The Dictionary of Lost Words: The International Bestseller

I loved this book. Interesting and atmospheric, spanning decades. The story of Esme and her passion for words. I was intrigued by the premise, that words can be lost and the inclusion of words in the dictionary was primarily influenced by gender. A book that makes you think is a real treasure.

I love words! Any English Major will surely announce that! So “The Dictionary of Lost Words: by Pip Williams, had my name all over it! (HOW GREAT a great name is Pip for a writer about words?!!) In Oxford, England, Esme Nicoll’s widowed father works compiling a Dictionary that will become the OED* and Esme grows up in the Scriptorium, the building were the words are received, analyzed, published, and then stored. After leaving school, Esme works in the Scriptorium as an assistant and eventually, with her friend Lizzie who is a housemaid (“bondmaid”), she decides to collect words in the marketplace; words of the “unrefined classes” that don’t make it into “proper” society. As you would expect, many of these are slang words, coarse or salacious, and curse words. From there she begins to collect “women’s words” that are also not in the dictionary, or considered important. Will her collection ever be valued? Esme is a fictional character that Williams weaves into the true story of the OED, and whose eyes we are able to experience history in the making. Esme’s life is neither easy nor heartbreak-free. She becomes involved in the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and learns about the lives of many different kinds of women. *If you know what the OED is – then this book is for you! If you DON’T know what the OED is – this book is ALSO for You!

I would have given this book a zero if I could of. The book starts out slow and you hope it will pick up but the author apparently did not feel the need to include quality in her word choice. Why she felt she had to use filthy language and the female body to help the book move along is sad. This is NOT a historical fiction. I have read many historical fiction books as it is my love. Very disappointing book!

I picked this novel for our bookclub choice this month. We are four mums all with a love of literature and the English language in all its complexities. Just as I was to pick something else, this book was put on my path for some reason to be explored. We all loved it. So much so for me, that I ended up writing 17 pages of notes to take to book club for discussion. Sad, but poignant. Frustrating at how women have been dismissed in so many ways. Inspirational and encouraging. May women continue to rise in their confidence that they are worthy of equality. And words, oh how I will look more closely at words and make some up of my own. Thank you for the dedication it took to get this book completed for people like me to enjoy.

I loved this book. As a retired publisher, the focus on word choice, editing, typesetting, printing, & binding alone would have been enough. But this story about the painstaking efforts of both real & fictional editors and compilers was engrossing. The story encompassed a range of social and historic issues, from class and gender roles to the women's suffrage movement and WWI. Raised by her widowed father, Esme lives a sheltered childhood in Oxford, England, accompanying him to his work as a senior editor for the new Oxford English Dictionary. Words chosen for inclusion must be vetted, researched, and finally approved. The process is slow, and the story unfolds by years and sections of the alphabetical dictionary entries. As a child and later an assistant to the editorial team, Esme comes to realize that discarded words without literary attributions (or those deemed inappropriate by the men who make the final decisions) deserve recognition, and that most of them are commonly used by women. There are several love stories -- among dear friends, colleagues, family, and true love -- and heartaches, deftly written as Esme matures. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a rich historical novel based on the esteemed reference dictionary. Who knew there might be such an interesting backstory?!