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

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-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

“The Dictionary of Lost Words” is one of the best, most perfect novels I have read in my lifetime.

It is a novel about the women who contributed to the Oxford English Dictionary, the women who submitted words, edited pages, without whom the stories are incomplete. It is a story  about the meaning and power of words, about the words women use - words largely missing from the first 20-volume edition of the OED. It is a story of the importance of spoken language and the myriad ways words mean different things to different people.

It is a story of the creation of a monolith, an homage to the written word. It is a story deeply wound around the struggle for women’s suffrage and the First World War.