately drawn to the protagonist Esme. Haven't read a historical fiction in a while and this was a goody.

Celeste Richardson

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dictionary of Lost Words is a beautiful book. But I was not prepared for the levels of heartbreak that were going to be present. I kept having to put the book down to try to find my way back into a more positive headspace. Had I read the book in any other stage in my life, I think I would have been able to divorce myself more easily from it and enjoy it more. However, everyone knows this year has been horrendous, and for some reason I was just unable to cope with the relentless hard knocks suffered by the poor protagonist. There was something about the bright tone of the book that made those blows even more terrible, and that’s what kept the novel from being a five star read for me. It was emotionally draining.
“Words define us, they explain us, and, on occasion, they serve to control or isolate us. But what happens when words that are spoken are not recorded? What effect does that have on the speaker of those words?”
I love the idea behind The Dictionary of Lost Words.  After reading The Surgeon of Crowthorne, titled The Professor and the Madman in the U.S., Williams found herself intrigued by the history of the Oxford English Dictionary. But she walked away from the reading experience with more questions than answers, especially regarding the lack of female involvement in the OED endeavor. If there were so few women involved, could it be that words mostly used by the under-represented sex were left out? What about words mostly used by other marginalized groups? Were words considered vulgar or distasteful purposely ignored, as well? We know what is present in the OED, but what words were left on the cutting room floor is a mystery. And even for words that do appear in the OED, what meanings were omitted? Over the course of her research, Williams compiled what little information she could on the few women involved in the project, and decided to pen a work of fiction addressing her thoughts about some of these questions, and included as much true information as she could. 
“Words are like stories… They change as they are passed from mouth to mouth; their meanings stretch or truncate to fit what needs to be said.”
The fictional character who is the protagonist of the story and the lens through which Williams conveys her questions is Esme, a girl whose father worked on the OED project. Esme was raised in the Scriptorium, the small workshop where the Dictionary was compiled. Words and their meanings were her obsession from a very early age, and it was wonderful to see how that love grew and changed as she herself did. But it seemed to me that the author piled way too much tragedy onto her. I know life was terribly difficult for women during the period in which this book is set, and that such suffering would have seemed minimal compared to what other women endured in reality. However, I didn’t go into this book expecting that level of heartache. Perhaps if I had, I would have engaged with the story in a much different way. But for some reason I expected charming and light, I ended up feeling blindsided.
“… words are meaningless without action.”
“And sometimes action can make a lie of good words.”
Even though I was emotionally unprepared for Esme’s story, I was completely captivated by her views on words and their importance. She felt that her calling was to preserve the words that others felt were unimportant, and I loved getting her inner thoughts regarding her motivations and why she loves words so fervently. I’ve always been enamored by words, and it was really gratifying to be inside the mind of someone who shares that passion. I thought she and her passion were very well conveyed, and I really enjoyed her as a character.
“What words would define me? Which would be used to judge or contain?”
The Dictionary of Lost Words is a beautiful treatise on the importance of all words, no matter who uses them. It’s beautifully written, and truly transported me to another time and place. While readers should be aware that the story is not for the faint of heart and can wreak havoc on the heart, it is absolutely worth reading.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

The Dictionary of Lost Words

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