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Esme spent her days under her father's desk in the Scriptorium, delighting in the dropped slips of paper that she would hide in her pocket. One day the word "bondmaid" intrigued her and she asked her maid Lizzie about it. That word and many more like it, intrigued Esme through the years, as the case which lay hidden under Lizzie's bed in the attic gained more slips and mementos. Esme had scratched the words "The Dictionary of Lost Words" on the inside of the lid...
Esme's mother Lily had died whe ...more
Esme's mother Lily had died whe ...more
DNF at 50% in.
Extremely slow, plodding pace. Writing was tell don't show, and pretty boring, so couldn't support the slow pace.
Characterisation of Esme was non existent - her narrative voice never seemed to grow beyond 6. She made no sense as a character, extremely passive, seemed to say things that didn't even fit with the small amount of personality she had.
Major things happen that aren't even remotely explained or touched on, it was like watching a movie in a foreign language without subtitle ...more
Extremely slow, plodding pace. Writing was tell don't show, and pretty boring, so couldn't support the slow pace.
Characterisation of Esme was non existent - her narrative voice never seemed to grow beyond 6. She made no sense as a character, extremely passive, seemed to say things that didn't even fit with the small amount of personality she had.
Major things happen that aren't even remotely explained or touched on, it was like watching a movie in a foreign language without subtitle ...more
There’s so much heart in the historical fiction novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set in Oxford, the story centres around Esme, who, as the young daughter of a lexiographer working on the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, spent many days beneath the sorting table of the Scriptorium gathering lost and forgotten word slips.
I found the first third a little slow but the pace picks up when Esme enters young adulthood and her life becomes more complicated.
The book is incredibly well ...more
I was quite emotional as this book came to an end, it wasn't predictqble and the subject matter was worthy of my attention. Like many I flagged a little during Part 1 but as Esme's story and the stories of her words developed I was hooked. I love the historical context and the care that was taken to weave a good story into the times.
...more
A lovely book with some interesting ideas and clearly well researched. Maybe a smidge too long? Maybe some plot points were unnecessary. But the final chapters were moving.
Apr 27, 2020
Jules
marked it as to-read
Feb 02, 2021
Rhi1981
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2021
Cathy
marked it as to-read
Sep 04, 2025
Kay
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
historical-fiction
Mar 31, 2023
Yvonne
marked it as to-read
