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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
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
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy of this book! The following views and opinions are solely mine.
Books about books will forever be my favorite kind. There are some really amazing things in here that I loved:
1. The Dictionary of Lost Words is woven in, some characters overlap.
2. The war was such a great part of the story. The communicated loss, loving a refugee, opening up your home and heart to people you’ve never met…that was so well done. Pip really excels here.
3. I caught myself at a jaded moment in the book - midway when she faints in the bindery when people are starting to get sick with the flu, and I was like “ughhh of course she’s pregnant. Of COURSE we had to write this in.” IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN SHE IS NOT! I was so happy to see what could only be described as a strong female lead. Peggy is her sister’s caretaker while still grieving her mother, going through the trauma of being part of the wartime efforts in her town, wanting SO MUCH MORE FOR HERSELF and being unable to go after it because of her economic status.
I felt so proud of Peggy in the end, and I truly loved the love story between her and Bastiaan. It was so unconventional for the time - she truly loves a man but knows she has to put herself first, and pursues the one thing and they STILL find their way to come back to each other…so beautiful.
Tilda. She will forever have my heart. How wonderfully whole and complex is she, even as a minor character? I love her storyline, her character arc, her complete human-ness.
Keep the tissues near, dear readers. This one is so incredibly…human.
Books about books will forever be my favorite kind. There are some really amazing things in here that I loved:
1. The Dictionary of Lost Words is woven in, some characters overlap.
2. The war was such a great part of the story. The communicated loss, loving a refugee, opening up your home and heart to people you’ve never met…that was so well done. Pip really excels here.
3. I caught myself at a jaded moment in the book - midway when she faints in the bindery when people are starting to get sick with the flu, and I was like “ughhh of course she’s pregnant. Of COURSE we had to write this in.” IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN SHE IS NOT! I was so happy to see what could only be described as a strong female lead. Peggy is her sister’s caretaker while still grieving her mother, going through the trauma of being part of the wartime efforts in her town, wanting SO MUCH MORE FOR HERSELF and being unable to go after it because of her economic status.
I felt so proud of Peggy in the end, and I truly loved the love story between her and Bastiaan. It was so unconventional for the time - she truly loves a man but knows she has to put herself first, and pursues the one thing and they STILL find their way to come back to each other…so beautiful.
Tilda. She will forever have my heart. How wonderfully whole and complex is she, even as a minor character? I love her storyline, her character arc, her complete human-ness.
Keep the tissues near, dear readers. This one is so incredibly…human.
challenging
dark
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:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved it. I was crying near the end, and the symmetry of reading this around Anzac Day was not lost on me. The book binding world, the class system of Oxford, the literary references, WW1, women’s suffrage and Maude, all combined to create a rich story. Set 100 years ago but still relevant and so important to remember. So much has changed but so little also.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
An epic historic fiction based on the real women of WWI who did book binding and nursing and we're not called out significantly in the history books,
This book weaves those really history pieces done by the author with strong women she let's is hall in love with, including a sister that always to be autistic but semi verbal and her adoration and love of another woman named Lot who, with these twin sisters and Tilda, their adventurous friend of their deceased mom who is working on the front as a volunteer nurse and sends them frequent letters and encouraged the twins to follow their dreams and women's rights as the right to vote and attend University are part of the plot, in addition to the war and book binding.
This book weaves those really history pieces done by the author with strong women she let's is hall in love with, including a sister that always to be autistic but semi verbal and her adoration and love of another woman named Lot who, with these twin sisters and Tilda, their adventurous friend of their deceased mom who is working on the front as a volunteer nurse and sends them frequent letters and encouraged the twins to follow their dreams and women's rights as the right to vote and attend University are part of the plot, in addition to the war and book binding.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Suicide, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautiful and powerful book that had me in tears countless times, if you loved 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' you won't be disappointed!
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes