emreadsbooksagain 's review for:

The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
3.75
dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book must have involved so much research, and the author has integrated it so well. Interesting author note at the end which speaks to her process. The book is set during WW1 and speaks to the human cost of war, in all its myriad of ways. It mainly focusses on Peggy who is working class, working in the bindery binding booms, disenfranchised, but longing for something more. Great relationships depicted and it's quite a hopeful novel in spite of all its grimness. I liked the way the real world was layered into a fictional story. Eg mention of Vera Brittain as a character (but she was a real person. I studied her diary Testament of Youth back in my uni days). Very interesting story and quite compelling.