The Dictionary of Lost Words: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

Name: The Dictionary of Lost Words: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Rating: 4.6875 (16 reviews)

Pip Williams

Apr 2021 · Random House

16 reviews

Ebook

432

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

'An enchanting story about love, loss and the power of language' Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory

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?

'A brilliant book about women and words - tender, moving and profound' Jacqueline Wilson

Readers LOVE The Dictionary of Lost Words:

'If you only read one book this year, let it be this one!'
'If you're a fan of The Binding and The Betrayals you will surely love this'
'A glorious combination of words, growing up, friendship, love, feminism and so much more'
'The best love letter to words and language'
'This book broke my heart ... I highly recommend it to any historical fiction fans ... it's one I will be reading again'

Dictionary of Lost Words, Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick, May 2022

'An enchanting story about love, loss and the power of language' Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory 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 word...

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Ratings and reviews

16 reviews

Nearly Becky

July 21, 2023

The title intrigued me and the blurb drew me in. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and its twists and turns of fate. I felt a real love for Es and dear Lizzy as their lives unfolded. There was no sex, murder or mystery, just a beautifully told story of words that I couldn't put down. Bravo

Leonie Louw

February 6, 2024

If anyone asks me to gift them my favourite book, this would be it.

Annette van den Berg

April 23, 2024

Delightful read about a topic I did not know much about.

About the author

Pip Williams was born in London, grew up in Sydney and now calls the Adelaide Hills home. She is the author of the international number one bestseller, The Dictionary of Lost Words, described by The Times as 'an extraordinary, charming novel'. It was also a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and has been translated into over thirty languages to worldwide acclaim. Pip's second novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, sprang from her discovery of archival footage of women who worked in the bindery of Oxford University Press during the early twentieth century. When she tried to find out more about them, there was almost nothing. Despite their important role in the production of books, barely a word has been written about them until now.

Pip Williams was born in London, grew up in Sydney and now calls the Adelaide Hills home. She is the author of the international number one bestseller, The Dictionary of Lost Words, described by The Times as 'an extraordinary, charming novel'. It was also a New York Times bestseller, a Reese With...

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