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

At times I enjoyed the slow pace, and other times I felt rather stuck. At the same time, the vast time span of the book meant that significant events were covered very briefly, leaving me wanting more. Also, I found myself wishing the main character would take charge of far more and I felt at times feeling as if she was rather passive. All that being said, I felt the prose was absolutely beautiful and enjoyed most all of the characters.

One quote that stuck with me:

“Was I better? Before Shropshire I’d felt broken, as though I would fall should the scaffold of my work be removed. I didn’t feel that now, but there was a fine crack through the middle of me, and I suspected it might never mend. I remembered Lizzie apologizing to Mrs. Lloyd the first time she stayed to chat, for the chip in the cup.
‘A chip doesn’t stop it from holding tea,’ Mrs. Lloyd had said.”

Content Warnings

teddie_valetine98's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

sargasso_c's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

3.75

Content Warnings

thumbeleia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this so much. This book follows the life of Esme Nicoll, and her connection yo words, people and especially women and their experiences. This book is incredibly detailed, canning and engrossing. I loved every minute of it. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in words and their direct and hidden meanings, and would like to feel what it's like to live in victorian times as an ordinary woman. Amazing book.

Content Warnings