The Dictionary of Lost Words

Title: The Dictionary of Lost Words

Author: Pip Williams

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Date of publication: 2022

Number of pages: 416

Genre: Historical fiction

Audience age range: Adult

A quick personal review:

I was very excited to read this book once I heard what it was about!  The Oxford English Dictionary has fascinated me since I first used it in graduate school, so when I heard there was a book about the daughter of one of the editors who secretly took words that had been discarded and then created part of the dictionary herself, I was thrilled!

I wish the book had lived up to my desire.  

Was it about how the book was created?  Yes, it was.  That part was very interesting.  I had no idea the way words had been collected, how many examples were researched, and the vast amount of time it took to verify meanings, collect learned quotes, and go through drafts before publishing.  I knew it took a long time, but I had no idea that each lettered volume took years to make.  I can’t imagine devoting a large portion of my life to identifying and researching words to include in a dictionary.

The main character Esme is well developed.  This is her story, after all.  She seems so sheltered, which is why it is so interesting to see her develop through her relationship with the flamboyant suffragette actress Tilda, the homely supportive housemaid Lizzie, and the love of Gareth who believes in her desire to create a dictionary that includes words of the ordinary people like marketwoman Mabel instead of only the educated language of the great writers.

My one complaint about the book is the meandering storyline.  There was not much in the beginning to make me want to keep reading.  It took quite awhile to get to the conflicts that drove the storyline.

Unique qualities:

I have never read a fictional book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary!  The amount of research that Pip Williams must have conducted to get all of the details exactly impresses me.  I felt like I was in that room with all of the cubbies where new words were placed.

Red flags:

Since this novel is for adults, I see none of the sexual content to be a concern.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this book to those who are interested in the development of language, the history of suffragettes, and book publishing.