3.5 rounded up to 4

If you love the smell of old books and the worlds they unlock, The Bookbinder will resonate with you. Set in 1914 Oxford, the novel follows 21-year-old twins, Peggy and Maude, who work at the Oxford University Press bindery. Peggy, captivated by the books she binds, longs for an education beyond her reach as a working-class woman. Meanwhile, Maude, who is developmentally disabled, finds contentment in their simple life, leaving Peggy to shoulder the responsibility for her sister. As World War I looms, women keep the nation running while men fight.

Williams weaves historical detail with themes of class, gender, and literature’s transformative power. Peggy’s secret reading opens doors to a world of suffragettes and scholars, challenging her to push beyond societal boundaries. Her journey is one of self-discovery, resilience, and the pursuit of knowledge in a time of upheaval.

I often think it would be romantic to live in bygone days, but then I read about people using chamber pots and the lack of hot showers, and it doesn’t seem as dreamy.

Though the detailed bookbinding descriptions might overwhelm some, they enhance appreciation for the craft. The novel’s heartfelt characters, the touch of romance, and exploration of the meaning of words create a rich narrative that celebrates literature’s power.

Williams also vividly portrays the era’s harsh realities, from the horrors of Flanders to the life without modern conveniences. The Bookbinder is for those who cherish stories of courage and have a deep love for books.

** Thanks to the publisher for a review copy for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed The Bookbinder, but it didn't have the magic that The Dictionary of Lost Words had for me. This is probably just a me thing because the book was extremely well written and well researched. I really loved that The Dictionary of Lost Words felt like something other than a war story that then transformed into a war story, mirroring the transformation from normality into war. The Bookbinder was solely in the war years which wasn't for me as much. I thought that the ending was a little bland. It didn't really feel like the story built to something. And maybe that's part of the point. I did love the relationship between Peggy and Maude, loved getting to see familiar faces from Dictionary, and I loved the development of the romantic relationship. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think I was a little let down when it didn't grab me like Dictionary did. I'd recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction.

I was very excited for this one because I absolutely loved The Dictionary of Lost Words!!

I did really like this story! There’s clearly so much research behind this, and it’s appreciated and shows. I feel like I learned a lot about WWI from a fictional novel. The writing was very atmospheric and transported me to another time.

I also liked that we got to see some characters from TDOLW sprinkled in this! Makes me want to reread it!

I did like the supporting characters more than the main character sometimes. Maud and Bastiaan were so wholesome and Peggy was sometimes so frustrating. I totally understand why she was frustrated, I would be too, but I did wish we had more contented moments with her.

It is 1914 and twin sisters Peggy and Maude work in Oxford's university press bindery. The girls have collected books in their houseboat, and Peg dreams of attending Somerville College. The Great War might affect the sisters, though, as they lose and gain friends. And if Peg gets her chance to attend college, she must decide if she'll leave her sister behind. Or is Peg the one getting left behind?
I laughed and cried while reading this book. The characters felt alive to me. It probably helps that I love books and have a child with special needs. And the female main characters star in the story, which supports the themes of indepedence, truth and the promotion of women's rights.
Note: some profanity, sexual content and war-related violence
Some of my favorite quotes:
"If you shrink yourself to the smallness of your circumstances, you’ll soon disappear."
"The right kind of man? He’ll be someone who wants to understand you, Maudie. Someone you will want to understand."
How one character navigated war trauma: "There’s a war, Bastiaan. All this trauma, yours and Lotte’s, and all I ever talk about is books and the bindery and—And that [conversations about everyday life] is how I bear it, he said."
Grief: "‘She is not right, I think. Damaged.' 'She has not buried her dead,’ he said, ‘and I think she has no desire to.'"
Re: addiction: "I feel like I’ve been occupied by an enemy force, and the only way to rid myself of it is to destroy myself."
Re: our enemies: "Would it surprise you to know that their blood is red, and when they are in pain they groan? When they know they will never see their home again they cry?"

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Pop Williams first book The Dictionary of Lost Words so I knew I had to get this one. I started and stopped The Bookbinder many times because I could not get into the beginning. Finally I pushed through the beginning parts and enjoyed the book, but I did not love it the same way that I loved The Dictionary of Lost Words, and honestly, not even close.

I felt that many of the scenes were dragged out and it was much harder to connect with these characters for some reason. This book was also pretty lengthy and perhaps it could have been better if it were not as wordy.

Having read this author's prior book The Dictionary of Lost Words, I was excited to read Pip Williams' latest The Bookbinder !

Set in the year WWI began (1914), as men begin to drain into that dark war cloud, it is to women the buy-and-sell community turns. In Oxford, England two sisters who are devoted to each other find work in a bindery at the university. The two girls caught me by the heart strings - for they are twins, and my family is full of them. The author deftly captured and pinned to the page the truths I know about twins. . .how they often are bonded in a way their other siblings are not, how one steps forward and one hangs back (but don't think that's a measure of intelligence or savvy) - they each have a gift (or two), and Maude and Peggy fit every model with which roll through my memories.

Between the war, growing from girls into women (which has its very own rocky path in society - then and now!) they also come to discover their differences in yearnings, expectations, duties they embrace and ones they hang (metaphorically) 'round their necks, burdens that hold them down.

Set in Oxford, England, deep in historical buildings and grounds, Maude and Peggy and their circle of supporters work through challenges that tear their worlds apart. Sometimes that's the best way to make a change in a way that previously would never have presented itself. It's a time when women's work had been entirely different in previous generations, and for their time - their war time - they experienced a freedom in a work-a-day world that had been the domain of men. It was still the domain of men, but seemed to feel like women had gained a foothold on that slippery slope.

A read full of books, the physical building of books, loving words, authors, writers and what they chose to write when and why. . .even the gratifying palpabilities of folding papers in a repetitious rhythm. . .origami-like. . . .there's a compelling rocking sway to this read - maybe it's the houseboat they live on. Overall this book was a comfy, bookish read.

*A sincere thank you to Pip Williams, Random House - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

I love historical fiction books. And I should have done a little more checking into the subject before choosing to read this one. I am not a fan of WWI historical fiction. But I was committed, so I was determined to make a go of it. This is a sequel to The Dictionary of Lost Words, which I enjoyed. So I had high hopes that this would be another lovely read, Unfortunately, I felt like the characters were not that well fleshed out and the story did not engage me. A slow-moving tale, I felt like there was too much attention to minute details and it left me struggling to get through the pages. I enjoyed learning about the bookbinding process as well as the aspects of WWI. But this seemed to bog me down and I was not able to enjoy the book. However, there are plenty of people who have written rave reviews, so I would encourage you to pick it up and give it a try if you are a fan of historical fiction and that which takes place during WWI.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Set in World War I, this story follows the lives of twin sisters Peggy and Maude. Their mother died while they were in their teens and Peggy feels an obligation to take care of Maude, who is a bit slow.

Their mother heavily influenced both girls and because of that Peggy developed a love of reading. At the bindery, she slips all the damaged pages into her pockets to take home and read. She also longs to further her education, but her working class income doesn’t allow for that.

During this time, wounded soldiers from Belgium seek refuge in their community and the sisters join other women to do their part to help the wounded men. Peggy begins a friendship with one of the men that develops into a romance, leaving her to make a choice between marriage or an education.

This is a story with wonderful characters and a look into the lives of the women during WWI and they manage to make their lives better in spite of the hardships that war brings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy.

I am pleased to offer my honest review and recommend this book to other readers.

4.5 stars

Pro
* The book binding process details
* The sisterly closeness of the main characters
* Tie-in to The Dictionary of Lost Words, but ability to stand alone
* Historical content
* Really engaging

Con
* Falls into trope a bit in the romance


Thank you to Pip Williams, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did go into the book feeling like the luckiest for having an ARC to read. I was also completely conscious of the fact that I LOVED The Dictionary..I was expecting to come away a little anti-climactic. But instead, I’m a bigger Pip Williams fan. That was beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! There is so much going on in this novel; the exploration of knowledge and who has access to it. The idea that ‘the Brontes and Jane Austen were far from rich..but lived in houses where one woman cooked their meals and another made their beds’..it also brilliantly put me into Oxford 1915 with Belgium refugees flooding in and the hospitals full of soldiers who have ‘barely kept their heads’…the themes running through The Bookbinder are so engrossing, but the characters are just so enjoyable..Peggy and Maud, Tilda, Lotte, Gwen and Bastiaan I think will be lifelong friends of mine, I know them so well. A captivating story so masterfully told.
This is a beautiful companion to The Dictionary. I could not have loved it more

Sweet historical novel about a young women who works as a bookbinder just before and during WWI. Peggy is still dealing with the death of her mother and taking care of her twin sister Maude (who is portrayed as being on the spectrum (a lot of echolalia), but not ever actually said is on the spectrum) while wishing she could attend the women's college at Oxford. When the war hits and a considerable amount of the men go off to fight, Peggy and her friends find they're able to expand into men's work and are watching some of the class distinctions crumble. Peggy has always desired more from her life and we watch her and her friends grow and change over the war. This was a nice look into the life of a poor working woman who wants more while showing the impact the war had on many lives without leaning into the horrors that happened.

Any book set in Oxford is a book I want to read. I throughly enjoyed this book and appreciated the tie in back to The Dictionary of Lost Words. I look forward to Pip Williams next book.

I just realized I never reviewed this book, so the dates are only approximate. But I did really enjoy this book, as I had read this author’s first book and liked her writing style. This book had a couple of characters from the first book but wasn’t really a sequel. It’s the story of Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrow boat in London during WW1. They both work at a bookbindery in Oxford, but Peggy has to take care of her simple-minded sister and is tied down to that life, although she dreams of going to college and finding romance. She takes on volunteer work with injured war soldiers and finds herself falling for a disfigured Belgian soldier. I loved this story and both of the girls; their work binding books and the life in a narrowboat were so interesting. I never realized how painstaking it was to create a book just a little over a hundred years ago and how valued and special books were back then. The characters were all real and interesting and the writing was beautiful. I highly recommend this amazing historical novel. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book; all opinions expressed here are my own.

I had to look up a bunch of things because she used so many big words and unlike
The other book of her I was so engulfed at the history

Historical fiction has been my jam this year. I feel so drawn in my small facts and the history of things I use every day, books! This story follows twins Peggy who wants to protects Maude even if she sacrifice their own dreams. Hey fold pages into books then bind them and while they shouldn’t read them the curiosity is building. She sees a better future and wants to be out in the world more. There is illness and war which put into perspective the bigger picture of the times. It was a great eye opening book and makes you not want to let any chances go by you and take advantage of the privileges of today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of The Bookbinder!

Peggy Jones has been working as a bookbinder and living in a houseboat in the shadow of Oxford’s Somerville College for her whole life. Peggy and her twin sister Maude began working with their mother at the university press when they were 12 and Peggy has always resented her decision to leave school to work, despite her mother's encouragement to stay in school. Now that her mother is gone, Peggy is weighed down by her broken dreams of studying at Somerville College and watching Maude, who is extraordinary but vulnerable. World War I begins for Peggy with the influx of Belgium refugees, first a few women as help at the bindery and then the men take over Somerville as a recovery ward. Peggy gains entrance to Somerville not as a student but as a reader and writer for the recovering soldiers. As the war rages, Peggy forms relationships with refugees, Somerville students, and Somerville staff. Will Peggy be able to separate herself from her twin to try for her own ambitions? Will she be able to cross the line between "town" and "gown"?

I enjoyed The Bookbinder a lot! I have been feeling over WWI and WWII historical fiction lately but looking at it through the eyes of a woman in the early publishing world was so interesting! I didn't always love Peggy but she is a character with depth who is figuring our her identity in a world that is rapidly evolving. She seems to really struggle in her relationships with others not only in her behavior but in how she feels towards the other person. She certainly lets a lot of her resentments creep into her relationships.

I will definitely read more of what Williams writes and would love to see Peggy pop up in future books. The ending of this one felt a little abrupt so I'd love to see a little more of what happens after the war.

The bookbinding process is fascinating, but this book had entirely too much detail. It bogged down the plot and distracted from Peggy's coming-of-age story. On whole, the book is focused on the women and children left at home while the men fought in WWI. It was equal parts interesting to see their day-to-day lives and sort of underwhelming. I think this could have been about a hundred pages shorter than it is. If you're particularly interested in the lives of women in Britain during WWI and/or bookbinding, you may like this one.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Pip Williams can do no wrong! The Bookbinder is just as beautiful and well thought out as the Dictionary of Lost Words.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

A captivating historical fiction story featuring twin sisters during WWI working at Oxford Press. It’s a fascinating look at bookbinding. It’s a standalone novel but does tie in with The Dictionary of Lost Words, so there are themes of women’s rights and sisterhood. The theme of melancholy is prevalent as well.