The Binding

A Novel

De: Bridget Collins

Narrado por: Carl Prekopp

Proclaimed as “truly spellbinding,” a “great fable” that “functions as transporting romance” by the Guardian, the runaway #1 international bestseller arrives in America.

""A rich, gothic entertainment that explores what books have trapped inside them and reminds us of the power of storytelling. Spellbinding.” — TRACY CHEVALIER

Imagine you could erase grief.
Imagine you could remove pain.
Imagine you could hide the darkest, most horrifying secret.
Forever.

Young Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a strange letter arrives summoning him away from his family. He is to begin an apprenticeship as a Bookbinder—a vocation that arouses fear, superstition, and prejudice amongst their small community, but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.

For as long as he can recall, Emmett has been drawn to books, even though they are strictly forbidden. Bookbinding is a sacred calling, Seredith informs her new apprentice, and he is a binder born. Under the old woman’s watchful eye, Emmett learns to hand-craft the elegant leather-bound volumes. Within each one they will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, a binder can help. If there’s something you need to erase, they can assist. Within the pages of the books they create, secrets are concealed and the past is locked away. In a vault under his mentor’s workshop rows upon rows of books are meticulously stored.

But while Seredith is an artisan, there are others of their kind, avaricious and amoral tradesman who use their talents for dark ends—and just as Emmett begins to settle into his new circumstances, he makes an astonishing discovery: one of the books has his name on it. Soon, everything he thought he understood about his life will be dramatically rewritten.

An unforgettable novel of enchantment, mystery, memory, and forbidden love, The Binding is a beautiful homage to the allure and life-changing power of books—and a reminder to us all that knowledge can be its own kind of magic.

Captivating

The voice performances in this novel were excellent. The novel took a turn that I wasn't expecting, but a good book does keep you guessing. This novel is full of turmoil, mystery, love, and magic. Be careful, it will draw you in, and you may abandon your responsibilities to listen.
Excellent story.
Excellent Performance.
Excellent Book.
MUST READ.

Good Read

Kept me guessing and curious till the last second.
Not for the faint of heart though.

Heather's review

Lovely story full of beautiful imagery and language. A love story that harkens back to the 18th century but with struggles that are relative to present time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Good Listen

Great story, I was absolutely hooked!
However, the ending felt so abrupt. It doesn't feel like it ended at all, like I'm just missing a chapter.

Overall Great!

This one starts kind of slow and was hard to get into at first, but really ended up being pretty great.
I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator. I felt like the deep, monotone voice and accent made it hard for me to focus on the book and, either as a result of that or writing, I got lost in the plot at one point and had to go back and piece things together. I also wish the book spent more time on the actual binding and utilized the main characters ability at all.
Otherwise though it was great. Plenty of high stakes moments and the world building around binding as a concept was well considered as well. And, at least for me, always bonus points for inclusiveness.