Book Review: The Bookbinder by Pip Williams

Rating: 4.5⭐️

“Reading was such a quiet activity, and the reader in their parlour or leaning against the trunk of a tree would never imagine all the hands their book had been through, all the folding and cutting and beating it had endured. They would never guess how noisy and smelly the life of that book had been before it was put in their hands.”

Set in 1914 Oxford, England during the Great War, The Bookbinder by Pip Williams revolves around twin sisters twenty-one-year-old Peggy and Maude Jones who live on a narrowboat in Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press – jobs they have held ever since they were twelve years old. Though their job requires them “to bind books, not read them” their late mother, who passed away when they were seventeen and had been an employee of the bindery in her lifetimes instilled a love for reading and books in Peggy, who has sacrificed her dreams of attending Oxford's Somerville College in the interest of caring for her sister, who is a sweet and trusting person who requires special attention. As the war rages on and male employees are conscripted, it is up to the women to keep the press running, taking on additional responsibilities and volunteering to contribute to the war effort in every way possible. The influx of Belgian refugees many of whom take up work in the bindery, her interactions with injured servicemen recovering in the makeshift hospitals where Peggy volunteers and her acquaintance with Gwen a college student, not only enable Peggy to gain perspective on the events occurring around her but also motivate her to make an effort to exact change in her own life. The narrative follows Peggy as she navigates the horrors of war, societal norms and expectations, her responsibilities toward her sister and friends, her work in the bindery, her budding relationship with Bastiaan and her academic aspirations.

Having read and enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, I was eager to read the author’s latest offering. I'm happy to say that with The Bookbinder the author does not disappoint! We meet Gareth and Tilda from The Dictionary of Lost Words and, both of whom have an impact on Peggy’s life and several references to Esme’s book of Women’s Words are made throughout the narrative.

(Please note that both of these books can be read as standalone and you won't face any difficulty in following the narrative of The Bookbinder if you haven't read The Dictionary of Lost Words.)

The characters and the time-period are well-drawn. Peggy is an interesting character. She is not perfect but she is someone you would root for. I adored Maude and her sweet demeanor. Tilda is a powerful character and I wish we had more scenes of her with the sisters. Revolving around themes of war, PTSD, loss, sacrifice family, friendship, and women’s rights, Peggy’s story is set against the backdrop of WWI and its aftermath, the women’s suffrage movement and the Spanish flu. The author does a remarkable job of seamlessly weaving all the threads of this story together into an engrossing narrative. I loved reading about the work culture and the different job descriptions in the bindery/press. As an avid bibliophile with a fondness for collecting hardcover editions, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the steps involved in creating a finished copy.

Please read the Author’s Note wherein she shares details about the historical context of this novel and the real people and events that inspired parts of this story. I enjoyed learning more about the era from a different perspective. I loved that the author included a copy of a page with the names /signatures of actual the bindery staff in 1915.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Bookbinder is due t be released on July 25, 2023.

“Some things have to be voiced over and over, they have to be shared and understood, they have to echo through time until they become truth and not just fancy.”