A review by jhbandcats
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

When I finish a really good book I feel wiped out. I've been absorbed by the story and I’ve made friends with the characters and it's hard to say goodbye. Well, that's how I feel right now. This was SUCH a good book. It was gentle and intriguing, with lovable, flawed characters who were burdened by grief and sexism and classism. 

I have always loved words so I identified with Esme, the main character, the one who, starting as a child, begins to collect the words that men don’t feel are appropriate for their dictionary. She keeps her secret stash of words in a trunk hidden under her friend Lizzie’s bed. But Lizzie isn’t an ordinary friend, she’s a servant who’s tasked with taking care of Esme, a classist situation that bewilders Esme as she learns women’s places in the world of Victorian England. 

I found the relationship between these two, and Esme’s relationship with her beloved father and her adored godmother, to be the backbone of the story. There was so much love in this book, love of family and friends and, above all, words. 
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