We follow Peggy and her twin sister, Maude, as they work in a bindery during World War I.

I haven't read The Dictionary of Lost Words, but it's on my list, and when I saw this book by the same author, I jumped to read it.  I liked what the book was trying to do. It was extremely well researched and gave an atypical viewpoint from women and refugees during the war.  It tried to bring to light that all should have access to knowledge and power (voting), and it should not be given to only selective a few. With that being said, I was really disappointed. This book moved at a snail's pace.  It was so slow, I was wondering if anything was actually happening at all, and it made it really difficult to get through.  I almost didn't finish it, but I kept reading on hoping something of significance would eventually happen. It was hard to connect to any of the characters, and Peggy was sometimes selfish and unlikable.  The main points were lost behind drawn-out scenes and unnecessary dialogue. Others seemed to have really enjoyed this book, though, so it might be worth it to give it a shot if you enjoy historical fiction like I do.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved Pip Williams' The Bookbinder. I loved every single page of it and recommended it to everyone for a solid month. What an exceptional story about the Oxford University Press and the women who became the first graduates of Oxford! Williams gives us the story of a young woman trapped by circumstance--poverty, familial responsibilities, gender--and ultimately offers us a triumphant story of survival leading to accomplishment. This book is fabulous and everyone should read it.

NOTE: I was given early access to this book in exchange for writing an impartial review. Thank you netgalley and Penguin Random House. Publication Date: July 25, 2023.

If I had to list the major themes explored in this book, I would name war, family, feminism, class, and ambition. And for pace, I'd say quite a slow first half, with a much faster-paced second half. Awarded four stars. Just.

I absolutely adored Pip Williams's first book, THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS, and assumed this one would be similar; that is, an interesting story built around the quirky and obscure world of bookbinding. But not so.

In fact, the descriptions of bookbinding included make it sound like tedious work -- not nearly as compelling as the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary recounted in her first book. Instead, what made this book interesting to me was its timing: the small English town of Oxford during the years of World War I (1914-18), the growing suffragette movement, the Spanish Flu, and the class struggle between "Town" and "Gown" (the working class people of Oxford vs. the more privileged students enrolled at the University).

At the center of the novel are twin orphans Peggy and Maude, young women supporting themselves by working in the University's publishing house. Today Maude would likely be diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, though in 1915, she was simply called "special". While the twins love each other deeply, Peggy has the added burden of feeling responsible for Maude and her future. And that makes Peggy feel she will be unable to realize her own individual dreams. Because, despite her humble origins, Peggy is an avid reader, hungry for learning, and desperate to cross the divide and actually ATTEND Oxford University.

The obstacles are considerable: class prejudice, restricted access to study materials, learning to read Ancient Greek, cost, and challenging entrance exams. In addition to the realities of life around her. The war means millions of men are enlisting, requiring women to fill their old jobs. Tens of thousands of wounded soldiers are returned home, requiring long-term nursing care and attention. And the arrival of the deadly Flu Epidemic means the need for even more volunteers to support both the ill and their families.

The main reason I finally awarded the book four stars is because of how skillfully the author blends all these elements into a believable story about the nature of human beings. All of characters weather the same events. But their responses and fates differ. Some don't survive at all. Others survive but remain forever altered. And a smaller number seize the opportunities that exist in a shifting world to transform their own lives. Those who fare the best are the ones who find the strength they need by offering support and care to those they love.

Her job may be to bind the books, but what if she wants more?

Set in Oxford, England against the backdrop of World War I, the Spanish Flu and the suffragette fight for the vote, this novel follows the young-adult life of Peggy who, along with her twin sister Maude, work at the Oxford University Press as “bindery girls,” responsible for folding and binding the pages of books and manuscripts published and reproduced by the University. Though born to a “town” mother, Peggy longs for the academic life of a “gown,” but is hampered by her class status and her caregiving obligations to her sister. But when war breaks out, new opportunities arise and Peggy must face not just the horrors of war but the toughest of decisions - to follow her dreams or her heart. I haven’t read much World War I fiction, barring the traumatizing All Quiet On the Western Front, but I really enjoyed this book. Peggy is not a perfect protagonist, but you can’t help but root for her at (almost) every turn. The supporting characters are all substantive and well-drawn and I found myself just as invested in their stories. Readers of Williams’ first book, The Dictionary of Lost Words, will also find some character cameos here. Overall, this was an enjoyable, educational historical fiction novel focused on telling the often untold stories of the women and girls left behind in war during a time of societal change.

Pub Date: 8/1/23
Review Date: To be posted 7/18/23
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Maragaret (Peggy) and Maude are twin sisters who live on a boat and work in the local bookbindery in Jericho. Maude has some issues that are never really diagnosed and Peggy is very protective of her. This was a very slow read for me because it was not an exciting book. I did enjoy the detailed history of bookbinding as well as the mentioning of books and authors that I was familiar with. World War I begins and it causes a lot of changes in their lives. Overall, I did enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this very interesting book.

I loved every word of this book and wanted to stay with Peggy and her story much longer. This is a companion novel to Williams's book "The Dictionary of Lost Words", which was also excellent, but this story of Peggy and her twin Maude, who live in Oxford and work at a bookbindery, completely transported me to 1914 Britain and the struggle of a young woman who wants more out of life than she thinks she's allowed to reach for, set against a backdrop of the horrors of The Great War. Peggy has always loved books and reading; she's ambitious and smart, but feels equal parts love and resentment towards her twin sister Maude, who is vulnerable and special and needs Peggy to watch out for her. Their circle of loved ones, their home on the houseboat Calliope, the bookbindery - all of these elements of the book are vividly and lovingly depicted. The real star of the story, though, is Peggy's growth and the way she blossoms through both triumphs and setbacks. Williams weaves historical details about everything from the suffragette movement to field hospitals in France to the Belgian refugees who fled to Britain, as well as fascinating details of bookbinding. I can't wait for more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books for a digital review copy.

In "The Bookbinder," Pip Williams takes us on a captivating journey through history, bringing women's experiences during World War I to life. Set in Oxford, the novel follows twin sisters, Peggy and Maude as they navigate the changing world around them. Williams expertly portrays the challenges faced by women during this time, highlighting their determination and resilience. As the war unfolds, Peggy's desire for knowledge and love ignites, urging her to break free from societal expectations. Williams weaves a compelling tale that sheds light on the power of education and the pursuit of truth.

With her beautifully descriptive prose, Williams transports readers to the streets of Oxford, painting a vivid picture of the bindery and the bustling university press. The contrast between Peggy's longing to expand her horizons and Maude's contentment with her current life adds depth to the story. As the sisters encounter refugees from war-torn Belgium, the narrative takes an unexpected turn, testing their relationships and challenging their beliefs. Williams expertly explores the themes of education, knowledge, and the sacrifices one must make in the face of war.

"The Bookbinder" is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that resonates long after the final page. Williams continues to shine a light on women's lives in the early 1900s, reminding us of their struggles and triumphs. While I thoroughly enjoyed "The Dictionary of Lost Words," this follow-up exceeded my expectations. It is a testament to Williams' ability to breathe life into historical settings and create relatable, inspiring characters. I am grateful to live in an era that values and empowers women, and "The Bookbinder" serves as a reminder of our progress. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a captivating and meaningful read.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest Feedback.

I finished this book over lunch and wanted to review it while I'm still experiencing that post-book glow.

The Bookbinder is related to The Dictionary of Lost Words, but is neither sequel nor a prequel, and the two titles can be read in either order. I very much enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words. The Bookbinder left me floating in a sea of ideas and language that I'd like to remain in for the indefinite future, though I suppose life will interfere with that.

The Bookbinder is set in and near Oxford during WWI. England has just joined the war, young men are eager to sign up, young women find themselves moving into new territory that was previously male. Refugees from Belgium have just arrived in town and receive a mixed review: some are welcoming; others resent them because they represent a war that England has joined—and "our boys" are being killed "over there," even though England itself has not been attacked.

This is a book with a rich ensemble cast. At the center of it are twin sisters, Peggy and Maude, who work as "folders" at Oxford University Press. Maude has difficulty communicating, so she uses a repertoire of phrases she's heard others using to express her own feelings and ideas. Peggy is smart and desperately frustrated spending her days folding pages instead of reading them. Somerville College at Oxford has been opened for female students. These women can't earn degrees—even if they take all the courses and pass all the exams—but at least they're getting to read and think. Peggy dreams of being able to enroll at Somerville, but it seems impossible for any number of reasons: money; the fact that she's "town," not "gown"; the extent to which she focuses her life on protecting Maude now that their mother has died; the general hostility toward anyone trying to move "above their station."

Other members of the cast include
• Tilda, Peggy and Maude's mother's best friend (and lover?), who has little time for social norms, winds up working as a medical aid in France, close to the fighting, and is balancing the pride she takes in her own work with the grief and sense of wastefulness that is inevitable in a war zone
• Lotte, a refugee from Belgium and former librarian, now working at the Press as a Folder, who seems to have an intuitive sympathy with Maude, that Peggy both appreciates and resents
• Bastiaan, a badly wounded and disfigured soldier from Belgium, who Peggy befriends as she does war-related volunteer work at the local hospital
• Gwen, a well off young woman at Somerville, also a volunteer at the hospital, and Peggy's friend—when Peggy isn't resenting Gwen's privilege and the fact that Gwen is completely blind to the ease with which her life has unfolded
• The small, three-generation family living on the canal boat moored next to the canal boat on which Maude and Peggy have grown up
• The staff at the Press, both on the "men's side" and the "women's side"
• And books—books, books, books, books, books—at the press, in conversation, at the colleges, piled up in every possible niche on Peggy and Maude's canal boat.

Spending time with this crew is a pleasure, even when they're frustrated or grieving. I was simultaneously aware of both the ordinariness of their lives and the extraordinariness of the time in which they're living. There's some romance—but it's never more important than friendships or the goals of individual characters, which delights me because I have limited patience with novels built around cis pairings-up.

I ended the book weeping tears of hopefulness, full of longing for so many of the characters.

And Pip William's (the author) prose style! Reading her words is like feasting on something deeply nourishing, but also a bit decadent, that never leaves one feeling bloated, if that makes sense. After reading The Dictionary of Lost Words, I knew I wanted to keep Williams on my radar. Having now read The Bookbinder, I'm longing for her next novel in the way one does with a favorite writer. She is (quite literally) now on the list of writers I google on a regular basis because next book, next book, next book, when, when, when... The Bookbinder is coming out on August 1 (2023) and it's the kind of title that's worth buying in hardback on day one.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

It is 1914 and we return to Oxford, the setting of The Dictionary of Lost Words. This is the tale of 2 young sisters who work in the bindery of Oxford University Press. Peggy tries to read the words on the pages she folds while her sister, Maude, is content to fold. The sisters live on a canal boat and have good neighbors and friends. As men go off to war more opportunities open for women. Peggy and Maude's world opens up due to volunteering with the war wounded and assisting with Belgian refugees. This is a wonderful companion tale to The Dictionary of Lost Words, some characters pop up here.
This is a review of an ARC provided by NetGalley.

The Bookbinder by Pip Williams is a lovely companion to The Dictionary of Lost Words which I read a few months ago. The narrator and protagonist is Peggy, a book binder who dropped out of school at age 12 but still has scholarly aspirations despite the expectations of everyone around her.

Peggy has a twin sister, Maude, who doesn't get an official diagnosis, but I'd assume she is meant to have autism as she is described as having trouble meeting others' eyes and has some repetitive behaviors. Peggy vacillates between her love of Maude and resentment for how she causes her to stay stuck in her role.

Readers of The Dictionary of Lost Words will recognize characters Owen Gareth (briefly) and Tilda (much more extensively) as well as a few other nods. Esme and Peggy's worlds overlap, and they share a desire for high education, love of words, and strength of character. The book also focuses on portrayal of World War I, starting shortly before its declaration, and the English suffrage movement like Dictionary. I've read so many books set during World War II, so it was interesting to read what felt like a well-researched portrayal of WWI. This book delves more into the effects on the soldiers and those at home, particularly with characters like Lotte, a traumatized Belgian, and Bastiaan, an injured Belgian soldier who Peggy meets while volunteering.

I enjoyed Peggy's story greatly as she struggled to deal with the circumstances opposing her dreams: being female, poor, uneducated, born out of wedlock, etc. Her relationship and communications with Tilda expanded on the character we got to know in Dictionary, and it also allowed a more in-depth and personal look at the war.

I'd recommend this book to historical fiction fans who like a small side of romance.

Source: provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bookbinder is set during WWl about twin sisters, Peggy and Maude, who work as binders at the Oxford University Press. This is an interesting look at how society controlled who was allowed to seek a good education. Thanks to the author Pip Williams, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I have not read The Dictionary of Lost Words yet, and I discovered while reading this that the novels are connected. This is a WW1 era story of the women who continued to run the Oxford University Press during the war, and specifically about twin sisters Maude and Peggy, who live on a narrowboat nearby. Peggy dreams to attending the local college, but she is tasked with caring for Maude, who has some cognitive disabilities. The writing is beautiful, and the book focuses more on the stories of Peggy, Maude, and their peers instead of a moving plot. I thought the story was compelling, especially around themes of whose stories get told and who gets to access those stories. However, I wished the book was tightened up a bit more - I was ready to be done! I do have her previous book on my stack for August, so I look forward to revisiting the people in this community. 3.5 stars.

A beautifully written novel which demonstrates the power of books. By day, Peggy works in the bindery of Oxford University Press; at night, she reads and lives among the books she isn’t allowed to read at work. Desperate for education and independence, somehow she has to finally make the decision between the duty to her sister, her love for her wounded Belgian soldier or her desire to pursue the education she wants desperately.

This is very good historical fiction, which I have come to expect from this author. I certainly respect the amount of research she did to insert herself into the period. It takes place during the First World War in Jericho, which is a suburb of Oxford, UK.

The main characters are Peggy and Maude, identical twins on the outside. But where Peggy is very smart, Maude has some type of learning impairment. They work side by side at the local book bindery as page folders, but Peggy learns to read the books instead of bind them. This is the same place where their mother worked before she died, leaving Peggy to look after Maude. The sisters live on a boat on the river.

As the war progresses, they are dragged into it in different ways. Many refugees come from Belgium, and Peggy helps nurse them back to health. There are many things going on at the time, and the author did such great research that I felt like I was in the middle of it. Some of the themes were: the atrocities of war, class struggles between the students of Oxford and the bindery employees on the other side of the street, the suffragette movement and inequality between men and women, the Spanish flu, and more.

The book immersed me in the time period. I looked up so many facts as I was reading, and she wasn’t off on any of them. The characters were enjoyable, and I learned a lot about bookbinding. Definitely worth the read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy of this book! The following views and opinions are solely mine.


Books about books will forever be my favorite kind. There are some really amazing things in here that I loved:
1. The Dictionary of Lost Words is woven in, some characters overlap.
2. The war was such a great part of the story. The communicated loss, loving a refugee, opening up your home and heart to people you’ve never met…that was so well done. Pip really excels here.
3. I caught myself at a jaded moment in the book - midway when she faints in the bindery when people are starting to get sick with the flu, and I was like “ughhh of course she’s pregnant. Of COURSE we had to write this in.” IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN SHE IS NOT! I was so happy to see what could only be described as a strong female lead. Peggy is her sister’s caretaker while still grieving her mother, going through the trauma of being part of the wartime efforts in her town, wanting SO MUCH MORE FOR HERSELF and being unable to go after it because of her economic status.

I felt so proud of Peggy in the end, and I truly loved the love story between her and Bastiaan. It was so unconventional for the time - she truly loves a man but knows she has to put herself first, and pursues the one thing and they STILL find their way to come back to each other…so beautiful.

Tilda. She will forever have my heart. How wonderfully whole and complex is she, even as a minor character? I love her storyline, her character arc, her complete human-ness.

Keep the tissues near, dear readers. This one is so incredibly…human.

The Bookbinder of Jericho revisits Clarendon Press where William's Lost Words(2020)was set. It's not a sequel but some of the same characters appear.
The main character is Peggy who, along with her twin sister Maude work the line that folds and gathers printed pages for Oxford University. Both have been employed at Clarendon since they left school at 12. In their 20s, they live on a narrowboat docked in the canal. Their deceased mother instilled a love of books and learning in her daughters and Peggy's greatest desire is to study at Oxford; highly unlikely since she has little formal education, no money and is not of the upper class. Maude is depicted as being on what is now called "the spectrum." Peggy feels responsible for her care. The possibility of Oxford opens when Peggy meets Gwen who is student at the university.
When WWI breaks out Peggy and Gwen volunteer to read to wounded soldiers housed in university buildings. Here she meets a disfigured Belgian soldier and a romance begins.
Eventually Peggy is forced to choose between scholarship and love.
The most interesting part of the book was the detail about bookbinding. Peggy seemed a driven but flat character while some of the secondary characters had more depth. There are a couple of seemingly obligatory sex scenes that add nothing to the plot. The horrors of war are compellingly presented.
For me the novel is a mixed bag - readable but not exceptional.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballintine Books for the advanced readers copy.

The Bookbinder is another novel set in Oxford, about the work of the Oxford Press, and bookbinder women, told from the perspective of Peggy, a young woman who works in the bindery with her twin sister, Maude, following in the footsteps of their mother who also worked there before her untimely death. Peggy yearns for more, but due to the social structure of Oxford of the time, and the circumstances of her birth, she is unable to be anything more than a bookbinder girl, until WWI begins, and unexpectedly opens some new doors to her.

This book crosses path with the author's previous book, The Dictionary of Lost Words, and in my opinion would be better enjoyed for having read that book as well, but in all likelihood, it's not completely necessary to read it prior to reading this book. That said, overall, I enjoyed The Bookbinder just a smidge more than Lost Words. For me, I found Peggy's perspective and narrative immediately engrossing, and this novel moved at a faster pace. I enjoyed seeing the growth and character development Peggy, and her sister, underwent over the course of the novel. Initially Peggy is a cynical young woman, trapped in the book binder, but over time, as England changes, and she makes new social connections, a new path is opened to her that wouldn't otherwise have been available.

I was completely immersed in this novel and enjoyed it from start to finish. Peggy's ending was hopeful, but also realistic. Easy 4 stars for this book.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Interesting story of a woman during WW1 who works as a bookbinder but aspires to go to college and reads whatever she can get.

The Bookbinder isn’t exactly a sequel to The Dictionary of Lost Words, but it follows slightly in its footsteps. Peggy and Maude are twin sisters, but vastly different. Their now dead mother was a reader and encouraged Peggy’s curiosity. But Maude is slow and vulnerable, happy to fold paper into shapes. Both work for a book bindery of the Oxford University Press. Peggy steals the damaged works to take home to their narrowboat to read at night. She desires more from life, but feels obligated to look after Maude. She looks across at Somerville College, the women’s arm of Oxford University and imagines herself a “gown”, not a “town”.
The book takes place during WWI. Belgians arrive in Oxford from Lavain, the site of a brutal German massacre. One of those refugees is Lotte, who comes to work at the bindery and helps Peggy realize that Maude is not as helpless as Peggy thinks. Peggy also befriends Bastiaan, an injured Belgian soldier who comes to Oxford to recuperate.
Williams paints a detailed picture of life being forced to go on, despite the men mostly being called away. Women are offered opportunities to step into jobs previously denied. It was also a time when the distinction between the classes occasionally blurred, as when Peggy meets Gwen. But at the same time, Peggy has to remind Gwen that only Gwen will be allowed to vote. Or when a recovering officer still calls for Peggy to be removed from the officer’s ward and sent to help her own kind. As with the best historical fiction, Williams’s research allowed me to learn something while enjoying the story.
The writing makes it easy to imagine each detail, from the book crammed Calliope to the graceful dance of bookbinding to the field hospital in Etaples. The characters are all fully fleshed out, even the secondary characters.
The story is a heartwarming tale of growth and acting upon one’s dreams, of not giving up. But it’s also a story with horrible loss, given the twin demons of war and influenza. It’s a reminder that not all dreams can be achieved, that obtaining one might mean relinquishing others. And that peace will come with a cost, a reminder of what the women will once again be forced to give up. Lately, many of the books I’ve read deal with women as invisible beings and this continues that trend. That at the end, there will be no monuments to the women who toiled and sacrificed.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

It is 1914, and as the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, women must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrow boat in Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press.

Ambitious, intelligent Peggy has been told for most of her life that her job is to bind the books, not read them—but as she folds and gathers pages, her mind wanders to the opposite side of Walton Street, where the female students of Oxford’s Somerville College have a whole library at their fingertips. Maude, meanwhile, wants nothing more than what she has: to spend her days folding the pages of books in the company of the other bindery girls. She is extraordinary but vulnerable, and Peggy feels compelled to watch over her.
Then refugees arrive from the war-torn cities of Belgium, sending ripples through the Oxford community and the sisters’ lives. Peggy begins to see the possibility of another future where she can educate herself and use her intellect, not just her hands. But as war and illness reshape her world, her love for a Belgian soldier—and the responsibility that comes with it—threaten to hold her back.

The Bookbinder is a story about knowledge—who creates it, who can access it, and what truths get lost in the process. Much as she did in the international bestseller The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams thoughtfully explores another rarely seen slice of history through women’s eyes. This was a new author to me. I have her other book, The Dictionary of Lost Words, downloaded on my Kindle and plan to read it soon after reading this book. I love her characters--both the quiet ones and the flamboyant one--and she develops them throughout the book in a most believable way. I am a sucker for books about books and thank NetGalley and the publisher for introducing me to this author who I plan to read more of in the future. I also learned how books were originally bound when done by hand which was very interesting.