Set in England, during the Great War, this story involves two twin sisters. After the death of the mother, Peggy promises to take care of her sister Maude. Peggy feels many restrictions which she feels limit her own life due to her promise. She comes from the working class, called “town.” The Oxford’s Somerville College, she dreams about and sees every day across from the University Press where she works, is for the upper class, called “gown.” 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.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

If you loved The Dictionary of Lost Words (I did!), and didn’t want it to end, you can read Pip Williams’ new historical novel, The Bookbinder. It’s not a sequel, but rather a sidestep into the lives of characters occupying a similar time and place, with a slight reference to the earlier book.

Peggy Jones is a bindery girl. She and her identical twin sister Maude both work in the women’s side (the bindery) of the Clarendon Press, located in Oxford but an entirely different world from the Oxford. They are “town” while Oxford folks are “gown.” Yet it is Peggy’s lifelong dream to attend Somerville, the women’s college. Peggy has the intelligence and drive, but feels held back by the need to take care of her sister. They are orphans and Maude is neurodivergent.

Peggy tries to satisfy her desire for knowledge by collecting bits and pieces from the bindery that fail inspection. She fills the houseboat on the canal that she and Maude share with imperfect books and book fragments.

When WWI begins, Belgian refugees arrive. Although made welcome at first, their presence is resented as the war wears on and more and more local boys are lost. However, Maude makes a new friend of one of the refugees, and Peggy begins to feel left out.

Feeling she needs to do more for the war effort, Peggy volunteers at the hospital as a reader. There she meets a Belgian soldier, Bastiaan, who is horribly disfigured by war injuries. Their time together brings them closer, and when he is discharged from the hospital, they continue to see one another. They fall in love. But Peggy is unable to give up her dreams of becoming a scholar. When opportunity arises to try for a scholarship, she has to choose between striving for admission to college and pursuing her romance with Bastiaan. She also has to come to terms with the fact that Maude may not need her as much as she thought.

This is a touching novel that shows the struggles of women to claim their place in the world. It also demonstrates the hardships of war for both soldiers and the people at home. The writing is lovely, but the novel has a leisurely pace and didn’t draw me in as much as The Dictionary of Lost Words. But that could be because I’ve been reading a lot of “women during the wars” books lately and I’m ready for a change.

With the novel The Bookbinder, Pip Williams firmly plants herself on my list of favorite authors! She combines my two favorite things - books and historical fiction. After reading and loving The Dictionary of Lost Words, I had high hopes for The Bookbinder and it did not disappoint.

The story begins in 1914 Britain with most of the men going off to fight in the war. The main characters are twin sisters Peggy and Maude. Peggy is intelligent and wants to go to college. She wants to read the books she is binding, finding herself reading the bits that she can and saving any books that don’t get put together correctly. Maude is special. She tends to parrot what people say and is happy and content binding her books.

I loved this book. You find yourself rooting for Peggy. She is trapped in her position by society, the war, Maude, and her economic standing.

A good mix of character and plot. You feel the character's frustrations and joys. The plot moves along at the perfect pace for the story.

A beautiful book with well developed characters. I love the detail of book binding. I look forward to more from Pip WIlliams.

This was a wonderful book with fantastic character development and throwbacks to the author's previous book.

This is a companion novel to The Dictionary of Lost Words. It centers on the book binding process in the publishing houses of 1914 England. A couple of characters from the earlier novel appear in this book but are not central to the story.

Peggy and Maude are sisters who work at the bindery. They fold and stack the pages to be bound into the final publication. The girls live on a houseboat and lead very simple lives. Just as WWI is taking many of the men away from their jobs, belts must be tightened in all households and the bindery must make adjustments.

Peggy wants to help in the war effort so she volunteers to read and write letters for injured soldiers. Her sister Maude has some limitations and needs supervision and luckily there are friends who are willing to help. As a volunteer, Peggy befriends a society girl who encourages her to look beyond her lowly status and consider pursuing her dream of attending college. In her volunteer work she also becomes close with a badly burned Belgian man who she reads to in the hospital.

Maude is delightful and sweet while Peggy is hard-working and responsible. The sisters are devoted to each other. As Peggy’s associations expand, so does her vision of her future. She still worries about her sister, but is considering options that once seemed out of reach. It is her love of books and learning, combined with the encouragement of friends that might move her beyond her simple existence.

This is not as powerful as the companion novel but still, it sheds light on the impact of war and the limitations on women. The romance is touching and the sisters’ relationship is moving.

This was a great follow up to the dictionary of lost words though it is not a sequel or prequel. I enjoyed the characters and the story!

Its the height of the Great War and all the men have been called away to fight. In their absence, Peggy and her twin sister Maude work as book binders in Oxford. While all Maude wants is to continue binding books, Peggy dreams of reading them and educating herself. This story follows Peggy as she navigates the horrors of war, societal norms and expectations, her responsibilities toward her loved ones, her work in the bindery, her growing romantic relationship with a Belgian soldier, and her academic aspirations.

I don't read historical fiction often but Pip Williams has been a great entry into the genre for me. I loved her previous book, The Dictionary of Lost Words and this was a great follow up. I really enjoyed it, as well as Pip's author's note which spoke about her inspirations for the story and its characters. There were even a few cameos from the characters we met in Dictionary of Lost Words as well as several mentions of Esme's book of women's words. It was heartwarming to see their story continue.

A huge thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review.

As Britain is drawn into WWI, twins Peggy and Maude work at a bindery in Oxford. Maude is content in her position but Peggy yearns for more. Since their mother’s death, Peggy feels a responsibility for Maude that holds her back when presented with an opportunity. She has a love of books that has her supervisor constantly reminding her that she is there to work, not read. She uses the same bone tool that her mother used before her death and the boat where the sisters live is filled with books. Through war, love and loss from influenza, Peggy finally realizes that Maude has become less dependent, giving her a chance to also grow. Pip Williams sets her story at the same time as her previous story, The Dictionary of Lost Words. It was this previous work that had me looking forward to The Bookbinder. Once again Williams shows the power of words as you find yourself immersed in the lives of Peggy and Maude. At a time when women fought for the vote and society was male dominated, the war brought changes that offered opportunities to women like Peggy whose ambitions had previously been limited. This is a beautiful historical novel that I found easy to love. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book for my review.

Peggy works for the local press as a bookbinder, actually as a page folder. Women are only allowed to fold the printed paper as it comes off the press, men are allowed to complete the book binding process. Peggy's twin sister also works there as did their mother. Although Peggy is bright and would like more education and opportunity, she feels stuck -- she's grown up as a "townie" on the edge of Oxford, longing to be one of the women who wear the robes of a scholar, but she feels responsible for her sister who has some limitations. When World War I breaks out and men are sent off to war and Belgian refugees flood the town, things start to change for Peggy.

I loved this story. First, I was fascinated by the book binding process, but then I was captivated by Peggy -- the young woman with ambition and intellect striving to fight the social norms of her era. This is a look at what war does to a community, the value and importance of knowledge, class and social norms and expectations, and a peek into the era of the early 1900s England. Some social commentary, some romance, some history. Sometimes the story is humorous, sometimes heartbreaking. Great historical fiction.

I really loved The dictionary of lost chances and this sophomore novel from Pip Williams was one of my MOST anticipated reads of 2023. Unfortunately I found it really difficult to get into. Once I did I enjoyed the Oxford setting and learning more about book binding. Just an okay historical fiction read for me. Not quite on par with her debut. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I would still recommend this book, especially for fans of The Kew Gardens girls.

Wow! The Bookbinder was such a fantastic story! It is about a bookbinder named Peggy and her sister Maude. It follows them through the years, through war, loss, and change. The plot was sectioned off by years and I really liked that. The characters were well-written and very thoughtful. Some characters need not really speak, their actions tell us what we need to know. This was especially true with Lotte and Tilda. It was really eye-opening about what actually went into bookbinding and what it was like to work at the Press during a war. It also touches on class and the separation there is between town and gown, as well as women's rights. The relationship between Peg and Maude was really special, not just because they were twins, but the connection in general was really touching and very funny at times. However, some of my favorite parts were the quiet moments of Peg and Bastiaan hanging out in the cemetery with his ghosts. This author is an awesome storyteller.

Set in the same Oxford universe as The Dictionary of Lost Words, fans of the former will enjoy this second offering from Williams. Some of the characters from the first are mentioned in this book so you get a glimpse of what happens to them. A quiet, almost cozy, historical fiction about the homefront during WWI, class and equality, and women's rights. Nice option for those looking for a period piece that don't want to address the actual atrocities of war.

Wonderful book! I loved the characters and the historical setting of WW!. This is a captivating tale of two sisters, Peg and Maude who work in a book binding factory. It is a tale of duty and love and desire that will charm any historical fiction fan!

I enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words so when I saw that Pip Williams had written another book, I had to read it. While The Bookbinder is a great follow-up to The Dictionary of Lost Words and contains some references to it, it is a completely stand-alone story.

The Bookbinder is a well-written work of historical fiction, set in the early 20th century and details the impact of WWI both on the book bindery as well as the community. Other historical references that become important to the story include Belgian refugees, the Spanish flu and the suffragette movement.

At the heart of the story are twin sisters who both work at the Oxford University Press. They, along with other women, are responsible for folding the printed pages. It is an interesting look inside how words become pages and pages become books. I was fascinated to learn how women were segregated from men and were responsible for different processes in the book building business.

The book starts off slow and requires patience from the reader. Stick with it because it is worth it. Many themes are explored in this book, including the love of reading, ambition, endurance, class struggles and it’s accompanying lack of opportunities, compromise, and ambition. It is easy to empathize with these imperfect characters and their relationships.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pip Williams writing is brilliant. This historical fiction set during turn of the century WWI fearures a strong female lead and offers plenty of drama, tension, and romance. Pip Williams will make you fall in love with the power of words. Such an engaging and beautiful story.

Enjoyable and educational! I really enjoyed learning especially about the volunteers with the veterans. I would welcome another story about the sisters.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this book.

The Bookbinder is an immersive and compelling follow-up to The Dictionary of Lost Words. Peggy is an intellectual woman who works at the bindery, but dreams for so much more, including attending university. Being forced to bind the books but not allowed to read them begins to wear on Peggy and make her question her life. Adding to that, Peggy's twin Maude is neurodivergent which requires Peggy to take care of her, often at the cost of her own ambitions.

Peggy volunteers to read and write for injured soldiers, and meets Gwen, an entitled rich girl who has everything Peggy wants but is wasting her privileges. She also meets Baastian and other war-torn soldiers and Belgians, who turn her world and community upside-down. The Bookbinder is heartwarming, and shows us a bit of the WW1 through the women's eyes. It is about knowledge, and how who creates it and has access to it can change everything; and sometimes truth can get lost in the process. It is also an inspiring story of following your heart and your dreams no matter what obstacles stand in your way.

This was a bit of a chore for me to finish. I felt plot was missing but instead overly filled with historical facts. Just didn’t really captivate me. I do appreciate the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Much like her first novel The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams' The Bookbinder brings to light the little-known world of women - this time women who are working at the Oxford University Press as bookbinders. Twin sisters Peggy and Maude live on their own since their mother's death and work at the Press folding the pages of the books. But Peggy dreams of one day being a student at Oxford and actually getting to read the full books she helps to bind. It's clear that the people around her see her as capable of making the move from "Town" to "Gown", however, Peggy holds herself back due to her sister's disability.

And then war comes, and Peggy meets Gwen, a student, when they volunteer together. Through her friendship with Gwen, Peggy begins to let herself dream and make those dreams reality. Through her volunteering, Peggy meets a man who could also give her another part of the life she wants.

The question is, will she get any of it?

It took me awhile to get into this book, and I didn't always understand the folding process of the book binding. I did, however, like how the author weaved characters from her first book into this book without making Peggy's story a sequel of sorts. Once I got toward the middle of the story, when Peggy gets out of the book bindery and actually starts doing things, that's when I found the novel to really pick up. Williams does a good job of giving readers a glimpse into a life whose history, because it was female, was rarely recorded.

The Bookbinder is published by Ballantine Books and will be available to purchase tomorrow, August 1, 2023. I received a free e-ARC.