Member Review
Review by
Tracey B, Reviewer
Set in Oxford in the days of World War I, The Bookbinder by Pip Williams is one of those historical fictions that transports you in every way. I was immersed in the setting, the time period, and the characters. And I loved every word of it.
Peggy and Maude are twins, both beautiful but infinitely different. Peggy is brilliant despite a lack of education. She longs for more out of life than her job at Oxford University Press—she wants to read the books instead of binding them and even imagines a life at Somerville College. But her sister, Maude, is neuro-divergent and exhibits echolalia, and Peggy feels responsible for her. Peggy and Maude’s mother, who also worked at the bindery, has been dead three years when we meet the young women. Their father had never been a part of their lives.
The two twenty-year-olds live on a boat in the canal bordering the neighborhood of Jericho. This small houseboat is lined with books both their mother and Peggy have collected—some whole books, but some just scraps, pages, and sections, all of which are treasured. They have a wonderful support group of neighbors and friends, and every character is richly fleshed out, bringing unique viewpoints. For instance, their mother’s best friend, Tilda, is an actress and suffragette who stays in touch with the twins via letters and occasional visits. She ends up volunteering during the war and gives both inspiration and unflinching insight.
Refugees who flood the city when the war ravages Belgium play a critical role in the young women’s lives, too. Especially a recovering Belgian soldier. As Peggy, who was inspired to volunteer by Tilda, comes to know this man whose face has been grossly disfigured in combat, she learns about love and sacrifice.
Themes of sacrifice—for those you know and love and for those you don’t—play alongside themes of love, friendship, class disparity, sexism, education, and familial responsibility. I was fascinated by the research the author obviously had done on bookbinding and loved coming away with so much new knowledge about it. She writes about the suffragette movement, life at an Oxford college, and the psychological effects of a horrible war with authenticity and insight, too.
Though the backdrop of war is bleak, the book is hopeful. It brims with the promise of education, the reward of overcoming fears, the value of forgiving yourself and others, and the incomparable gift of perseverance.
I’ve had the author’s debut novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words, on my TBR list since it came out, but now it’s jumped to the top of that list. Williams’ luscious descriptions, her ability to paint subtle emotions, and her skill in developing relatable, flawed, unique characters guarantee it will be another favorite. I won’t forget The Bookbinder for a long time.
Peggy and Maude are twins, both beautiful but infinitely different. Peggy is brilliant despite a lack of education. She longs for more out of life than her job at Oxford University Press—she wants to read the books instead of binding them and even imagines a life at Somerville College. But her sister, Maude, is neuro-divergent and exhibits echolalia, and Peggy feels responsible for her. Peggy and Maude’s mother, who also worked at the bindery, has been dead three years when we meet the young women. Their father had never been a part of their lives.
The two twenty-year-olds live on a boat in the canal bordering the neighborhood of Jericho. This small houseboat is lined with books both their mother and Peggy have collected—some whole books, but some just scraps, pages, and sections, all of which are treasured. They have a wonderful support group of neighbors and friends, and every character is richly fleshed out, bringing unique viewpoints. For instance, their mother’s best friend, Tilda, is an actress and suffragette who stays in touch with the twins via letters and occasional visits. She ends up volunteering during the war and gives both inspiration and unflinching insight.
Refugees who flood the city when the war ravages Belgium play a critical role in the young women’s lives, too. Especially a recovering Belgian soldier. As Peggy, who was inspired to volunteer by Tilda, comes to know this man whose face has been grossly disfigured in combat, she learns about love and sacrifice.
Themes of sacrifice—for those you know and love and for those you don’t—play alongside themes of love, friendship, class disparity, sexism, education, and familial responsibility. I was fascinated by the research the author obviously had done on bookbinding and loved coming away with so much new knowledge about it. She writes about the suffragette movement, life at an Oxford college, and the psychological effects of a horrible war with authenticity and insight, too.
Though the backdrop of war is bleak, the book is hopeful. It brims with the promise of education, the reward of overcoming fears, the value of forgiving yourself and others, and the incomparable gift of perseverance.
I’ve had the author’s debut novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words, on my TBR list since it came out, but now it’s jumped to the top of that list. Williams’ luscious descriptions, her ability to paint subtle emotions, and her skill in developing relatable, flawed, unique characters guarantee it will be another favorite. I won’t forget The Bookbinder for a long time.
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