The Bookbinder of Jericho is a delightful novel, a companion to The Dictionary of Lost Words. The protagonist is Peggy, a young woman who has been working as an Oxford University Press bookbinder since she was 12 years old. Peggy is a fabulous character. Her love of books and reading, her thirst for learning, is so relatable and when she makes a concerted effort to achieve her dream and gain admission to Somerville College, Oxford I was rooting so hard for her to overcome the formidable odds and succeed.

Apart from Peggy and her educational ambitions there were so many other things to love about this novel.

Williams uses many different details to highlight the class system - the divide between “town” and “gown” in Oxford, the belief that family wealth signified worth and ability- which was one of the obstacles Peggy had to overcome.

The relationship between Peggy and her twin sister Maude was depicted beautifully and with a lot of nuance. Maude had autism and echolalia. Peggy felt very protective of Maude and responsible for her, especially after the death of their mother. Yet it became clear that Maude, despite needing some help, was more capable than Peggy realised, and that her overprotectiveness was holding them both back. I thought the way the author developed Maude’s echolalia, increasingly showing she used it to deliberately communicate, rather than simple mindless repetition, was very effective.

This story is set during World War I. Not only did it highlight the horrors of war, but also showed the changes it caused at home, particularly in terms of opening up opportunities across gender and class lines. Belgian and other war refugees arrived in Oxford, something I didn’t know before reading this book, and I found those storylines particularly interesting. Sadly the refugees weren’t always welcomed any more warmly than in the present day.

The love story between Peggy and Bastiaan was beautiful but I loved that Peggy didn’t sacrifice her ambitions for love.

There was a wonderful cast of richly drawn, memorable supporting characters. Tilda’s transformation from glamorous carefree actress to traumatised nurse was particularly effective.

I had a soft spot for Gwen with her larger than life, flamboyant personality, despite her upper class cluelessness and tact. And I loved the way Mrs Stoddard quietly encouraged Peggy.

The scenes of the women at work in the book bindery really came to life on the page. It was clear the author had conducted a lot of research but this knowledge was well incorporated into the story, rather than feeling like a non-fiction information dump.

So a satisfying story told well, one with great characters, a plot that was richly layered and well-researched with special appeal to book lovers. What more could I ask for? Well, as a bonus, Peggy and Maude lived on a canal boat, which happens to be a niche interest of mine.

Content Warnings

tinyoceankingdoms's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The (absolutely uninspired) plot of this book could have occurred without making the main character’s twin an autistic NPC. Very flat & one dimensional portrayal of autism to be point of condescension.
Seems like this was excess material from archival research of The Dictionary of Lost Words, which was a delightful book. This does not do what TDOLW does by any stretch.
Reminds me of YA historical fiction I read as a child.
If you are autistic, a researcher, or interested in women academia at the turn of the century (or all three) you can safely give this one a miss. Total miss.

Content Warnings

thumbeleia's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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