If you like this kind of book then it was a good read. Slightly long in places but the pace picks up towards the end and has a different ending to the expected. Certainly makes you think about the right and wrongs of deciding what secrets we should keep.

Emmett is summoned to be an apprentice for a mysterious Bookbinder, where he learns of the secrets and painful memories people bind away.

I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book is very misleading, it went in a completely different direction than I expected, and for that, I loved it!

First of all, can I just say - an alternative historical novel set in Castleford (a little town, just up the road)? Involving magical books?

It starts with Emmett - his family own a farm, but he's been very ill lately, and he can't pull his weight. A solution arises, when he is summoned to be an apprentice to Seredith, the Bookbinder.
Of course, the solution isn't ideal, as Seredith is an odd hermit that people avoid, calling her a witch and a soul stealer, and all other names. Bookbinding is a necessary, but repellent practise, as they strip a person of upsetting memories, and bind them into books.

The first half of The Binding was interesting in its own way, but still slow and laborious - much like Emmett's repetitive chores, as he learnt the basics, and was never allowed to perform any binding.

The second half kicks off in a completely different direction, as instead of moving forward with Emmett's career as a Bookbinder, it moves backwards, as we learn more about his life before he was ill. At first, it was a bit jarring, and I was looking forward to getting back to his apprenticeship; but I was soon hooked!
I don't want to share anything, because it would just spoil it.

I'd definitely recommend checking this story out, and I'm looking forward to more of Collins' work.

Books contain memories; a reflection of the author. And in this world, books are true. Novels are feared, as, by binding someone, their memory and experiences are taken away, leaving them untouched by their past. Book-binders are feared in the countryside, seen as witches that steal part of the soul, whilst in the towns the binders take advantage of the desperate and pander to the rich. A library is not a collection of fiction, but a storehouse of memories - some gained legally, whilst others are not.

The Binding starts slowly - Emmett Farmer is recovering after a long illness that left him bed-bound and raving. He is weak and struggling to contribute to the family's farm, when he is called to an apprenticeship at the bindery. He has been taught to fear books, but not why.
The long gaps in his memory and Emmett's illness are laboured points, but set the story up for the revelations ahead.

By the time Part 2 began, I was gripped and needed to find out more - where were the gaps? What was Seredith not telling Emmett about binding? What was the significance of the dream? And what was it that town binders did?

The Binding is also a dark and entrancing romance - if you take away the love that has built from your memories - what is left? The dichotomy between industrial and pastoral settings, as well vices and prejudices of the characters were compelling, making this a novel that really captures the imagination.

I found the relationship between Emmett and Lucian too heavily focused around the physical - fighting, pushing, threatening etc, however the slow build of their friendship in Part 2 was perfect. And it also seemed that every character with wealth was also lecherous and violent, making the 'good countryside, bad town' element a little heavy-handed and the representation of the 'elite' quite one dimensional. I would also like to know what happened to Alta - it seemed as though she would reappear towards the end, but never did, leaving the focus just on Emmett and Lucian.

This story began as intriguing, not fast, just enough to get its hook into me and reel me in real slow, that feeling of you are lost in the story, in a good way that is. Emmett doesn’t come from a stand out family so when a letter arrives that summoned him to become a Bookbinder he cannot refuse. There is mystery and intrigue surrounding the Bookbinders but not in a good way. Emmett had only worked in the fields and now suffered an illness but he was drawn to this strange world. Now I am thinking of the making of the books in the physical sense and this does of course come into it but in this story of fantasy which means that there is much more to it.
Imagine all the tragic things that have happened in your life, then imagine if they could be taken away and transferred into your personal book to be kept in a safe place so that you can go on with life not remembering any thing of them. Sounds pretty cool but sometimes we learn from our mistakes and sometimes it helps us to become better people or simply deal with the tragedies in life. Emmett has a gift but he doesn’t know it yet, he also has a secret. Seredith teaches Emmett the beauty of books, their care and nurturing but Emmett itches to know more about the room he is forbidden from.
The story dips back to another time in Emmett’s life and the fairy story type relationship of him, his sister Alta and the mysterious Lucian Darnay. This is sort of the prequel to the first part of the book that fills in all the whys? and hows? that I felt were missing. It is a story of betrayal, friendship and love. The icing on the cake of this book that blossomed from being a bud to stunning bouquet of barbed wire.
I fell in love with the story as I wanted to click my heels and make dreams come true. It made me want to boo and hiss, cheer and cry. Bridget Collins had me firmly hooked and pulled on board. Every fairy story has its innocents and its villains and this story definitely had both. It was dark and menacing and beautiful. A real good versus evil story that swept me away.
This is a long book but well worth the journey that it took me on alongside Emmett.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an e-copy of this book which I have honestly reviewed.

One of the most beautiful and profound stories to ever come into my life.

Emmett Farmer, son of Robert and Hilda, is supposed to take over the family farm. That is until Seredith, the Book Binder, summons him to become her apprentice. The family can't deny the request, and within days of the letter arriving, Robert takes his son to where the Book Binder lives amongst the marshes.

Lucian Darnay, the son of a very wealthy businessman living in Castleford, is lost and alone. He has a bad relationship with his father. His mother is distant. He feels as though something has been taken from his life, but what?

Binding a book was more than merely putting a cover over a novel or memoir, binding, done by specially trained people, could take memories from someone, and bind them into a book. The memory would be lost by the person, never to return, never to disturb the person again. To quote Seredith, “We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember. Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any more harm. That’s all books are.”

A very brief summary of one of the most profound stories, no, it felt more like a journey travelling alongside Emmett and Lucian as they discover what is most important in life, to know true love.

I had no idea what I was going to find when I opened the book. However, I very quickly got “bound” to it. I became resentful that other things like making a meal, were demanding my time, so to try to explain why I became a recluse for several days, simply burying myself as I followed the story. Let me quote a couple of lines that will hopefully give you some idea of what to expect from Bridget Collins' writing, "The darkness thickened, pooling under trees and in hedges, while the moonlight bleached the stars out of the sky.”

And “misery rose inside me, as strong as the stabbing pains in my legs. Before this, I’d never been ill in my life. I never knew that my body could betray me, that my mind could go out like a lamp and leave nothing but darkness.”

I sat for ages after I closed the book, thinking, “maybe this is what books are about. Maybe all storytellers are Binders. They take the memories of people and store them in books for us to read."

Bridget Collins has created possibly one of the most outstanding books of all time. The story of Emmett and Lucian is spellbinding, believable and I feel bereft writing this review that I’ve finished it. Where can I find the enthusiasm to start reading something else? I'll give it a few days and hopefully, my love of the written word will allow me to pick another author’s binding of some story.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Sorry to say that although the book started off as a fascinating and original concept and remained so throughout Part One, Part Two took off in a direction that really did not grab me at all, although an occasional beam did manage to break through the clouds. Part Three, was more of Part Two and so the last two thirds of the book left me wondering what had happened to the brilliant start in Part One.

Strange book but if you like this type you will enjoy it. Emmet and Lucian very different characters that actually have things in common and have a happy ending. Is it good to forget or should we remember the good and the bad, who is to tell us what we should do>

To whom and to what are you bound? Family, friends, lovers, enemies, memories, obligations, society’s expectations? In her first novel written for adults, Bridget Collins explores all of these ideas reminding us that binding can be comforting, restricting, thrilling or terrifying. ‘The Binding’ is also a story about a world in which memories can be bound between beautifully crafted covers, ensuring that their owners forget them. So, an unwise liaison, a shameful experience, a terrifying situation can be erased forever – but at what cost? Can one trust the binder not to sell on such memories for salacious gratification to a private bidder? How will the one bound be affected through such eradication?
At the centre of this beautifully written story are two young men of differing social class. Emmett Farmer is, as his name suggests, someone who works the land and who is expected to inherit the family farm. However, in the first part of the story we learn that he has suffered from an unexplained illness and is now too weak to take on physical challenges. Reluctantly his family decide that he must be apprenticed to a binder, even though they fundamentally disapprove of such work. Lucian Darney is so wealthy that he does not need to work and only enters the Farmers’ life because he rescues Emmett’s sister, Alta, from drowning. Farmer is immediately suspicious of Darney’s motives and a great deal of time passes before the two are comfortable in each other’s company.
Bridget Collins creates a horribly convincing world in which manipulation, falsehood and blackmail are the norms. To highlight its quasi-Victorian trappings is slightly missing the point. This could be any society in any age as long as the reader accepts the idea of bound recollections, something that anyone with even a little understanding of psychoanalysis will recognise as a wonderful metaphor for repressed memory. Over the course of the three-part narrative we follow the lives of Farmer and Darney as they struggle to come to terms with the truth about their bond. Whilst this is a novel which reflects a recognisably hypocritical and unequal society, it is also a story that celebrates the importance of love. Love is strong: it heals, it supports and it endures.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I had put off reading this book until last minute because... argh.... historical fiction! There has never been an historical fiction I have enjoyed, and after a recent bad experience with The Essex Serpent I was reluctant to pick up another historical fiction.
But this is hands down, one of the best books I have ever read! It reads so wonderfully descriptive and yet so simply. It doesn’t read lie a historical fiction, nor fantasy. And I knew from the first chapter that this was going to be a very special read.
It’s sprinkling of fantastical elements were PERFECT. Emmett the main character was such a darling, and I became so involved with him.
There was mystery, love, magic, the duel POV were a treat, and I loved the addition of Luciens point of view.
I am rambling, I know, but it was incredible!! I can not recommend this book enough. Now I am going to rush out and buy the hardback because.... wow that cover.

I found this very disappointing, its almost like half the book was missing.

It needed more world building, more explanations and a much stronger storyline that just someone being gay for crying out loud.

Boring.

This is a beautiful historical fantasy with an extremely original premise. I love books, and I love books about books, but what if books were more than fictional stories written for our amusement and entertainment? What if they were actually memories taken from people who wanted or needed to forget? This is a book that will make you think and the story will stay with me for some time I am sure. A fantastic read and highly recommended.

The idea behind The Binding - that memories can be wiped and stored in a book - is a very clever one, and Bridget Collins has worked out her concept with ingenuity and skill, but though the premise and the endorsements promised much, in the end it didn't meet my expectations.

Crisp cutting would have ensured that scenes were not laboured, and some variety in the emotional register - for it's all very urgent and febrile - would have made the reading experience less wearing. There's a lot in it that's praiseworthy, but a firmer editorial hand would have made it a better book.

https://www.cornflowerbooks.co.uk/2019/01/the-binding.html

Beautiful original storytelling! Imagine a world where books are more than books - they are extracted memories of living people that cause so much pain, that they have to removed and bound in a book. Imagine how people can use and abuse this magic and then meet Emmett and his family and hear what this magic has to do with all of them.
This book was a bit slow to start, but once it got its hooks into me, I couldn't stop thinking about it and where the journey would take me. It felt completely new and original, and the descriptions so real and vivid. It almost feels like I'm part of this new slightly magical world.

I'd heard all about this book on Twitter and was sure it would be right up my street so I was delighted to receive an E-copy in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't disappointed. Collins has a lovely lyrical style of writing and even though it was a slow burner I was never bored or frustrated by the pace. The premise is intriguing and well thought out. I can't say too much about the plot without giving away spoilers! Ultimately, it is a beautiful, against-all-odds, love story.
Highly recommend!

A binder has the power to take a memory and bind it for eternity in a book. Removing it from the mind and thought allowing a person to go on without ever remembering what is lost. It's an old and powerful gift or perhaps a curse. Emmett isn't sure of it yet but hes about to learn all about the power.

This book is told in three parts. Emmett's story, the past and Lucian's story. I wasnt sure what was happening when the story jumped back to begin with but then I realized why and it's very clever. This book didn't grab me right away but once it did I was hooked. It was so good. The story held me in so many ways. The plot was different and so well written. The ending was so perfect and just how I wanted it to end.

Emmett was an unusual character, he comes across so weak at times and yet I grew to love him. By the end he was strong and brave.

The book description offered a magical, supernatural fantasy but this novel turned out to be something much deeper, and for me, much more satisfying.

Imagine that books aren’t what we know them to be - repositories of facts and information and stories to educate, inform or entertain, but repositories to lock away your most shameful secrets and all the things you’d really rather forget. The process of wiping away your memories is called “binding” and is performed by those with certain supernatural powers - “binders” - who then craft a beautiful locked book of people’s innermost confessions.

Emmett Farmer has been unwell when he is apprenticed to become a binder. Seredith, the elderly woman who takes him on is a binder of high morals, but Emmet soon begins to learn that there are many charlatans in the business and binding doesn’t just offer a way of forgetting traumatic events, it also encourages corruption and abuse. And what of those who are bound? Is it a relief, a wiping clean of the slate, or does it empty the soul? And what of the books themselves? What if they fall into the wrong hands.......

So progresses a story of forbidden love and the discovery of hidden secrets. A compelling story of atmosphere and melancholy and an unusual and innovative idea. A good plot and intelligent writing made it a pleasure to read.

Although I read this review copy as an e-book I have seen the hardback version and it is beautifully printed, bound and illustrated. Irresistible!

This book really stood out to me. It looks gorgeous. It’s been all over bookstagram. And I loved the premise of the book. Imagine living in a world where books are filled with all your bad memories, where grief and pain can be erased. This is what book binders do. It is a trade you are born into and only a select few have the special gift. “We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember. Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any more harm. That’s all books are”. I had such high hopes and I have seen all the 5 star reviews, but this book was not for me.

The book is split into 3 parts. I didn’t like part 1 and wanted to give up reading so many times. It was slow and confusing. I didn’t really understand what was going on and I didn’t like the characters. It isn’t told in chronological order, which, while I see what the author was trying to do, big plot twist in part 2, it spoiled my enjoyment of the book. In part 2 and 3 things fall into place and make more sense but I had already been put off by part 1.
2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and publishers.
The Binding is a really thought-provoking read. Admittedly this is not of my usual genre, I found it quite fascinating to compare our worldly acceptance of what 'book-binding' means and understanding of what a 'novel' is, with this fantasy world juxtaposition where 'novels' are fakes and 'books' are people's secret and hurtful memories drawn from them by the mystical powers of the Binders to be locked away securely forever; - or so they think.
Emmett Farmer had been ill for some time when his parents accept an offer for him to become apprenticed to a Binder, Seredith. He reluctantly leaves his parent's farm for Seredith's large and isolated house on the marshes where she puts him to work learning the skills of leatherwork and tooling to produced book covers. However, he soon questions the fact that there were no actual 'books' to bind, and becomes curious about two locked doors at the end of the workshop. Lucien Darney arrives one day and is taken into one of these rooms by the Binder; Emmett feels there is something between himself and Lucien but cannot understand exactly what.
The magic here is in Bridget Collins' writing, Two young men have their names on two separate books and the author leads us through memories, misfortune, happiness and hopelessness with a beautifully written story.
My only criticism would be that I felt the frenetic energy conveying clear desperation towards the conclusion felt a little out of 'pace' with the preceding story and its rather 'timid' ending.

In Bridget Collins’ novel, The Binding, there are the familiar divides between the rich and the poor; those who live in rural areas and city-dwellers; the business owners and their workers. But we also need to add into the mix the binders themselves – people who take the thoughts and memories which make people’s lives unbearable and make them into books. The sufferer is then able to resume their life without the constant memory of their dead child, unfaithful wife or failed business and their book is stored, securely, by the binder who created their book. In the story we follow the life of Emmett Farmer, like most working people in rural areas he is named for his family profession, as he discovers that the mysterious illness he has been suffering means that he must now become a binder himself. Since he has been brought up to fear and mistrust books he is not happy about this and, like most people in the area, he sees the binder he is apprenticed to – an elderly woman called Seredith – as some sort of witch. But, gradually, he learns how Seredith uses the power of binding to help those who are being driven mad by painful memories and how much she cares for those she assists. However, just when it looks as if Emmett has found a safe niche for himself, everything changes. A strange young man arrives asking to be bound, villagers try to destroy Seredith’s home as punishment for the binding she did for a village girl (trying to forget the horrific death of her child) and he suddenly finds himself transported to the city and exposed to the darker side of binding: those who use binders to take away the memories of abuse so they can abuse their victims anew. Or worse, those who take the book created by those bindings and then, instead of storing them safely, sell them for the titillation of both abusers and those who gain pleasure from reading about such acts.

I’m going to call the early part of this book a fairly ‘measured’ start – it doesn’t exactly romp away with you – but there is a lot to explain about what binding is and why books are feared or hated by many. After Emmett moves to the city the pace picks up, however, and I really enjoyed the rather tender love story which appears as a long flashback section. But what I really loved about the story was how much it made me think about the things I was referring to in the opening paragraphs of this post: the power which binding gives to those who practice the art and how different characters use that power. Poverty and inequalities are examined (from both sides) and a lot of the issues raised seemed very relevant to the real world despite the historical/alternate reality/slightly magical setting.

Ooh I love a fantasy story and though The Binding doesn’t strictly fit into this genre I absolutely loved it. The story of Emmett Farmer, the aptly named farmer’s son and the privileged toff Lucien Darney is one of star crossed lovers. But it is so much more than that. The descriptive nature passages are beautiful and the whole idea of being able to erase memories by binding them in a book is so cleverly imagined. An immersive and deeply satisfying read from Brigid Collins. Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC.