The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams 
The Dictionary of Lost Words is the story of Esme as she grows from a child spending time underneath the sorting table to a Woman and part of the team putting together the first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme’s Father works as part of the Scriptorium team on the Dictionary. It is just Esme and her Father, her Mother is deceased. Lizzie is a servant in the household of Doctor Murray, the Dictionaries overseer. Her duties including looking after Esme when she is at the Scripy. They formed a lasting friendship which grows as Esme does, but their lives are very different.
Collecting Lost Words
One day a slip containing the word bondmaid falls under the sorting table. Esme takes the word and hides it away in a trunk in Lizzie’s room. It comes to Doctor Murray’s attention that this is a word that has been left out of the first part of the dictionary and he is not happy. Esme begins to collect other words. Some of the words she notices that aren’t part of the dictionary, are those used by women, especially of the poorer class. She records them. They take their place in the trunk in Lizzie’s room.
Words alongside History
This is a book about the making of the Dictionary that took over 70 years but also of The Suffragette movement in England and World War I. It is a story about the roles of men and women in society and how that changes during this time. I read this book as a Buddy Read with some fellow Bookstagrammers. Some were a little disappointed in the lack of events in the book. I think the pace of the story reflected the slow and steady, somewhat tedious undertaking of the Dictionary itself. The Dictionary was a constant in Esme’s life while all around her, life was full of changes.
Characters
One of the highlights of the book were the characters. Lizzie was my favorite. She was so very different from Esme, but they developed a lasting bond that was lovely. Other than the Dictionary, Lizzie was the one person in her life that was always there for her. It did seem that Esme was naive in the beginning to the life that Lizzie lead and how far apart they were but in the end, I think that Lizzie was a true friend and not at all a servant.
Ditte, Esme’s Aunt who also helped with the Dictionary was another interesting character. She and her sister, Beth, contributed immensely to the work of the dictionary. But at the celebration of the publication of the finished dictionary at the Goldsmith’s Hall in London, the women contributors had to sit in a gallery and were not permitted entrance to the dinner. The letters between Ditte and Esme were also one of my favorite parts of the book.
World War One begins during the course of the story. Once again we only see it from afar, from Esme’s point of view. Again I feel that the Dictionary gave Esme the solid every day feeling to counteract the upheaval the War caused. The world was in disarray but the Dictionary continued on.
Love
Parts of the story are sad as Esme deals with loss and grief, but overall I felt that this was a beautiful story. Love filled the pages. From the love that Esme had for words, to the love for her Father, Lizzie and others. The last part of the book was very emotional and tore at my heartstrings. This was a slow moving, but very atmospheric book. It was not one that compelled you to just continue to read on and on but stop and take the time to reflect on the lives of the characters and the words that Esme found.
Discovering Words
One word I discovered the origin for was Cushy. It comes from the Hindi word ‘khush‘ meaning ‘pleasure’. “Don’t get used to your cushy quarters, Lieutenant; you’ll soon be in the trenches and up to your arse in mud.” p. 364
If you like Historical Fiction and stories that travel alongside major events of history, you may enjoy this one. It is not full of action, but plods along putting the pieces together, illustrating life at the time. It is a story about words, life and love. Maybe you will find a new favorite word here to cherish. I do wonder what Esme would think of some of the contemporary words in use today. She would be busy with her slips that is for sure.
https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/the-dictionary-of-lost-words/
