The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Title: The Dictionary of Lost Words
Author: Pip Williams
Format: Audiobook
Genre(s): Historical, Literary
Rating: ★★★★★

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story that pulls no punches, delivering the hardest news matter-of-factly and then moving on, just as life demands. It tells the story of Esme, who grew up watching her father work on the first Oxford English Dictionary, and whose life revolves around language and particularly the words used by the women around her.

It is a powerful story of women’s rights — explicitly portraying parts of the women’s suffrage movement but also the daily lives of many different women and the challenges they face. It’s also a story about the power of words and the people who shape them, and if you’re at all a language or word lover you’ll enjoy watching how the dictionary is created over the years and Esme’s part in it. I love the smooth writing style (and audiobook narration) that drew me in to this one woman’s life, and how deeply it has touched me and made me think.