The Dictionary of Lost Words: Reese's Book Club: A Novel

This novel is a dream read for anyone who loves everything about words! Pip Williams’ historic fiction about the making of the Oxford Dictionary at the turn of the 20th century is fascinating! Esme, the young protagonist, learns the power of words from her father’s world as a lexicographer. She starts collecting words that are lost, the first word being bondmaid. As she grows, so does her awareness of whose words are not being collected for the dictionary—those used by women. Williams’ seamlessly weaves facts along with fiction and her beautiful imagery to create a believable story world, a sympathetic hero, and an original premise. Synopsis: Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme begins to collect words that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world. Set when the women’s suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. I love this book, so much so it has become one of my top ten favorites. I highly recommend reading or listening to it!

4⭐️ Overall this book was really thought-provoking and really emotionally developed. The authors relationship with words was surprisingly whimsical and so well thought-out that it enhanced the reading experience. It’s made me think about my own relationship with words and how they continue to have different meanings in contexts that may or may not be able to be clearly defined or preserved over time. The prologue was short but told a really compelling story, so I was immediately drawn in. “Some words are more important than others - I learned this growing up in the Scriptorium. But it took me a long time to understand why.” I really enjoyed the authors use of words as the links of the chains that comprised Esme’s life. Her relationship with words and her need to learn new words in response to challenges was woven seamlessly into the story and showed Esme’s rational problem-solving characteristics. The authors use of words, or lack thereof, was able to perfectly describe how Esme was feeling, because words were her safe space. The link between language and her character development was really well written, and really smart to embed so deeply into the story. It was a whirlwind of emotions - I cried on page 68 and laughed on page 70. I found that the emotions calmed down a bit further into the book as the pacing slowed. I will say that there was a lot of tragedy embedded in this book, and maybe that was intentional, but I felt like some of it was a bit overwhelming, and some of the tragedies later on in the book could have been removed without changing the impact of the story. My biggest issue with the book was the pacing, because some of it was slower paced than other parts. Understandably, this makes sense given the storyline and the time it takes to make the Dictionary, but some sections felt unnecessary or overwritten. This may also be a personal preference, as I’m not a big Historical Fiction fan. With that said though, the pacing of the story is very realistic with the timeline of the Dictionary, so it’s understandable and forgiven. Some of the narrative and plot of the story feels a little disjointed in the second half of the book, like the story lost its way from the original trajectory, so that also threw me off a bit. I resonated a lot more with the first half than the second. I like that each part started with the section of the dictionary that was completed while the plot was taking place alongside the years in which the section occurred. Part 1 started with “Batten - Distrustful”, Part 2 started with “Distrustfully - Kyx”, Part 3 started with “Lap - Nywe”, Part 4 started with “Polygenous - Sorrow”, Part 5 was “Speech - Sullen” and Part 6 is “Wise - Wyzen”. The Dictionary took a LONG time to complete, so noting the story not only by years but by the progress of the Dictionary was really inventive. “Words are our tools of resurrection” - pg 24 “It was a mistake for any of us to assume the Scriptorium was not a suitable place to grow and learn. Our thinking was limited by convention (the most subtle but oppressive dictator). Please forgive our lack of imagination.” - pg 97 “All words are not equal (and as I write this, I think I see your concern more clearly: if the words of one group are considered worthier of preservation than those of another … well, you have given me pause for thought).” - pg 97 “She couldn’t be defined by any of the words I found, and eventually I stopped looking.” - pg 188

I don't know if my own interest in words and the various meaning that can be conveyed in their usage is what made this novel so dang interesting, but I could not get enough. The pacing is such that I was never ever bored. Then, the author's method of weaving the work of putting together the Oxford English Dictionary with the Women's Suffrage movement and then WWI....just amazing. I loved Esme's character and her relationship with her dad, Da. All interactions between the characters were always interesting as well as thought-provoking in most instances. Loved that Esme was neither rich or poor. A perfect position to observe how the classes were treated and the amount of power (or not having power) each were afforded. Just a wonderfully-told fictional history that makes what one might think of as a dry subject, amazingly interesting. This book is a keeper and I highly, highly recommend it. AAAA++++

I would really have given this a 4.5 star rating, just because I reserve 5 stars for the most extraordinary. That said, I loved this book. I am a word nerd, and in the current atmosphere where word usage seems to be getting looser and looser, it was a pleasure to hang out with people who are as - or maybe more - concerned with words as I am. I found the background of the creation of the OED, and the themes of the suffrage movement and WWI, very interesting. The writing was quite good.

I’m having a difficult time trying to put into words what I thought of this historical novel. On one hand the historical background of the lexicographers of the first Oxford English Dictionary is fascinating with a story interwoven into the narrative to bring the history alive. However, I found the writing to be somewhat vague and confusing. One example is when the main character, Esme, writes to her aunt (or is she a godmother?), Ditte. Esme will state that she needs to write to Ditte but we don’t see that letter, only the response from the aunt. We learn very little of Esme’s time at primary school or the boarding school to which she was sent in Scotland. Therefore, we know little of what is in Esme’s heart and soul. A feminist in every sense of the word, she makes an unfortunate decision that turns out to be very fortuitous at the conclusion of the book, albeit somewhat unbelievable. Esme does marry but we hear nothing of her husband in the ending either. I was disappointed at the author’s choice of words for inclusion in the dictionary from the “common” people, which made them look “dirty.” I can’t recommend this book.

Great book except the middle 100 pages. Different parts of history kept me interested but some of the plot was simply repetitive and predictable (not because of the history aspects!).

I bought Reese’s Dictionary of Lost Words as a gift for my little cousin, and it was a hit! The book is beautifully written, engaging, and sparks curiosity about language in such a fun way. The illustrations and design make it extra special for young readers. It arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Highly recommend as a thoughtful and unique gift!

This was the Dec. read for the book club I just joined. I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and the writing. Lots to discuss. Have bought the audio.