The Dictionary of Lost Words

A Novel

By: Pip Williams

Narrated by: Pippa Bennett-Warner

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “Delightful . . . [a] captivating and slyly subversive fictional paean to the real women whose work on the Oxford English Dictionary went largely unheralded.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A marvelous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress.”—Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of People of the Book

Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, an Oxford garden shed in which her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip and, learning that the word means “slave girl,” begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.

As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women’s and common folks’ experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages.

Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.

WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARD

One of my favorite books in a long time

I can’t find a thing about this book to criticize - other than I didn’t want it to end. It was impeccable from my POV.

1) Historically accurate - though many of the characters were fictional.
2) Not overly romantic - I can’t tolerate women pining for men
3) Unique/new story - I know there are other books about the development of the OED, but this from the perspective of a woman - had women been allowed to contribute.
4) I learned something
5) I drew strength

I will look for other historical fiction novels by this same author.

Ps. I write these reviews for myself - I’m really just interested in remembering whether or not I liked the book and whether or not I would read another book by the author.

Enjoyable Story with a Strong Message

I loved it. Well told and strong illustration of the power of privilege. It's amazing to see how deeply rooted misogyny is ingrained in our culture

A beautiful telling of the importance of language

I normally read thrillers, psychological thrillers to be exact. This book was a required reading for my book club. So I started at chapter one and fell in love. The narration was simply gorgeous. The detailed characters felt as if you knew them. The multiple layers of historical content was amazing. I found myself tearing up towards the end. This is definitely a book you could curl up with a cup of tea and a cozy throw blanket.

Elegantly told, brilliantly narrated

This is an extremely quiet book in every sense of the word, and there were times toward the beginning of the main character’s early 20”s when I simply bogged down in it all. Fortunately my love of the narrator’s voice kept me going. I admit I skipped ahead which was easy to do because of the chronological layout. I became totally engrossed and went back afterwards eager for every detail missed. An accessible, undramatic yet moving sharing of some very dramatic, important times.

Superb

This novel is a superb exploration of language and the manner in which each individual has a particular role to play in humanity’s quest for progress. The tender relationship between Esme and Da warmed my heart. The audio performance adds an additional layer of richness and pleasure to this story. I will hold a greater appreciation for the dictionary and all those who helped it come to be from this day forward.