Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

16 reviews

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

“You are not the arbiter of knowledge, sir. You are its librarian… It is not for you to judge the importance of these words, simply to allow others to do so.”

I had never really given much thought to how the dictionary was written and the proof that was needed for a word to be included. This book is fictional but tells the real process of writing the Oxford English Dictionary, the amount of people involved and how many years it took to complete. The main character of Esme was fictional but she grows up with her father working on the words of the dictionary and sees how certain words are left out. Words that are used by people who are not well educated white men. So she starts to collect other words, those of the poor, uneducated and disenfranchised.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body horror, Racism, Slavery, and Abortion

vbsauce's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

jessamo19's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy and Classism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

theothergrl's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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? No

4.5

This is a wonderful story about womanhood. The main character feels incredibly real, not that she is a meticulously and deeply explored personality, but that she is a deeply explored woman. I think that's what made this story so heartbreaking and tearjerking, the way you find yourself in the story, how you feel deeply for every character as if they are your own dad or your own best friend. Esme leaves room for all of us within her, to experience what she does, to love and lose as she does. 

The other thing I love about this book is the way it's told through the words Esme collects. Just as she's starting to explore adulthood and rebel a little, she learns vulgar words, which I loved! As we explores life -sex, love, loss, independence -we do so through the words we learn along the way, that define and make sense of our experiences. The way the story unfolds as her dictionary grows is very poignant and effective, I cried so many times reading this! This book was such a wonderful experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Abortion, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

prettylightsandcitynights's review against another edition

Was reading for a book club which fell apart. Not my kind of book so I stopped reading. Was well-written, I just didn't get sucked in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Sexism and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Death of parent

The book is set around the turn of the 20th century so there is obviously sexism and misogyny.

There is an unplanned pregnancy of a single woman. She gives the baby up for adoption and suffers post-partum depression.

thumbeleia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Infertility, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol

friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this so much. This book follows the life of Esme Nicoll, and her connection yo words, people and especially women and their experiences. This book is incredibly detailed, canning and engrossing. I loved every minute of it. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in words and their direct and hidden meanings, and would like to feel what it's like to live in victorian times as an ordinary woman. Amazing book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Mental illness, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Infertility, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

tremayna's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

• 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism

Minor: Child abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion

mleckie's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion

phantomgecko's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

4.5

Evocative and I appreciate the significant amount of research that went into it. Not a happy book, though.

I feel like most the thoughts I have on it are surface level, so there's not much else for me to put here. I liked it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Abortion