A review by nguyethatrg
The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams
4.0
4.5 stars
Mesmerising and thought-provoking. The story blends nicely the historical events and the fictional and colourful world of Esme, our main character. The characters all became so endearingly familiar to me as we go on through every page, and the streets, the libraries, the Scriptorium. The passion of the people was felt so deeply, and I was once again reminded of the beauty and importance of the written words.
The making of the Dictionary was so interesting and inspiring. The defining of words - how are they defined, when they are used, and perceived differently, by so many? How do we weigh a word’s importance? As they are spoken through time, how are the changed and re-defined? Many questions that emerged and prompted me to muse over.
And I got to learn more about the history that loomed over the story - of the wars people fought, the figures that made history, the places that witnessed those things altogether. Pip Williams has done a brilliant job bringing life into these events.
The Dictionary of Lost Words is a book about book and words, love and death, trauma and healings, people and their purposes. A wonderful read!
Mesmerising and thought-provoking. The story blends nicely the historical events and the fictional and colourful world of Esme, our main character. The characters all became so endearingly familiar to me as we go on through every page, and the streets, the libraries, the Scriptorium. The passion of the people was felt so deeply, and I was once again reminded of the beauty and importance of the written words.
It was never a noisy place, but the Scriptorium had an ensemble of sounds that combined to create a comforting hum. I was used to the shuffling of papers, the scraping of pens and the sounds of frustration that identified each person like a fingerprint.
The making of the Dictionary was so interesting and inspiring. The defining of words - how are they defined, when they are used, and perceived differently, by so many? How do we weigh a word’s importance? As they are spoken through time, how are the changed and re-defined? Many questions that emerged and prompted me to muse over.
And I got to learn more about the history that loomed over the story - of the wars people fought, the figures that made history, the places that witnessed those things altogether. Pip Williams has done a brilliant job bringing life into these events.
The Dictionary of Lost Words is a book about book and words, love and death, trauma and healings, people and their purposes. A wonderful read!
Horror. It’s war-weary. It is the word we use when we have no words. Perhaps some things are not meant to be described - at least, not by the likes of me. A poet, perhaps, could arrange words in a way that creates the itch of fear or the heaviness of dread. They could make an enemy of mud and damp boots and raise your pulse just at the mention of them. A poet might be able to push this word or that to mean something more than what has been ordained by our Dictionary men.
I am not a poet, my love. The words I have are pale and slight against the hulking force of this experience. I can tell you it is wretched, that the mud is muddier, the damp damper, the sound of a flute played by a German solder more beautiful and more melancholy than any sound I have ever heard.