The Liar's Dictionary

A Novel

By: Eley Williams

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton, Jon Glover

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

National Best Seller

"You wouldn’t expect a comic novel about a dictionary to be a thriller too, but this one is. In fact, [it] is also a mystery, love story (two of them) and cliffhanging melodrama." (The New York Times Book Review)

An award-winning novel that chronicles the charming misadventures of a lovelorn Victorian lexicographer and the young woman put on his trail a century later to root out his misdeeds while confronting questions of her own sexuality and place in the world.

Mountweazel n. the phenomenon of false entries within dictionaries and works of reference. Often used as a safeguard against copyright infringement.

In the final year of the nineteenth century, Peter Winceworth is toiling away at the letter S for Swansby’s multivolume Encyclopaedic Dictionary. But his disaffection with his colleagues compels him to assert some individual purpose and artistic freedom, and he begins inserting unauthorized, fictitious entries. In the present day, Mallory, the publisher’s young intern, starts to uncover these mountweazels in the process of digitization and through them senses their creator’s motivations, hopes, and desires. More pressingly, she’s also been contending with a threatening, anonymous caller who wants Swansby’s staff to “burn in hell”. As these two narratives coalesce, Winceworth and Mallory, separated by one hundred years, must discover how to negotiate the complexities of life’s often untrustworthy, hoax-strewn, and undefinable path. An exhilarating, laugh-out-loud debut, The Liar’s Dictionary celebrates the rigidity, fragility, absurdity, and joy of language while peering into questions of identity and finding one’s place in the world.

©2021 Eley Williams (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

One of NPR's Best Books of the Year

An Indie Next Pick, B&N Discover Pick, and Amazon Best Book of the Month

“You wouldn’t expect a comic novel about a dictionary to be a thriller too, but this one is. In fact, Eley Williams’s hilarious new book, The Liar’s Dictionary, is also a mystery, love story (two of them) and cliffhanging melodrama.... A thoughtful inquiry into truth and meaning.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“An audacious, idiosyncratic dual love story about how language and people intersect and connect, and about how far we'll go to save what we're passionate about.... Showcases a delight in language that evokes both Nabokov and - more on point with its mix of playfulness, profundity, warmth, and heart - Ali Smith.” (NPR)

"Delightful.... Underneath this novel’s extremely bookish mystery is the idea that our identities are as improvisatory as the words we affix to them, and that even the dictionary, the most seemingly staid and impartial arbiter of truth, is an ‘unreliable narrator.'" (The Wall Street Journal)

Not your normal twists and turns

I wasn't quite sure where it was going but after few chapters, I totally got sucked in. really a unique story.

The liar’s Dictionary

Unsympathetic characters. Dialogue for woman is annoying in that she digresses a great deal. It’s one thing to love words. It’s another to use them to hide behind. Found male character’s use of lisp an affectation that was unworthy of his intellect.
While it’s not my job to analyze either, I spent too much time in their company. I stayed the course since I was driving, but cannot day I’d recommend the book overall.

Word Salad

If words are your “jam” - this book is for you. Lots of interesting facts about words but I found the story line hard to get into and not compelling. This books strikes me as ideal for those who are passionate about the English language, but if you are looking for a story you to get lost in, you might not find it here. However it is well written and nicely narrated.

A Steak Dinner of Words

Loved the stories, the poetry, the images, and the new vocabulary. Bending words to suit purposes, to explore their origins, and to determine just how supple they are, this work simply makes you feel alive.

I'd You Love Words

This is a surprise. A self realization story, at times serious, at times very funny. A cat named "Tits." But it's short for an obscure respectable word.

For those who live words

Interesting, imaginative a good story. Well written and the audio book was very well preformed. Enjoyable romp, worth your time.

If You Love Words...

I often enjoy a book, regardless of its story, just because of the way it's written. The Liar's Dictionary is a perfect example. Though the story isn't bad it's the words contained and the way they are used that I enjoyed about this book. The preface is beautifully written and itself is well worth the price of the book.

Charming surprise!

What a find! As an inveterate word snob, I was delighted to come across this little gem. I gobbled it up in one sitting! So many precious words! The story has just enough intrigue to move things along without upsetting the library air. There are happy little surprises and a marvelously startling turn. The narration is pleasing to the ear, with precise diction and excellent phrasing. Both actors gave no hint they were "reading." Altogether, a treat!

Lush language highlights plot

This book was clever and well thought out as well as seeped in beautiful language. Definitely a literate pleasure!
The style and the language fit playfully with the plot line. It’s rare to find an author who can do that. Cant wait to read the next book. 😊

Quirky but not entirely engaging

There are a few clever ironies that play out near the end, but I didn’t feel that they were worth having slogged through a rather tedious story with less than appealing characters. The tone is quite stodgy throughout. I wouldn’t recommend this book.