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zombiezami's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Child death, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Slavery, Abortion, and Colonisation
mckiheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, and Abortion
hannahmh13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Rape and Sexism
bella_mckinnon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Moderate: Sexism and War
Minor: Rape and Torture
Basis of book is linguistic inequality, specifically how women's words are often discarded as being less important than men's words – sexism is a key implied theme. Part 5 onwards deals occasionally with WWI, with one character sending letters detailing his experience as a soldier overseas. Brief description of a torture method that is "a kind of rape" on p. 269.teamoxfordcomma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Calling all word/language lovers – this spellbinding historical fiction debut has gorgeous writing, dynamic characters, and a memorable storyline. Based on the true events of creating the Oxford English Dictionary, this is an empowering novel that will forever make you ponder our words and how they came to be.
I was moved by this story in profound ways. It made me smile, cry, hope, dream, and mourn. Really, I can't say enough good things about the writing, the characters, or the richly researched details. Esme's passion for words is something many of us can relate to, but given her historical context, it's even more remarkable. I was entranced while reading, and I now want to flip to the beginning and read again, this time with a highlighter and pen in hand to mark my favorite quotations. Moments of deep academic thought were paired so nicely with snippets of tenderness. Gareth and Da were my two favorite supporting characters, though I do love Ditte and Lizzie as well... Carefully and masterfully developed scenes, characters, and timelines make this book one hell of a read.
How we define language defines us, and this novel is a glittering example of how important that task really is. I cannot reccomend it enough. (Selected as my May '21 staff pick.)
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror and Pregnancy
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Rape
TWs were handled with care and tact – listed here moreso as courtesy than concern of their negligence.