It’s an intriguing thought isn’t it … sounds good to have memories erased so you can forget those awful things you’ve done or things done to you and yet, when you look deeper than that first reaction, you start to consider ethics and morals and power (which play out beautifully in this story). And don’t we need to remember those experiences for the joy and pain and learning we need to take with us into the future so we don’t make the same mistakes again? Feeling joy or pain means we are alive – alive to hope and for possibilities and moving forward. The whole concept fascinated me and kept me spellbound throughout The Binding.

There are three parts to the story and each has an ethereal quality to it. I loved the mystical dreamscape and breathed it in with great gulps.

Part One sees Emmett Farmer leave his parents farm to start his apprenticeship with Seredith in her cottage on the edge of the marshes at Castleford. I had so many questions! Circumstances force a move into Castleford and it’s after Emmett has conducted his first binding when he finds out he’s been bound. Part Two is the past. Part Three is a narration by the other main character of the story. I can’t be more specific as I don’t want to share any spoilers with you!

What can I tell you?

The Binding is set during the Victorian era which is perfect with its gas lamps, cobbled streets, hierarchy, wealth and poverty. I loved Bridget Collins writing style.

At the beginning of Emmett’s apprenticeship:

“Here the clock in the hall dredged up seconds like stones and dropped them again into the pool of the day, letting each ripple widen before the next one fell.”

I was emotionally invested in the two main characters, hated two other characters, had a great deal of respect for Seredith and how she felt about the skill of binding …

When I wasn’t reading The Binding I was thinking about it. I dreamt about it. I didn’t know what to do with myself once I had finished reading it. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. Enough said 🙂

First of all I would like to say thank you for letting me read this delightful book

The Binding is a great book, but I do not want to leave too many spoilers!

Emmet is a farm boy living outside of Castleford, he has always enjoyed working on his parents farm dreaming of the day it will be left to him, unfortunately Enmet falls ill with. Mysterious illness over the summer and once better he is weaker than he was before, on a trip out Emmet and his sister Alta meet Lucian the lords nephew and Alta falls in love, slowly Emmet begins to like Lucian becoming friends in a cautious way. One day a letter arrives telling Emmet he is to become a binders apprentice and move to the marshlands to learn his trade.

Once Emmet arrives in the marshlands he is keen to learn but is kept giving menial tasks and he wonders about the secrets behind the door.

A slow start but stick with it as this is a wonderful book.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K./The Borough Press for an eARC of this highly anticipated historical fantasy via NetGalley.

‘The Binding’ is set in and around Castleford, West Yorkshire in an unspecified historical period, which from the level of technology and other indicators may be sometime in the late 19th Century. In this alternative reality books are considered dangerous as bookbinders are able to extract painful memories when requested and store them in beautifully bound books. While most binders are ethical there are shadier aspects of the trade. It occurred to me that for some these books were made-to-order misery memoirs.

Emmett Farmer is plucked from life on his family’s farm to apprentice with the eccentric local binder, Seredith. He is quite reluctant though assured by her that it is more than a trade. Events then take unexpected turns.

I am wary about saying much more about those developments as it’s too easy to accidentally reveal spoilers. I feel it is better to allow the power of the story to carry the reader into a unique experience.

In magical practice binding spells are used to control and depending on intent can be considered as positive or negative magic. Often objects are used to assist the practitioner and anchor the binding.

As I began reading, although the story is about books being created to contain unwanted memories, the concept of magical binding kept coming to my mind alongside the binding of books.

Loving books as I do the concept of a world where they are forbidden and novels are considered ‘fake’ makes me quite anxious, so was glad that this was an alternative reality.

Yet I set that aside and just allowed myself to be caught up in Collins’ beautiful language and this moving tale of forbidden love. Though I found that I felt quite sad with the outcome for some characters but it can’t be rainbows and bluebells for all.

Overall a very memorable story that is receiving praise from professional and reader reviews alike.

Quite rightly the publishers have created an exquisite binding for the hardback and I have ordered a copy as I need this on my bookshelf.

This mystical tale of family, duty and expectation, dark magic, love against the odds, lies, and self discovery, casts its spell on you from the first page. A story like no other, you will not be able to forget or stop talking about this magnificent novel.
Emmett Farmer is still recovering from a mystery illness that struck him down in the summer. He’s struggling to keep up with the work and is still weak, but is trying to hide this from his parents and sister, Alta, and make up for the work that piled up while he convalesced. As he arrives back at home one evening he hears his parents arguing about a letter that has arrived: Emmett has been summoned as an apprentice Bookbinder. He is confused when hear his Father saying he must go as years ago he told him he must never touch or read a book. Ultimately, it is decided there is no other choice but for him to go, he can not refuse the call from the Binder.

Arriving at the secluded Bindery Emmett is full of fear and trepidation. Books are bewitched, evil and that anyone who binds them is a sorcerer. His concerns are not allayed when he is greeted by the Binder, a thin, feeble and decrepit old woman named Seredith. As he is set to work he feels lost and still doesn’t understand why he was requested but at the same time keeps having a strange sense of deja vu. Emmett is even more confused when he enquires after the books they sell and is told they don’t sell books. Seredith explains that the books they bind are memories that people have asked to be bound in a book so that they don’t remember. They are stored in a vault and shouldn’t be read or sold, but there are some that create trade books for for profit or illegally sell the bound books. Emmett is horrified. How could he ever make such wicked things and take people’s memories? Seredith reassures him he’s “Binder-born”, that in time he will feel able to do the job at hand and all will become clear. Emmett can’t imagine that to be true and his first binding is a frightening experience that he feels ill-prepared for.

I found the first part of this book enjoyable but very confusing. We know only as much as Emmett and the author conveys his feelings so acutely that I found myself experiencing the same terrible bewilderment and desperate need for answers. When Emmett discovers a book with his name on he finally understands his feelings of deja vu and the story becomes clearer as we read about the memories he erased. This part of the book is where we see more of Emmett’s character and I felt I connected with him. He is a man of morals, a good, but flawed character who tries to do what is right. Sometimes I understood him, other times I empathised with him, and there were times I was aghast he could do or think what I was reading. I felt his turmoil at what he was expected to do, especially when he learned that it wasn’t always used to help people, as Seredith had taught him. We also get to know his sister, Alta, and aristocrat Lucian Dornay and as the fates of the three are entwined a love story that challenges social bounds and sets them all on an ill-fated collision course that only being bound in a book can help them forget.

The Binding is a book I could write about for hours. The multi-layered plot slowly unfolds over the three parts and takes some surprising twists and turns. I did see one of the these twists coming fairly early on but this facet of the story took unexpected turns which made the book unputdownable and an entirely different story to the one I thought I would read. The author filled this book with memorable characters, some of whom are so sinister they made my stomach turn. I liked how even the ‘good’ characters became misguided as it made them real. I loved how the author introduced the concept of ‘fake’ books (novels) that were seen as more outrageous and confounding at the time, as were the people who would write such things. It was an interesting take on something that is the norm and did make me think how ludicrous such a thing as making up a tale rather than retelling something that happened, or was thought to have happened, could be when it was introduced.

This is an enchanting book that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. If you want to read something totally different that everyone will be talking about then this is the book for you.

This is such a wonderful debut, original, creative story , featuring a star crossed forbidden love and wonderful well written characters you can’t help but love. It’s a wonderful page turner, spinning historical fantasy of such a creative level I haven’t seen in a debut before. Highly recommmended to all lovers of great literature.

This book was a revelation to me, nothing like any book I had read before. It tells the story of Emmett Farmer, a young man who it appears has a very special talent for 'binding' in a world where the rich are at liberty to choose what will be remembered, and by whom.

He is sent to work as an apprentice binder, learning how to 'bind' people's memories and keep them locked in a special vault never to be seen again. One day he comes across his own book and delves into his own story.........

The story is in three parts - it's a mystery combined with a love story and also an underlying commentary on the value of memories and how they shape our future selves - what kind of world would we be in if we could take away bad experiences and memories, from ourselves or those that we had afflicted? It's really difficult to write a review without giving anything away because it is such a unique book. Suffice to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and was very surprised and sad when I found myself at the end.

This is a unique and fascinating idea. The idea of your memories being willingly taken from you and locked away is an interesting concept. The scary fact that someone can illegally buy them and read them or use their power and influence to make you want to forget their deeds is a dark and disturbing thought. There is so much packed into this book and different interpretations as to what is moral and immoral. I would definitely recommend this book. It is totally different from anything that I have read. It was an interesting and thought provoking read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

When Emmett Farmer receives a letter from a local bookbinder inviting him to be her new apprentice, he is reluctant and afraid, begging his parents not to send him away. He has only just recovered from an illness that ravaged his senses and cloaked everything he knew in darkness. For those long months, he was just a husk, a fevered body with no sight to see his mother’s fear or strength to peel himself from bed. When his parents ignore his pleas and demand he leave the following day, Emmett pacts his meagre belongings and departs his family home. The bookbinder’s shop is a cold, silent space, standing amid a desolate marshland. And the woman herself, distant and elusive, superstition and rumours surrounding who – or what – she is.





Emmett is put to work and gradually he finds a rhythm, derives a little comfort from the quiet work and the paste and paper. He is taught to make the most beautiful books, covers with gold foil and delicately cut pages. But he is lonely, mourning the absence of his sister and parents. His only distraction is the customers, the men and women who arrive haunted, tears smudged down their cheeks, then leave quiet, blank, as if they have been emptied, drained of their woes.



The book binder, Seredith, captures any unwanted memories and binds them inside the pages of a book. A death, a heartbreak or a mistake can be captured and erased within mere moments. And the books, all the memories Seredith has been asked to take away, are put away in her vault. Protected. Safe. Emmett finally feels he understands this mysterious trade but then he finds a book – a memory – that belongs to him and his life ruptures.





The Binding is a unique and powerful novel that evokes emotion in the reader with the first hypnotic sentence. Brimming with magic and atmosphere, it pins you to the pages and snatches your breath away. I fell hook, line and sinker in love with the rich, well-drawn characters, the unique concept and the poetic, raw prose.







This is a tale of romance and magic, of courage and cruelty, discovery and secrets. I loved every moment of it. I can’t wait to get my hands on that beautiful hardback, when it publishes on the 10th! I envy anyone who hasn’t read this yet! A work of wonder!





Magical. Unique. Emotional.

The Binding, Bridget Collins's first adult novel, is a book full of wonderful magic and searing heartache. A special hybrid of fantasy and historical fiction, it is a sumptuous and emotional affair which is substantial in its sincerity and exquisite in its writing. The premise, that memories you wished to be forgotten can be bound and effectively erased from a person's life, is a unique one and one I was on board with from the beginning. But this original concept is not the end of the story as it brings together two characters, Emmett and Lucian, in a beautiful, heartfelt love story. Two lovers that cross the class divide, with one being rich and one poor, but also many other divides of the time period.

Collins's world is lush, richly imagined and one I really didn't want to leave. This is a breathtakingly spectacular read and rates as one of the first fantastic reading experiences of 2019. The plot is a slow burn for the first half of the novel, which I enjoyed, and from then on it gathered pace a little. The perfect pacing is matched by the equally perfect storytelling ability of the author; it's rare you come across a more exceptional portrayal of time and place. An utterly charming and nuanced story with all the makings of a bestseller that captivated me from first page to last. Stunning!

Many thanks to The Borough Press for an ARC.

A difficult book to review without giving anything away. However,...
This is a story in three parts.
In the first part we get to know Emmett, the son of a farmer. Emmett has obviously been very ill for a long period and is only slowly getting back to being able to work on the farm again. A lot of work did not get done because he could not help his father during the previous months. Then he receives a letter asking him to become an apprentice to a (book)binder. Books are something unpleasant in this world. However, his parents do not think the request can be refused, so he goes. The binder is an old woman and she teaches him the physical aspects of binding books which he learns slowly. However, it is never explained what exactly "binding" is.
After an unpleasant incident, the old binder falls ill and dies and Emmett is taken to the next town by her son who is also a binder. He is then sent to do a "binding" and when he says that he does not know anything about this, he is told just to go and do it anyway. That is when we find out what 'binding' actually entails.
At the house where he is doing the binding, he meets Lucian, a young man of about his own age, whom he remembers having met at the binder's house. At that point, he also comes across a book with his own name. As he cannot take it and run away, he throws it into the fireplace where it burns and releases his memories.
In part 2, we find out what happened before Emmett fell ill and what his relationship to Lucian is.
In part 3, after a few additional complications, Emmett helps Lucian find the book with his memories. Lucian initially resists getting his memories back, in case there is something horrible there, but when he finally does, he is happy about it.
We leave them at this point, but given the family Lucian comes from, a happy-ever-after seems extremely unlikely.

The book deals with the idea that a particular memory can be taken away from a person and locked up. However, the person then feels that something is missing and it somehow changes or destroys their personality. Considering that we normally forget a lot of things that have happened to us, I think that is a debatable proposition.
The book itself is well written. However, I almost gave up somewhere in Part 1 as I was getting quite annoyed with it. There were lots of hints, but nothing was ever spelt out.

I received a free digital advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Such a gorgeous book!

I adore the concept that you can have bad memories taken away by being "bound", then put away in a book and effectively removed forever. I've only come across this as an idea in the film "Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind", and Bridget Collins weaves a magical tale around it.

The craft itself is absolutely fascinating and described beautifully, in a story that combines history, myth, magic and fantasy. The story itself pulls you in and under, I could not stop thinking about it and was eager to find spare moments to carry on reading it.

I now wish that I could undergo being "bound" myself so I could read this book again!

Highly recommend.

I received this from the publisher via netgalley. What beautiful writing and an unusual concept involving books. I refer of course to the idea of books created to erase memories in a process called binding. Quite a horrifying process when misused.
Excellent world building and brilliant character portrayal. A gradual unfolding of events tangled by the loss of memories reveal an abuse of binding and an understandable aversion by some people to avoid going anywhere near a book. How frightening is that to a book lover.
Nevertheless I digress, I found this book extremely readable and am definitely looking forward to more from this author. No spoilers from me. My advice is to put it in on your reading list. I must also mention the beautiful cover.

I have seen quite a lot of publicity about this book but I am afraid I was disappointed. From the synopsis I thought I would really enjoy it but the subject matter was really dark and depressing.

Fantasy novel set in 19th century England - quite good

I’m in two minds about this novel. It’s set in 19th century England where bookbinders bind people’s memories into books so that they can forget unpleasant memories. That’s as far as the fantasy element goes. The rest is about Emmett’s apprenticeship as a binder, the people with whom he comes into contact and the effect of binding on all of them. There’s sexual content and some violence and loads of description through similes and comparisons. The characters are well fleshed-out and it’s quite a long read. True fantasy lovers may be disappointed but those who enjoy the latest “magic realism “ type of book may enjoy it.

I finished this book unsure of how to rate it, there were a lot of elements that I really enjoyed and some that didn't sit so well with me, I ended up giving it three stars on Goodreads but it's more leaning between three and four depending on what you focus on. I'll try to explain in this review but forgive me if I seem to topple between love and slight dislike!

The Magic. The worldbuilding in this book is clear in the summary, books are captured memories, taken from their previous owners and bound up either with love or with a lack thereof depending on the kind of binder you go and see. I loved this idea. Bridget Collins manages to write one of these 'books about books' in a world where books aren't exactly revered, instead they are either kept secret and safe in the vaults of binders or peddled on the street for a fee. I loved the analogy to people selling their teeth or hair (or more than that) but instead, they are selling their memories. I thought it was interesting that very rarely does a binding take place actually on the page, I think I'm right in saying that Emmet performs one binding in the whole book? In some ways, I was dissapointed not to find out more about the system of binding and the magic of it all, but I can see how it wouldn't have fit in with the character or the plot as such. 

The Romance. I spent the first half of this book (perhaps just the second third) convinced I was being queer-baited, I thought I was reading too much into it, that it was going to be something other than what I wanted and that I would end up cross. But it wasn't! Rarely am I so delighted when two characters kiss. Of course, I then spent the remainder of the book waiting for one of their tragic demises, because what else have I come to expect from historical fantasy? I won't spoil the ending for you, because I think this is a book worth reading for yourself, but I was not annoyed at how the romance played out. 

Treatment of Women. I think this was the sticking point for me. I don't think a single woman in this book has anything nice happen to her at any point whatsoever. It is possible I am misremembering, but as far as I recall the general consensus among the wealthy in this world is that you can treat your female household staff as you like and then you just bind up their memories until you're fed up with them. I will admit, it's entirely plausible that this kind of thing would happen were this magic real, and it's deliberately uncomfortable to read, but the other women, who amount to more than household staff, have an equally rough time of it! I would have appreciated a female character who had more of an impact on Emmet's life through means other than being hurt in some way? 

For those concerned, any assault (save one, which I think was written as a consensual encounter rather than not) takes place off-page and is more heavily alluded to. 

That third point was what stopped me enjoying this story as much as I wanted to. I think the writing itself is very good, I think the story is well crafted, the pacing makes for really interesting reading. It's something not everyone enjoys, but I personally like getting to read chapters worth of characters memories (I'm reminded of Daughter of Smoke and Bone) and this book makes that particularly heartwrenching. 

I certainly got to that stage where I couldn't stop turning the pages because I had to know what happened to these characters, so evidently, I thought this book was compelling. With just a few added tweaks I think I would have absolutely loved this book, and perhaps it suffered from being part of a chain of books in which women were treated in a less than ideal manner? If you are at all interested, I would suggest giving this a read, it is a difficult book at times but the ending is worth it. 

My rating: 3 (3.5?)/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! The premise was intriguing - a binder has the ability to remove someone's memories; but should it be done? The setting was gothic and dark and I was swept away into the world instantly.

The time is probably the second half of the 19th century; the place an alternative England where binders are people with the skill to take unwanted memories away and bind them in a book with your name in, and books are therefore shunned by righteous people.

Emmett Farmer is summoned as an apprentice by one such binder after a long feverish, delirious illness. He knows books are forbidden, but not why, and does not understand why his parents are horror-struck at the summons but feel they have no option but to let him go. He travels to the binder’s house in the remote marshes, and sets about learning the trade of creating beautiful bindings. His mistress, meanwhile, reveals that each binding will protect the memories of a client who has chosen to forget something unbearable. Books are kept safe in a vault, and must never be destroyed as this would bring the lost memories flooding back, with who knows what consequences?

Of course, in such a world there are always those who seek to exploit, and there is a brisk trade not only in books belonging to people who have died, but also the forbidden commerce in books belonging to those still living, not to mention the fakes - novels - where authors seek to emulate true memories.

And meanwhile, Emmett is dealing with disturbing dreams, featuring fire and a young man called Lucian Darnay who turns up one day seeking to be bound. When Emmett’s mistress dies and her books and apprentice are taken over by her estranged son, Emmett and Lucian’s paths are destined to cross again, and a forgotten story revived.

Anything more would be a spoiler, but I will say that this is a wonderful slice of Victorian Gothic, well worth reading. It succeeds in doing what Sarah Perry in The Essex Serpent tried for but didn’t quite achieve. The atmosphere of superstition, dastardliness, mystery, illicit feelings and a touch of the supernatural is brilliantly achieved and never slips up, Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens rolled into one. It was the perfect spooky Christmas read, highly recommended for a bit of stylishly done escapism.

It was an absolute pleasure to read the Binding by Bridget Collins. It is a beautiful fantasy book that reads like well researched and authentic historical fiction. The idea that memories can be erased was fascinating, and the dark side of those memories being bound as books and then sold to unscrupulous and abusive rich men was shocking and heart-breaking. I really enjoyed the book, which at its heart is a story of love and hope. I definitely recommend it. (And I think it would make a great film.)
Thank you to #NetGalley to #HarperCollins and to Bridget Collins for the opportunity to read #The Binding.

I persevered to the end of The Binding by Bridget Collins but really I lost interest about half way through. What to me started as an intriguing and magical tale became quite predictable.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

really enjoyed this book, the fear of owning a book and then becoming a book binder was intriguing and this book took me on a whirlwind of a journey

emmett is just a farm lad and nobody he knows owns a book or even reads from a book so when he is summoned to be trained to be a book binder, in fact when he once did possess a book he father beat him...

and the journey that emmett goes on when he becomes this book binder.. well you just cant imagine..it makes owning and reading a book that more fascinating

there are a few dark bits in this book but on the whole a fascinating read, kept me glued

will be keeping an eye out for this author