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A wonderful story of the writing/composing of the Oxford English Dictionary, seen from the feminine perspective. Many words were excluded from the work because there was no written reference for them. Many of these missing words were used by working class folk, particularly women. Some of these words were considered vulgar by the middle-class white male lexicographers working on the enormous task of cataloguing the English language. Esme, our heroine, realizes the importance of these lost words
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This could have been a great book if the reader was able to connect with the main character or any of the characters for that matter. More effort was placed on getting the reader to understand the "slips"than the people.
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I love the idea of the book but didn't care for the execution. For a while it seemed to focus more on shock value with the selection of women's words than actually trying to capture the differing words that women use that men do not. I kept seeing where this book could have been so powerful, and was left wanting.
How did this book find me? It was a selection for Reece Witherspoon's Book Club in May of 2022. ...more
How did this book find me? It was a selection for Reece Witherspoon's Book Club in May of 2022. ...more
Quite a different version about the writing of the Oxford Dictionary than The Professor and the Madman. Enjoyed both stories. The lost dictionary included slang and words culturally unacceptable for the early 1900s. Unique characters with well-shaped personalities.
Mar 27, 2021
Christina
marked it as to-read
Jul 01, 2025
Caron Garliepp
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
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owned-not-yet-read
Jul 05, 2022
Leeanne
marked it as to-read
Nov 07, 2022
Katie
marked it as to-read
Dec 08, 2022
Meghan
marked it as to-read
Feb 15, 2023
Lorie
marked it as to-read
