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katydid22's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
fhammond_36's review against another edition
4.0
Very readable and interesting insights into words and how we are defined. Amazing debut novel. I did wish it had finished earlier but maybe that’s more to do with the time I’m reading it than the book itself. Lovely characters. Lovely words.
kmanhart's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I so badly want to give this book a 5⭐️ because I think it was a wonderful cozy read. However; there are some things that I think (for me) are going to deter me from giving it a full 5.
1. The pacing was a little all over the place, I recognize that this book spans decades but some parts were so drawn out where other MAJOR parts were glossed over so quickly .
2. A few times there would be a multiple day, or 3 week time jump right in the middle of the page. No page break, just one paragraph to the next sometimes in the middle of a paragraph and it was very confusing.
3. I felt the women’s suffrage movement was a little heavy handed at times and became a bit overkill.
4. We were introduced to characters throughout the book BILL!!! who had major parts and then went away and were never heard from again. I know we get updated that he had a wife and a child but I would have liked him to re-enter the story at some point and learn about his daughter with Esme
That being said I know this will not be a book for everyone but it hit for me at the right time and I loved spending time in this book. It was very atmospheric and had a heavy academic theme which I really enjoyed, and I learned a lot about the dictionary and the lexicographers during the 1880’s-1930’s.
1. The pacing was a little all over the place, I recognize that this book spans decades but some parts were so drawn out where other MAJOR parts were glossed over so quickly .
2. A few times there would be a multiple day, or 3 week time jump right in the middle of the page. No page break, just one paragraph to the next sometimes in the middle of a paragraph and it was very confusing.
3. I felt the women’s suffrage movement was a little heavy handed at times and became a bit overkill.
4. We were introduced to characters throughout the book
That being said I know this will not be a book for everyone but it hit for me at the right time and I loved spending time in this book. It was very atmospheric and had a heavy academic theme which I really enjoyed, and I learned a lot about the dictionary and the lexicographers during the 1880’s-1930’s.
maddiecfield's review against another edition
4.75
every time i settled into this book some awful/tragic thing would happen - but definitely a great read!
vickibicky's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mrsmeryhew's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
kgimm29's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
katy_heath's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I loved this book from cover to cover! It never occurred to me to wonder how the first dictionaries were complied. I love to think of the men and women who sent in their words, and how they came across them.
I just don’t feel like Gareth needed to die to make the story worth it
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Sexism
miriam_berg99's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25