Reviews with content warning for Abortion - The Dictionary of Lost Words

I liked this a lot but felt it had. A slow start that was harder to get into. Once the main character really become her own person I was way more interested. I really enjoyed how the book looked at time and Oxford and the dictionary almost as if they were characters themselves. Sometimes it felt like there were too many things happening at once, but not always in a bad way. It did make me cry more than once and before I even realized I cared about the story as much as I did. I also appreciated the various relationships and how the played off of each other. I had some mixed feelings about the end and don’t think I would’ve chosen those endings for those characters if I were the one writing, but I can see how they made some sense, too. Overall I thought it was a really good book that I’d recommend to someone whose interested in something a little slower paced. The concept is a really cool idea and I appreciated the author’s note on how she got to it.

Really appreciated the book club discussion around this book.

Content Warnings

marsspider42's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

4.5

I really enjoyed this book! It is one of the most believable and well constructed historical fiction works I have read, to the point where the Author’s Note at the end which acknowledges the parts that are real and the parts that are fiction was quite jarring to me. Pip Williams is an expert at constructing loveable and believable characters with full lives and motivations, and realistic tragedies.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a historical fiction from the perspective of a woman in England who loves to learn. Even if you are not a big historical fiction reader (I am not!) this book will be a joy to read.

Content Warnings

gollibee's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional slow-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

4.75

Content Warnings

phantomgecko's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Evocative and I appreciate the significant amount of research that went into it. Not a happy book, though.

I feel like most the thoughts I have on it are surface level, so there's not much else for me to put here. I liked it.

Content Warnings

mckiheather's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective slow-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

3.0

The Dictionary of Lost Words was a nice storyline, just slow in parts. The main character, Esme, was a very curious and intelligent character who reminded me of Liesel from The Book Thief in her independence and love for words, especially neglected words. This, and the chance to see how Esme changed over time through the words she collected, gave the book a unique voice and style that I enjoyed.

Content Warnings

siobhanward's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional slow-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

2.5

Reese's Book Club Pick 56/67

I think I'm just burnt out of UK/US based historical fiction in the 19th/20th centuries, because this just dragged for me. It felt like the dictionary was only relevant for the first third of the book and then everything swiveled to Esme and her life. I know that she was the protagonist but I truly thought the dictionary was going to be a bigger plot point and not just kind of pushed to the back. I really didn't find the book or characters that memorable and don't see myself taking much away from this one.

Content Warnings

lenchen25's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

natalia_booksss's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

More...