Historical

The Dictionary of Lost Words

The Dictionary of Lost Words

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-10 09:51:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Pip Williams
  • ISBN：1529113229
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Sometimes you have to start with what's lost to truly find yourself。。。

Motherless and irrepressibly curious， Esme spends her childhood at her father's feet as he and his team gather words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary。

One day， she sees a slip of paper containing a forgotten word flutter to the floor unclaimed。

And so Esme begins to collect words for another dictionary in secret: The Dictionary of Lost Words。 But to do so she must journey into a world on the cusp of change as the Great War looms and women fight for the vote。 Can the power of lost words from the past finally help her make sense of her future？

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Reviews

Jennifer ，

Loved listening to this book because the narrator's voice was really soothing。 The story itself also intrigued me， and while a lot of this book is of course fiction， it felt like it was real。 Esmay was a flawed character and I loved her even more for it。 Her desire for words and want to preserve her knowledge kept me reading。 I actually wanted there to be even more of the book after I finished。 I'm actually going to do some non-fiction reading on the OED now that I've finished this because I'm i Loved listening to this book because the narrator's voice was really soothing。 The story itself also intrigued me， and while a lot of this book is of course fiction， it felt like it was real。 Esmay was a flawed character and I loved her even more for it。 Her desire for words and want to preserve her knowledge kept me reading。 I actually wanted there to be even more of the book after I finished。 I'm actually going to do some non-fiction reading on the OED now that I've finished this because I'm interested to learn more。 。。。more

Karen ，

Quite charming。 The idea of how a dictionary is made is worth exploring and then the characters with their whims and fancies。 The book took a turn into women’s issues half way through in a very personal and realistic way。

Marisa ，

I really enjoyed this book。 The flow of words and the beauty of language really struck a chord with me。 The characters are fascinating as the issues of the time were woven together。 The lack of inclusion of women in the work of the collection of words for the Oxford English Dictionary is something I had never really considered before。 While there were often words that I’m not accustomed to hearing repeated so often in the books I read or listen to， I can understand why the author included them。 I really enjoyed this book。 The flow of words and the beauty of language really struck a chord with me。 The characters are fascinating as the issues of the time were woven together。 The lack of inclusion of women in the work of the collection of words for the Oxford English Dictionary is something I had never really considered before。 While there were often words that I’m not accustomed to hearing repeated so often in the books I read or listen to， I can understand why the author included them。 Vulgarity is ascribed as much by the hearer as by the intention of the author。 It’s an interesting example of the nature of our words and their meaning as well as our comfort with their use in common conversation。 My discomfort was not a reason to stop listening to the story and was an opportunity for me to reflect on my own biases。 。。。more

Kay ，

A very original book that looks at how women were depicted and/or omitted from the Oxford English Dictionary。 This book will appeal to fans of women's rights and word lovers。 A very original book that looks at how women were depicted and/or omitted from the Oxford English Dictionary。 This book will appeal to fans of women's rights and word lovers。 。。。more

Lara ，

So wonderful， like where the crawdads sing， I didn’t care where the story was going， just that I was along for the ride。 Some interesting and thought provoking themes。 I laughed and cried。 It is amongst the beautiful books that I collect that my mum would have loved ❤️。 Enjoy。

Ashley ，

3。5 stars

Bev ，

Historical part very interesting; learned a lot about the dictionary。 Too bad the women who worked on it didn't get the credit due them。 Really sad how women were treated; took way to long to get voting rights & get the credit for their part in the wars。 Slow read at times but worth reading。 Lots of good characters， real & fictional。 Loved Da， Lizzie， Gareth， Dr。 Murray & Mr。 Sweatman。 Historical part very interesting; learned a lot about the dictionary。 Too bad the women who worked on it didn't get the credit due them。 Really sad how women were treated; took way to long to get voting rights & get the credit for their part in the wars。 Slow read at times but worth reading。 Lots of good characters， real & fictional。 Loved Da， Lizzie， Gareth， Dr。 Murray & Mr。 Sweatman。 。。。more

shani ❀ ，

this was a really great concept & i love thinking about the way language shapes what we are able to think ！ but the execution lacked for me - i didn’t really care about esme who imo needed more conviction and better development （& she was surrounded by other women who seemed far more interesting ！ i wish we knew more about them）。 i also struggled a bit with the pacing， hearing esmes story from when she was a child seemed unnecessary and i felt like all of her character defining moments were skip this was a really great concept & i love thinking about the way language shapes what we are able to think ！ but the execution lacked for me - i didn’t really care about esme who imo needed more conviction and better development （& she was surrounded by other women who seemed far more interesting ！ i wish we knew more about them）。 i also struggled a bit with the pacing， hearing esmes story from when she was a child seemed unnecessary and i felt like all of her character defining moments were skipped over ~ 5/10 。。。more

Trish Quirk ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is the historical fiction that I really enjoy。 It was firmly rooted in its period， no modern sensibilities overlaid in a fictional past; its subject matter was something you knew a little about but not enough and were surprised by how interesting it was; the characters were whole， not just caricatures but with thoughts and values and room for growth during the story。 This story wove in a number of angles through the main story of the dictionary which gave it extra depth。 The story of the cr This is the historical fiction that I really enjoy。 It was firmly rooted in its period， no modern sensibilities overlaid in a fictional past; its subject matter was something you knew a little about but not enough and were surprised by how interesting it was; the characters were whole， not just caricatures but with thoughts and values and room for growth during the story。 This story wove in a number of angles through the main story of the dictionary which gave it extra depth。 The story of the creation of the Oxford Dictionary was interesting enough， but to layer the feminist and class equality story over the top of this plot was a master stroke。 The story built up from a slow burn， setting the scene with the young girl finding the discarded words on the floor， an allegory for women and girls， especially the illiterate， poor girls being discarded and unrecognized by society。 Somehow Esse knew the discarded word still had value and secreted it away in a suitcase。 How clever to foreground the character of Lizzie， the discarded orphan， doing all the hard， thankless jobs around the house for no recognition to personify the discarded words， and to contrast Lizzie with the other women in the story。 Lizzie was such an interesting character because her thankless position in society meant she didn't even dream of a better life。 It was interesting that no one throughout the book， not even Essie， suggested teaching her to read and write。 The suffragette's message was of no interest to her as she could not conceive that freedom to have an influence in society was even an option for her。 My favourite part of the book was Lizzie finding her friend when she went to stay in the country for that short period with Essie。 The description of Lizzie taking pride in running the household was really well written。 But the author gave us such a great range of women， from bondmaiden Lizzie， to the activist actress， the spinster intellectual sisters in Bath and the wonderful market lady who provided Esse with all the unspeakable words。 I would have loved to hear more from Dr Murray's daughters but maybe that's another book。 It wasn't a book about the suffrage movement， nor a book about the war but these world events gave wonderful context to the creation of the real Oxford Dictionary and set up a believable pretext for the creation of the imagined Dictionary of Lost Words。 A very appropriate book for us to be reading on the day after International Women's Day。 And if you think women are still not being discarded then watch the show called The Exhibitionists on ABC IView on trying to find women artists in the National Gallery。 。。。more

Maggie ，

Lovely， but a little limited。 The premise was promising， but it felt slightly overplayed and unoriginal。 A thoroughly “historical fiction” style book。

Meredith Kay ，

Oh how this book slowly gripped my heart。 If the story here is normally about the men who built the Oxford English Dictionary， this one is about the women and women’s words and experiences around what vocabulary （and definitions） were considered true and valid enough to be put into print and which were not。 Esme is tied to truthfully learning and writing down vernacular that was often overlooked in trying times。 This book is gorgeous and somehow ethereal in following a woman both lost and found Oh how this book slowly gripped my heart。 If the story here is normally about the men who built the Oxford English Dictionary， this one is about the women and women’s words and experiences around what vocabulary （and definitions） were considered true and valid enough to be put into print and which were not。 Esme is tied to truthfully learning and writing down vernacular that was often overlooked in trying times。 This book is gorgeous and somehow ethereal in following a woman both lost and found inside what words people choose to speak to have themselves known。 I really enjoyed getting lost more and more as I read on。 。。。more

Jessica Robertson ，

I don’t think I have ever read a book so beautifully written。 From start to finish。 Amazing read， highly recommended。

Elsa Fast ，

It was so hard for me to finish this book。 Something about it didn’t grab me。 The story ebbs and flows but I felt it never quite got going。 It seemed that some major events were glazed over， proving they weren’t the “point” of the story but making it harder for the reader to enjoy。 That is why I gave it just 3 stars。 I did love the theme of words throughout the whole novel。 Esme experienced her whole world through the lens of words。 Her grief， her love， and her very understanding of how the worl It was so hard for me to finish this book。 Something about it didn’t grab me。 The story ebbs and flows but I felt it never quite got going。 It seemed that some major events were glazed over， proving they weren’t the “point” of the story but making it harder for the reader to enjoy。 That is why I gave it just 3 stars。 I did love the theme of words throughout the whole novel。 Esme experienced her whole world through the lens of words。 Her grief， her love， and her very understanding of how the world works was filtered through definitions。 It was a fascinating way to write a story。 I also enjoyed the historical aspect。 Esme was a involved in woman’s suffrage and was deeply affected by World War II。 These historical backgrounds were interesting but the author failed to finish up some of these threads of the story。 The role of a fellow suffragette was seemingly dropped， and the fate of specific， beloved soldiers was not clarified。 The ending was a bit disappointing as well。 It seemed not part of the story really had a happy ending， but the legacy of one person’s life， no matter how tragic it was at the end， was celebrated。 。。。more

Helen Cummings ，

I really enjoyed this well researched and compelling story centred around the work on the initial publication of the Oxford Dictionary embracing as well the years of World War 1 and the suffragette movement。 The first third of the book is a little slow but the story picks up pace and then I became really engrossed with Esme’s life and the story of the lost， overlooked women’s words。 It seemed fitting that I finished this book on International Women’s Day and that New Zealand was the first countr I really enjoyed this well researched and compelling story centred around the work on the initial publication of the Oxford Dictionary embracing as well the years of World War 1 and the suffragette movement。 The first third of the book is a little slow but the story picks up pace and then I became really engrossed with Esme’s life and the story of the lost， overlooked women’s words。 It seemed fitting that I finished this book on International Women’s Day and that New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote！ 。。。more

Kayla Castle ，

3。5 rounded up

Tanya Williams ，

Ever wonder how the Oxford English Dictionary was created？ As a writer， I reference some version of a dictionary on a daily basis so the history of its creation along with the lure of “lost words” was more than enough to bring this novel to my attention。 A coming-of-age story rich with historical details， with an introspective view into what makes a word important。 Pip Williams has created an enlightening novel that speaks to the heart of women through history。 Be sure to read the author’s notes Ever wonder how the Oxford English Dictionary was created？ As a writer， I reference some version of a dictionary on a daily basis so the history of its creation along with the lure of “lost words” was more than enough to bring this novel to my attention。 A coming-of-age story rich with historical details， with an introspective view into what makes a word important。 Pip Williams has created an enlightening novel that speaks to the heart of women through history。 Be sure to read the author’s notes。 For more behind the scenes about the creation of The Dictionary of Lost Words， check out my Book Banter interview with Pip Williams。 https://youtu。be/pftv9ehTmtU 。。。more

Vicki ，

I would actually give it a 4。5。 I really enjoyed the stories， the main character and learning something new！

Sus ，

Lovely story， with a very different main topic。 Excellent audiobook narration。

Ann ，

This is a fascinating book about the creation of the first dictionary。 I know that words are still debated before being entered in the modern dictionary。 But the first dictionary was created in a garden shed when almost everything was done by hand was created by bunch of Victorian men。 This book explores women's roles in creating the first dictionary， a difficult topic to cover since women's contributions were rarely recognizedA wonderful story， based on fact， is told of how the first edition of This is a fascinating book about the creation of the first dictionary。 I know that words are still debated before being entered in the modern dictionary。 But the first dictionary was created in a garden shed when almost everything was done by hand was created by bunch of Victorian men。 This book explores women's roles in creating the first dictionary， a difficult topic to cover since women's contributions were rarely recognizedA wonderful story， based on fact， is told of how the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was compiled。 It seems crazy to us today， but a team of learned scholars sat in a garden shed gathering and annotating words and their meanings。 As they worked on each letter of the alphabet the words were stored on slips of paper in wooden pigeon holes。 Each word was taken out and the meaning of it disputed endlessly until there was agreement on its definition（s）。 No wonder it took fifty years to get to Z。Through the main character， Esme， we follow the day to day work of the lexicographers， spend some time with the Women's Suffrage Movement， and even experience the horrors of the first World War。 Esme is a fictional character but I am sure she epitomizes many women who lived through that time。This book gave us a bird's eye view of the restrictions of women's life as it followed the lives of two women， one privileged and one in service。 It gave me a lot to think about which is what I look for in books。 。。。more

Angie Braaten ，

Lovely historical fiction。 Learned so much！

Kelly ，

3。5 ⭐️

Lori ，

I had a hard time getting through this one， even though I was really excited to read it。 It started off strong with Esme being a naturally curious child that was raised in a unique environment。 Her collection of words started naturally enough， and the word that she started with was really intriguing。 But， it sort of went downhill from there， at least for me。 Esme was way too passive。 I found my mind regularly wandering from the pages because it seemed like nothing was really happening。 If Esme h I had a hard time getting through this one， even though I was really excited to read it。 It started off strong with Esme being a naturally curious child that was raised in a unique environment。 Her collection of words started naturally enough， and the word that she started with was really intriguing。 But， it sort of went downhill from there， at least for me。 Esme was way too passive。 I found my mind regularly wandering from the pages because it seemed like nothing was really happening。 If Esme has taken more of an active role in her life， instead of just going along with whatever happened， it might have been more interesting， but I was mostly disappointed。 （Lots of language。 But it's to be expected， considering the premise。） 。。。more

Bethany Neuhart ，

The Dictionary of Lost Words is historical fiction that tells the tale of Esme， a girl whose life is wrapped up in the Oxford English Dictionary。 Her father is a lexicographer， and from an early age， Esme is at his feet in the Scriptorium， a metal shed where Esme's father and fellow lexicographers are writing the dictionary。 As Esme grows older， she takes on her own project， collecting the words of women。 This project would eventually become The Dictionary of Lost Words。 The novel sheds light on The Dictionary of Lost Words is historical fiction that tells the tale of Esme， a girl whose life is wrapped up in the Oxford English Dictionary。 Her father is a lexicographer， and from an early age， Esme is at his feet in the Scriptorium， a metal shed where Esme's father and fellow lexicographers are writing the dictionary。 As Esme grows older， she takes on her own project， collecting the words of women。 This project would eventually become The Dictionary of Lost Words。 The novel sheds light on the work done on the dictionary by women， work that was never fully recognized during their lifetimes。 Overall， it was engaging read。 I found it to be a bit too depressing for Esme， but overall， it kept me turning the pages。 。。。more

Saffron Garey ，

Right up my street， being a perfect combination of characters， subjects， and time period。A very slight plot to carry along what the author wants us to know but none the worse for that。

Haydn ，

An interesting piece to read， especially while taking a class on English as a world language。

Diane ，

I really wanted to like the book， and at times I did。 I often found myself annoyed， though， with things like the repetitive use of "funny fingers。"。 Overall I'm glad I stuck with it and enjoyed learning about how a dictionary was compiked。 I really wanted to like the book， and at times I did。 I often found myself annoyed， though， with things like the repetitive use of "funny fingers。"。 Overall I'm glad I stuck with it and enjoyed learning about how a dictionary was compiked。 。。。more

MasterofMyStory ，

Expectation vs。 Reality: My expectations were quite low coming into this book。 Historical fiction isn’t my first choice of genre， and I didn’t expect to have any ‘feelings’ about it， one way or another。 But I couldn’t be more surprised！ This book is exceptional！On the characters: The characters are marvelously written with complexities and nuances that transform them from just characters into people。 We see such growth and development with the protagonist and every emotion， explored in detail or Expectation vs。 Reality: My expectations were quite low coming into this book。 Historical fiction isn’t my first choice of genre， and I didn’t expect to have any ‘feelings’ about it， one way or another。 But I couldn’t be more surprised！ This book is exceptional！On the characters: The characters are marvelously written with complexities and nuances that transform them from just characters into people。 We see such growth and development with the protagonist and every emotion， explored in detail or not， is portrayed in depth and color。 These people ‘feel’ and it makes me feel along with them。 On the writing: The writing is brilliantly executed。 The story is written with the character， plot and setting in mind。 The words don’t just from sentences and scenes， but thoughts and events。 Williams pulls off the balance between historical accuracy and authorial flair。 On the plot: The deep-delve into history， and the events surrounding the protagonist’s life is mesmerizing， intriguing， and I daresay， thought-provoking。On the world building: It is immersive and intriguing。 I cannot speak to historical accuracy; however， I can say that every blade of grass， every dust mote， every scrap of paper feels real and concrete as I read of it。Final thoughts: For me， someone who appreciates the written word， The Dictionary of Lost Words is enlightening， delightful， brilliantly written， and immensely powerful。 I would HIGHLY recommend this book！ 。。。more

Kelly ，

I found that some parts were a little slow， but overall a good book。 I liked Esme and Lizzie and I like that their stories have depth and layers。

allyoureadislove ，

Inspired by International Women's Day， I decided to finish off my 10th book for 2022: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams。 “Words define us， they explain us， and， on occasion， they serve to control or isolate us。 But what happens when words that are spoken are not recorded？”This book is a real slow burn and a majestic love letter to the English language。 The narrative follows the experience of young Esme， who grows up watching the fastidious， laborious work of her father as he edits the Inspired by International Women's Day， I decided to finish off my 10th book for 2022: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams。 “Words define us， they explain us， and， on occasion， they serve to control or isolate us。 But what happens when words that are spoken are not recorded？”This book is a real slow burn and a majestic love letter to the English language。 The narrative follows the experience of young Esme， who grows up watching the fastidious， laborious work of her father as he edits the Oxford English Dictionary。 Set between 1887 and 1928， it traces the difficulties faced by the developing dictionary alongside other world-changing events of the early 20th century such as the struggle for women’s suffrage and the devastation of WWI。 Esme’s curiosity for the words which surround her leads her to collect ‘lost’ words - words deemed unimportant， irrelevant， or impolite by the largely male team of scholars charged with collating and safeguarding our language in the dictionary。 And so， in secret， Esme starts work on a new dictionary， surreptitiously and scandalously squirreling away words from women of all social classes。 In doing so， she shows the reader the importance of language as a way of mediating our understanding of ourselves and the world around us。 。。。more

Becky ，

I saw what the author was going for with this book， but overall it fell a little flat for me。 Still an interesting idea and some good things to think about in here。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dictionary of Lost Words

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dictionary of Lost Words&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dictionary of Lost Words&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0