This is a great read, I loved Pip Williams previous novel and this one bears some peripheral links to that, Peg and Maude are twins living on a barge and working at the Clarendon Press during the First World War. The story centres on them and their friendship group, predominantly women. The characters are well drawn and each has a unique and very personal response to the history happening around them. I couldn't put it down.

What a delight to read. I’ve so enjoyed visiting the streets of Oxford’s Jericho and the image of the historical Radcliffe Infirmary, sadly, no longer standing. There was so much love and camaraderie shared by the girls in the bindery and I could completely imagine their dedication to their role. I loved the idea that any pages spoiled or not bound properly, didn’t go to waste. Peggy kindly gave them a second home with herself and her sister.
I found myself feeling very fond of Maud and could understand Peggy’s worry about her. All of the characters were delightful and I just wonder if Peg would eventually follow the love she found?

Another good read from the author, about a topic I knew little about. Peggy and her twin, Maude, are bookbinders during WW1. Peggy loves books and would love to further her education but there are many obstacles.

I was blown away by "Dictionary of Lost Words" by Pip Williams, so I was really pleased that she had written another book in the same world, this time we visited the bindery. "The Bookbinder of Jericho" is a wonderful companion to her first book and it was nice to see the Dictionary at the bindery in this book. Pip does a wonderful job of giving life to women that would otherwise disappear from history. Like she says at the end of the book, there is plenty of documentation of men who fought in the war and their jobs, but very little about the women. This book is a great piece of social history.

It’s the start of WW1 and Peggy and Maude Jones, identical twins, are living on a narrowboat, Calliope, moored on the canal in Oxford. They both work in the bindery for the Clarendon Press. Since their Ma’s death, Peggy has looked after her sister, as Maude needs a little help now and then. However, Peggy’s dream has always been to become a Somervillian, wanting to be Gown rather than Town.

This story takes the reader all through the war, with its tragedies and changes, following the lives and loves of the Jones girls.

This story did take some getting into, the writing style is not a favourite of mine, but I am very happy that I persevered. A charming story, well told with the added bonus of a much loved backdrop. I enjoyed the characterisation, particularly Gwen, and could imagine each walk taken, every venue visited and following the routes.

Very slow in parts, but still one to recommend.

3.5*

Thank you NetGalley.

I found this book very slow to start with and thought of giving up on it, but glad I didn't.
Set during the 1914-18 world war, the story tell of a young girl and her identical twin sister who work as book binder in Oxford. They live on a narrow boat left to them by their mother. Peggy, one of the sisters, is very bright and reads continuously. Her dream is to go to Somerville college, which she passes every day on her way to work. Following her volunteering to help wounded refugees from Belgium, she meets a young women Gwen, who already attends Somerville. Gwen helps her towards her dream which is not easy. Peggy also faces being pulled between her sister, who has learning difficulties, and her Beligian patient who is terribly wounded.
I really enjoyed this book in the end. Quite an unusual book with sufferage running through it as a theme in the background.

What a lovely surprise, Pip Williams has recreated the world of the separated “Town and Gown’ lives in Oxford before and during the First World War wonderfully. A world inhabited by books and words whichever side of the tracks you are from.

For the full review please see https://www.tumblr.com/joebloggshere/714834290841714688/the-bookbinder-of-jericho-by-pip-williams-i-love?source=share

Fans of Pip William's The Dictionary of Lost Words will adore this companion piece, with its shared characters and connections, a historical novel, a well researched blend of fact and fiction that celebrates words, books and literature. It is set in Oxford, atmospherically evoking the sacrifices, horrors and repercussions of the Great War. Since they were 12 years old, twin sisters Peggy and Maude Jones have worked as bindery girls at Oxford University's Clarendon Press, they live on the narrowboat, Calliope, and are still grieving the recent loss of their mother. Peggy feels compelled to look out for Maude, who has learning issues, but Maude is more able than she imagines, we are immersed in the details of their work, folding the pages, as bookbinders, but they are not allowed to read the pages, 'Your job is to bind the books, not read them.'

Peggy is a bright and well read girl with impossible dreams of studying at Somerville College, an aspiration that seems doomed, she is a town girl, the gown side of the city out of reach for the likes of her. Resentment of the inequalities and limitations placed on her world makes her a spiky character, but turbulent changes are on their way as men leave to fight in the war, there is the women's suffragette movement, and Peggy finds herself involved in a secret project. She goes on to become a volunteer, performing the tasks of reading and writing for the casualties of WW1. They bring the truth and grim realities of the war, there has been an influx of traumatised and injured Belgian soldiers, not welcomed by some in the community, and Peggy finds herself becoming close to Bastiaan Peeters.

Williams astutely captures Oxford and this historical period from a woman's perspective, the challenges, the obstacles, women's rights, the unprecedented terrors, cost and losses of WW1, how Oxford responds, and the nightmare that is the Spanish Flu. She creates and develops a remarkable set of characters that you cannot help but get emotionally engaged with them and their lives, and I appreciated just how much words and books are at the heart of this outstanding novel. An exquisite and emotionally affecting read that I highly recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction, but I am certain many other readers will love this too. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Bind don’t read ★★★★★

I adored “The Dictionary of Lost Words” so was excited for this new novel, which overlaps in timeframe, location, and some characters from the first novel but is also very much a standalone piece.

Set during the First World War, the novel tells the story of Peggy, a bookbinder at Oxford University Press who lives on a canal boat with her vulnerable twin sister Maude. Like Esme in “Dictionary”, Peggy is a magpie for words, collecting sections and snippets of disregarded books and building a clandestine floating library onboard Calliope.

Peggy dreams of a world where she can openly read the books she binds and even pursue a university education at Somerville college. However, as both working class and a woman, both seem miles out of sight. Women do not yet have the vote and whilst they can attend Oxford – well, wealthy debutantes such as Gwen can – they cannot be awarded a degree.

When war comes and the young men of the Press are decimated, Oxford is full of Belgian refugees and badly wounded men. Surrounded by grief and death, Peggy must choose what kind of future she really wants for herself.

A powerful tour de force filled with wonderful characters and literary snippets and the longing for a real education and a real voice. It makes me feel a hundred times more lucky to be a woman with both the vote and a doctorate.

I so wanted to enjoy this book as I've heard really positive reviews of Pip's previous writings but, unfortunately, I struggled to connect with this book, the characters and the story.

This book is a fabulous piece of historical fiction. It is described as a 'companion' book to the previous novel 'The Dictionary of Lost Words'. This is a perfect description - both books can be read as stand alone novels, but there are connections and I would highly recommend reading both.

In The Bookbinder we meet Peggy and Maude Jones who fold pages of books prior to the binding process. The first world war is underway and many of the men disappear from the bindery as they volunteer and are sent off to fight. The women are called on to keep working whilst also volunteering to nurse or read and write for injured soldiers. And in the background there is news of the ongoing suffragette movement and the possibility of women having the right to vote.

There are so many themes in this novel, it really makes you stop and think. The hardships of working class living are made really clear. The love for literature and books was a major draw for me and I loved that the author explained at the end of the novels which books were real and what they were about. I also appreciated the explanation of the people who were real - this would have passed me by to be honest, I would have assumed that all the characters were fictional.

There is real depth to the storyline and all the characters that come and go. I loved Peggy and her desire to be a 'gown' not just a 'town'. The desire to read the books not just bind them was palpable. The class divide and gender inequality were covered and were very relatable. The setting in Oxford is great too and brought alive will all the different locations. Great to have a historical novel set outside of London for a change.

I absolutely loved this book. I think the research that has gone into it shines through - I didn't know where fact ended and fiction started! I am sure this will be an international best seller and I wouldn't hesitate to read books by this author again.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars


This is a good continuation of the lost words, and I smiled when characters I remembered cropped up.
I smiled a lot, some of the characters and their interactions were just comforting.
Which contrasts nicely to the war, and it's effects.
I didnt warm to Peg, but that didn't stop me enjoying the book, and hoping everything worked out, that everyone came home.
A bit slow in parts, but mostly a very enjoyable read.