The Dictionary of Lost Words

The Dictionary of Lost Words

2020 • 384 pages

Ratings30

Average rating4

15

5/5 for enjoyment, I'm actually sad to be done with these characters.
4/5 for overall review. I'd recommend it to most people but likely will not read it again.

I have gotten a little burnt out on historical fiction surrounding the world wars in the last year, so I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up, but since it wasn't specifically about World War I and more about the events surrounding it, I gave it a chance, and I'm very glad I did.

It never occurred to me how much work would go into creating the Oxford dictionary and for that account alone I'm really happy to have read this book. I love that the story is told through women's eyes and makes an attempt at guessing what their thoughts would've been on the process, and how their actions would've impacted it. One of my main problems with historical fiction is that authors tend to have a hard time placing themselves in this culture and frame of mind in order to create realistic dialogue. For this reason, I took off one star.

This is a very sad book, but it feels very real because of it, the heartbreak and the hardship that is experienced, I feel is realistic to this time. Overall I enjoyed the read, it was a beautiful book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

January 28, 2023Report this review