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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Thank you to Library Journal for the ARC and the opportunity to review this title!
Williams (The Dictionary of Lost Words) brilliantly weaves a new thread into her world of words at Oxford University. Peggy Jones has been told her whole life to bind the books, not read them, but as a child her love of words grew despite her limited access. Now, as the Great War looms and steals Britain’s men and boys, the women of the Oxford University bindery must step into new roles to keep their small town running. Between volunteering to read to wounded soldiers, welcoming Belgian refugees, and taking on the tasks of the men who have left for battle, Peggy loses hope that her own desire for a higher education will ever come to be. Relentless in her pursuit of knowledge, she pushes past her own fears into a new, unknown world. With heartfelt characters, a bit of romance, and a bleak and deeply sad place in time, Williams’s novel is a deft story about the meaning of words, who is allowed access, and how they’re inevitably interpreted. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction about strong women, like the works of Kate Quinn, Beatriz Williams, and Laura Willig.
Williams (The Dictionary of Lost Words) brilliantly weaves a new thread into her world of words at Oxford University. Peggy Jones has been told her whole life to bind the books, not read them, but as a child her love of words grew despite her limited access. Now, as the Great War looms and steals Britain’s men and boys, the women of the Oxford University bindery must step into new roles to keep their small town running. Between volunteering to read to wounded soldiers, welcoming Belgian refugees, and taking on the tasks of the men who have left for battle, Peggy loses hope that her own desire for a higher education will ever come to be. Relentless in her pursuit of knowledge, she pushes past her own fears into a new, unknown world. With heartfelt characters, a bit of romance, and a bleak and deeply sad place in time, Williams’s novel is a deft story about the meaning of words, who is allowed access, and how they’re inevitably interpreted. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction about strong women, like the works of Kate Quinn, Beatriz Williams, and Laura Willig.
emotional
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautiful book that reveals the untold stories of bindery girls during World War I, whilst also covering topics such as classism, sexism, the arrival of Belgium refugees and the horrific impacts of both the war and Spanish Flu.
The story was innovative and fresh, and the writing easy to read. I loved the crossovers with the Dictionary of Lost Words that were subtle but also emotionally impactful.
At times I wished for the story and characters to have a bit more depth and conviction - hence my 4 ⭐️ rating. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and learnt a lot about binding books, the impacts of the war and of classism / sexism in the 1900s.
The story was innovative and fresh, and the writing easy to read. I loved the crossovers with the Dictionary of Lost Words that were subtle but also emotionally impactful.
At times I wished for the story and characters to have a bit more depth and conviction - hence my 4 ⭐️ rating. But overall, I really enjoyed this book and learnt a lot about binding books, the impacts of the war and of classism / sexism in the 1900s.
A lovely story, and a continuation of the book theme, though with new characters and set in World War I. Maude and Peg are twin sisters, although Maude has some intellectual challenges that has Peg protective of her. They both work in the Oxford book bindery, but Peg has aspirations to be”gown “, instead of “town”. The onset of the war brings refugees to Oxford, and this sets the backdrop for much of the story. I enjoyed everything about this.
Good but not great. Of all the characters in the book, I think I liked Peg the least.
This is a well-researched fictional account of the women who folded pages for the Oxford University Press and the women who cared for the injured and sick during WWI. I enjoyed the characters and found the setting and situations described very interesting and engaging. I'd give this 4.5 stars.
dark
emotional
sad
Our Oxford-based bookclub chose this book to celebrate our group's 4th birthday! (Swipe for a pic of our birthday celebration.)
Set during the First World War, the Bookbinder in question works at the Oxford University Press in Jericho, and lives on a canal boat nearby. I used to walk past where her boat's mooring everyday on my way to study, but still Williams opened my eyes to aspects of Oxford's past I had no idea about.
Our bookclub's consensus is that this is a pleasant book, and one we'd recommend as an enjoyable, low-effort read. The prose was thoughtful if not inspired. It tackles a lot of worthwhile themes - women's empowerment, class, war, pandemic, disability - drawing parallels between the WWI context of the story and the modern day.
On reflection, Williams bit off more than she could chew, and none of the themes felt particularly well explored. The first-person narration also wasn't varied enough to keep my attention through the entire 450 pages.
Our bookclub spent most of our time reminiscing about Oxford days, and not a great deal about the book. But sometimes the best things about books are the conversations they start!
Set during the First World War, the Bookbinder in question works at the Oxford University Press in Jericho, and lives on a canal boat nearby. I used to walk past where her boat's mooring everyday on my way to study, but still Williams opened my eyes to aspects of Oxford's past I had no idea about.
Our bookclub's consensus is that this is a pleasant book, and one we'd recommend as an enjoyable, low-effort read. The prose was thoughtful if not inspired. It tackles a lot of worthwhile themes - women's empowerment, class, war, pandemic, disability - drawing parallels between the WWI context of the story and the modern day.
On reflection, Williams bit off more than she could chew, and none of the themes felt particularly well explored. The first-person narration also wasn't varied enough to keep my attention through the entire 450 pages.
Our bookclub spent most of our time reminiscing about Oxford days, and not a great deal about the book. But sometimes the best things about books are the conversations they start!
I might be a little harsh on this one because it was a beautiful story, but it just didn't hold my attention as much as I wanted it to. That might have been because i was listening to it, but i did keep catching myself tuning out and having to rewind because I'd missed an important detail.
Having said that, I'm still very glad I read it and Annabelle Tudor did an EXCELLENT job at the audiobook and accents etc.
Having said that, I'm still very glad I read it and Annabelle Tudor did an EXCELLENT job at the audiobook and accents etc.