Another beautiful story from acclaimed author Pip Williams, set in the same world as The Dictionary of Lost Words, telling stories of powerful women in a time when gender, class and money were more important than intelligence.
Feature image credit: Affirm Press
Pip Williams is certainly able to tell a story! Born in London, raised in Sydney, and now living in the Adelaide Hills, Williams shot to wide acclaim with her first novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words. After three years, readers are now able to return to Oxford and learn more about the plight of women during the years leading up to and during World War I, a time when women were fighting for the right to vote. Here in Australia, women were already granted this right, but it took quite a few more years for those in other countries to also be given the chance to be represented (and some still aren’t).
The Bookbinder of Jericho is about two young women. Peggy and Maude are identical twins who work in the bindery at Oxford University Press. This is the place that printed the very first dictionary mentioned in the previous book. The girls in the bindery are responsible for folding and collating the pages of the books before they are sent to the “men’s side” for the proof reading and covers – jobs that are obviously too difficult for mere women.
Peggy is very intelligent and Maude is extraordinary but childlike and vulnerable. Peggy has looked after Maude since their mother passed a few years ago. They live on a canal boat which is full of books that are deemed not good enough to be sold and so have been lovingly smuggled out of the bindery, by Peggy and previously her mother, to be given a place on their boat. Eventually, war comes to England when refugees arrive from Belgium after their country is bombed, and then the Spanish Flu comes into an already decimated population. We are unfortunately still dealing with similar issues today.
Williams’ research before she writes her books is impeccable. As names and situations come up, it is possible to google their role in history which truthfully mirrors their stories in The Bookbinder of Jericho. Because the names of artists, suffragists, and soldiers are often real people, it makes their stories all the more tragic.
World War I took the men away and women had to step into positions they were not trained for. As readers, we are taken on a journey through the war years as life becomes more difficult. We are privy to Peggy’s blossoming romance, her desire to go to University when only those with class and money have gone before. We watch her sister grow and receive love from those who take time to listen, and we cry with them when the injustices of war and disease strike.
There is no need to have read The Dictionary of Lost Words before reading this new book, but it is a delight to come across the occasional name of a person we remember from the first novel.
As readers, we are able to get a sense of what it might have been like to be forgotten in history books, and not have the ability to learn when access is withheld. Unfortunately, many women around the world are still suffering in our male-dominated society and The Bookbinder of Jericho helps us to not forget the struggles that are still happening.
This is the story of the women who fought for womankind to have the right to vote, study, and be recognised as worthwhile citizens who can think for themselves. Also, it’s the story of those unsung heroes who spent time on the frontline nursing soldiers and watching them die, with no acknowledgement of their service. And those women who had to stay strong and keep the country going all while mourning the loss of their loved ones.
Beautifully written, this is a book to treasure and share with friends. There are even some book club questions on the final page to help get you started.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Affirm Press
Released: March 2023
RRP: $32.99
More News
