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frazzle 's review for:
The Bookbinder
by Pip Williams
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!