From the Bookshelf of Bound Together…

The Dictionary of Lost Words

Pip Williams

Start date: March 1, 2023

Finish date: March 31, 2023

Why we're reading this: March Members Choice
March 1 thru March 31
Thanks Toni
[close] March Members Choice
March 1 thru March 31
Thanks Toni

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Jan 17, 2022 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, aa-ce, historical-fiction, australian-author, aa

4★
“Author’s Note:
This book began as two simple questions: Do words mean different things to men and women? And if they do, is it possible that we have lost something in the process of defining them?

I have had a love–hate relationship with words and dictionaries my whole life. I have trouble spelling words and I frequently use them incorrectly (affluent, after all, sounds so much like effluent, it really is an easy mistake to make).”

The author sets out to show how words are overlooked or discard ...more

61 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2021 Esther rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, e-book, zz-2021, strong-women, author-female, 20th-century, 19th-century, __net-galley, books-about-books, england

This a story of woman’s life adjacent to the story of how the Oxford English dictionary came into existence.
It takes place in Oxford, which I found delightful due to my familiarity with the area.

Although I really enjoyed this book, the fact that they tried to show how a woman can live a life divergent from, but still limited by, men’s and society’s expectations did make the evolution of events quite predictable.

One of my first comments about the book was “Amazing how so often the actual meaning This a story of woman’s life adjacent to the story of how the Oxford English dictionary came into existence.
It takes place in Oxford, which I found delightful due to my familiarity with the area.

Although I really enjoyed this book, the fact that they tried to show how a woman can live a life divergent from, but still limited by, men’s and society’s expectations did make the evolution of events quite predictable.

One of my first comments about the book was “Amazing how so often the actual meaning of 'to mollify' is to make a man less angry by silencing or disregarding a woman or child." The incident that prompted that response occurred and then the narrative passed on and I wondered If I had misinterpreted the intent. However this is indicative of the book’s approach
At one point the characters touch on the question of whether the suffragettes’ militant action is achieving progress and which approach is more effective – word or actions. Unsurprisingly the book’s main characters prefer words.

Threaded throughout the narrative is the issue of a woman’s voice and society’s reaction to it: whether her voice be raised in protest for women’s right to vote or used as a valid reference for words to be included in the dictionary. There are many remarks and complaints about women being excluded or their opinions being considered less serious, often voiced by Ditte the influential, intellectual and unmarried substitute aunty.

The narrative also touches on the fact that because women were under-educated and the poor often illiterate the words they employed in describing their lives, and therefore an important part of the Victorian human experience, were excluded from the dictionary while the idiotic word games of rich men were often included. (Several remarks led me to the conclusion that the author may not be a fan of Dickens)

But in an effort to avoid being militant the author seemed to shy away from directly confronting these issues which was frustrating and seemed to leave a story line incomplete at certain points. The only time Esme, the main protagonist, is forceful on the subject is when insisting her dictionary be shelved at the Bodleian Library

A solid 4.5 stars – I knocked half a star off because I would have preferred a little more passion about the issues and in the relationships. (I eventually decided to round down to 4 stars because the characters didn't 'stay with me' enough for 5 stars)

I received this book from Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review ...more

37 likes · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2022 Melanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

I love the idea of the book but didn't care for the execution. For a while it seemed to focus more on shock value with the selection of women's words than actually trying to capture the differing words that women use that men do not. I kept seeing where this book could have been so powerful, and was left wanting.

How did this book find me? It was a selection for Reece Witherspoon's Book Club in May of 2022. ...more

1 like · Like · see review