Book Review: The Bookbinder - Pip Williams

 

“The Bookbinder” is a historical fiction novel by Pip Williams*. This book is set in England during WWI (aka “The Great War”). This book follows two sisters - Peggy and Maude - who work as bookbinders. Having read many books, I knew the printing process, but never gave much thought to the actual binding and folding of the book to create it an actual book (opposed to a pile of papers). I found that side of the story to be rather fascinating and Ms. Williams did a great job explaining the process. Peggy is the main voice, but there is a delightful cast of other characters - from Tilda to Lotte, Jack to Eb, and Gwen to Bastiaan. If one has read Ms. William’s previous book “The Dictionary of Lost Words,” some of these names may be familiar [I haven’t but now I’m interested in doing so]. There’s a lot packed in this book - suffragettes, education opportunities, war, refugees, adapting to live during a war, class struggles, and assumptions. I found this to be a very moving book, as if Ms. Williams took care in crafting the scenes and choosing the precise words. At times I did find the pacing to be a bit slow, but as there’s so much information - sometimes a slow section was appreciated. Four stars. 

(* - when I read this book, the title was "The Bookbinder of Jericho," so edited to reflect the name change.)