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A review by bookstorian
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
5.0
After a few mediocre reads to start the month I feared that I was headed towards a reading slump, thankfully one of my favourite Brisbane bookstores had copies of 'The Bookbinder of Jericho' (signed by the author too!) so I grabbed myself a copy and began to sink back into the familiar world of 'The Dictionary of Lost Words'. It was just what I needed.
Bindery employee Peggy is ambitious, intelligent and devoted to her twin sister Maude. As the great war begins she is one of the many women remains at home and helps where she can. Her decision to volunteer changes the course of her life when she meets Gwen and then an invisible Belgian man. Exploring the themes of love, ambition, friendship, class and feminism 'The Bookbinder of Jericho' took me on a journey from start to finish.
Similar to 'The Dictionary of Lost Words,' 'The Bookbinder of Jericho' was beautifully written and incredibly easy to sink into. Pair this with a varied cast of characters (I especially loved Gwen and Sophia), a unique setting of not only a book bindery but also a canal house boat and you have the kindling for an interesting read. In addition, there was strong disability representation and a connection to other women who have been silenced in history, especially the ones featured in Homer's Odyssey and Natalie Hayne's novel 'A Thousand Ships' (one of my favourite books). I also liked the peek into how books used to be made - something that I had not considered before.
The strong connection to 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' is also beautifully done. Although this was written as a companion novel so could be read without having read 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' I would still read it first as I feel that some larger plot points of it became spoiled in this read.
My only regret was not being armed with a highlighter at all times when reading. Pip Williams is a master of words and the book was littered with so many reflective and sparkly phrases and thoughts. Oh and there was one very uncomfortable 'romance' scene in a graveyard...
Honestly, if you love historical fiction, stories that give women a voice and also appreciate learning a little more about the history of books I highly recommend this read.
Bindery employee Peggy is ambitious, intelligent and devoted to her twin sister Maude. As the great war begins she is one of the many women remains at home and helps where she can. Her decision to volunteer changes the course of her life when she meets Gwen and then an invisible Belgian man. Exploring the themes of love, ambition, friendship, class and feminism 'The Bookbinder of Jericho' took me on a journey from start to finish.
Similar to 'The Dictionary of Lost Words,' 'The Bookbinder of Jericho' was beautifully written and incredibly easy to sink into. Pair this with a varied cast of characters (I especially loved Gwen and Sophia), a unique setting of not only a book bindery but also a canal house boat and you have the kindling for an interesting read. In addition, there was strong disability representation and a connection to other women who have been silenced in history, especially the ones featured in Homer's Odyssey and Natalie Hayne's novel 'A Thousand Ships' (one of my favourite books). I also liked the peek into how books used to be made - something that I had not considered before.
The strong connection to 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' is also beautifully done. Although this was written as a companion novel so could be read without having read 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' I would still read it first as I feel that some larger plot points of it became spoiled in this read.
My only regret was not being armed with a highlighter at all times when reading. Pip Williams is a master of words and the book was littered with so many reflective and sparkly phrases and thoughts. Oh and there was one very uncomfortable 'romance' scene in a graveyard...
Honestly, if you love historical fiction, stories that give women a voice and also appreciate learning a little more about the history of books I highly recommend this read.