Given the number of 5 star reviews online this book will have a wide appeal and is obviously very well researched but I gave up at about the 25% mark. It wasn't really my type of novel and I didn't find enough in it to keep me reading. I would have preferred to engage more with these characters and their plights.
My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC .

A book covering a variety of topics including war, refugees, women's suffrage and being 'different'. I enjoyed it very much.

Well Pip Williams has done it again, she blew me away with her latest novel The Bookbinder of Jericho, it was a perfect follow up to her debut novel The Dictionary of Lost Words.

This novel was also set during WWI, with the story reflecting how war shaped and changed the lives of many.

There were some fabulous characters in this story and I loved the cross over of characters, and the mention of dictionary from her previous novel.

It was evident how much research had gone into writing this story which really made me heavy invested knowing that events and situations the characters were involved in actually happened in the past.

This book was so much more than I had expected and I will definitely won’t be hesitating in recommending this one.

"The Bookbinder of Jericho," a captivating companion to "The Dictionary of Lost Words," introduces us to twin sisters Peggy and Maude, who work at a book bindery. Peggy yearns for a different life, but the onset of World War I brings unexpected opportunities for women. As refugees from Belgium arrive, Peggy's involvement with them reshapes her world. Pip Williams expertly weaves a feminist historical tale, shedding light on the overlooked stories of women in society. The well-drawn characters and perfectly paced plot make this a favorite historical read. Prepare for an emotional journey and keep tissues nearby. Williams reminds us that while men may have memorials, the sacrifices and contributions of women often go unacknowledged. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine Books for providing an advance copy of this engrossing novel

Historical fiction is not my go to. In fact the story has to be super compelling or I have to have absolutely loved the author’s previous work (if there is previous work).

I lived Pip Williams’ The Dictionary of Lost Words. So The Book Binder of Jericho was immediately added to me to-read list as soon as I was aware of its existence.
This book is gorgeously written. The world building, the minute detail. It’s like being there. In the Bindery. On the boat. Caring for a sister with a developmental delay. The war and the uncertainty of loved ones being away and not knowing when it would end or when/if they’d return. I was right there for every heart wrenching moment.

But also, it moved really slowly. So much time was spent in singular locations that it became a bit of a slog for me to get through the book at times. This unfortunately brought down my overall enjoyment of the book.

Many thanks to Pip Williams, Affirm Press, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pip Williams won me over with her worldwide bestselling The Dictionary of Lost Words. I adored the story premise and her highly perceptive character development. And, it is clear I was not alone, since three years later the title remains one of the most popular book reviews on this site. So I approached this companion novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, with managed expectations — could she recreate the magic a second time around?

While a less ‘novel’ story premise, for me The Bookbinder of Jericho surpasses its predecessor in depth and gravitas. Once again, Williams brings vividly to life the stories of women lost to the patriarchal lens of the historical record. This novel’s character ensemble is an eclectic bunch brought into each other’s orbit through the circumstances of war. Some are feisty, some are stoic and some are misunderstood. But in one way or another, all are under-estimated and under-valued by society.

I was utterly captivated by the resilient, intellectually curious and resourceful Peggy’s first-person narrative. I felt privileged to have this character share so candidly with us her self-doubt, missteps and frustration associated with her status in society, and be afforded insight to her sometimes fraught but unerringly loving relationship with her twin sister Maude. There are many moments of magic in this novel, but common to most is Maude’s presence. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2023/05/the-bookbinder-of-jericho-review-pip-williams.html

I’ve been struggling to write this review for WEEKS! All I really want to say is: Superb. No notes.

But I feel like I’ve got to give a bit more than that! So…

This book had me enthralled. This highly anticipated release of the follow up to THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS absolutely lived up to my expectations.

THE BOOKBINDER OF JERICHO is exactly what you want from historical fiction - interesting and educational with an interesting cast of characters and mounting tension - and the perfect companion to THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS.

I thoroughly enjoyed the war and post-war settings and the chapters that covered the 1918 flu pandemic of course felt very close to home for this 2023 reader.

Bookbinding is fascinating stuff. How a book is made is not something I’ve ever really thought about but this book sent me seeking out videos of the process.

The heart of this story explores knowledge, who is and isn’t allowed to be educated - how gender and class dictate this, the barriers to accessing knowledge and what is lost when knowledge is withheld. All deeply interesting and infuriating stuff.

Pip Williams clearly poured her efforts into the research and, coupled with beautiful prose, the Oxford community and British society during wartime leap off the page.

Highly recommend this historical fiction as both a stand-alone and companion to THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS.

Five stars. I’d give it more if I could, but alas, five is where the system stops, so that is all I can give it.

I laughed, I cried, I felt all the emotions. The Bookbinder of Jericho is a roller coaster in the best ways possible, and I wanted to go back and experience it all again.

This book was essentially a love letter to reading and books. I related to heavily to Peggy, to her desires and her ambitions and her choices. She wants to read, to learn, to better herself and her life. She wants to be a sister to Maude, a friend to many other women. She wants to help, and she does. She wants so much from life, more than she thinks she can have, and so she shrinks herself to what she thinks she deserves.

I loved the relationships between women and the way they were addressed and represented. Williams does an amazing job at showing what life was like for the women in England without making her work seem cliched and a standard historical fiction novel.

Bookbinder showed what the publishing industry was like in the early 1900s, what it was like for the bindery girls working while the men were away at war. It mentioned women moving into the munitions factories (Aggie), showed them volunteering at war hospitals (Gwen in England, Tilda in France), caring for the sick during an influenza outbreak (Maude and Lotte), taking in refugees from shattered countries, showed them hoping for a world in the future where they could study, and graduate with a degree, and change the world with their votes. The women were shown to be leading full lives, with hopes and dreams and plans and loves and quirks all of their own.

And Maude especially. I think a lot of people might not understand Maude, but I did and I loved her, and I resonated with elements of her character, too. I don’t want to say more, I want you to discover her for yourselves.

But it’s not only her female characters who were fabulously portrayed. Despite them not being on the page as much, I absolutely fell in love with Gareth Owen, with Jack Rowntree, and with Bastiaan. Don’t get me started on Bastiaan.

Bookbinder showed people who were hurting, people who were trying to live beyond the hurt, knowing that things would never be the same again. I loved Bastiaan’s way of letting go of the hurts of the past, and I sympathised with Lotte’s inability to do so.

And don’t get me started on the many small links to The Dictionary of Lost Words (my favourite book of 2020) - I loved every small reminder of the book that came before, and I’m looking forward to whatever Pip Williams comes out with next!

The Bookbinder of Jericho is well on it’s way to being my favourite book of 2023!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for and advance digital copy of this book!

I have been glued to this novel for the past few days. So much so, that I am not sure where to start with this review. The Bookbinder of Jericho is everything it’s companion novel The Dictionary of Lost Words is, and if possible, more. William’s prose is enchanting, and the way she blends historical events into the fiction of the story is seamless, making for an unforgettable novel.

Following Peggy as she navigates her life amidst changes brought on by the First World War made for a very interesting perspective to read through. Working at a bookbinders and looking out for her twin sister is all she is expected to do with her life but Peggy wants more. Especially in a world where women still only very few privileges, and even less so with Peggy’s lower social status, ‘more’ is something she feels she can only dream of. Peggy very quickly became one of my favourite characters along with her sister Maude, and not only because she is the main character. Peggy is bright, thoughtful, curious, and questions everything which I loved about her.

Maude is also a wonderful character in this novel, and as much as she is Peggy’s family, she is also sometimes viewed by her as a hinderance to her getting more from her life. It is clear from the way that Maude is talked about and described in the novel as what might have been described as ‘special’ at the time. Now she would most likely be described as being on the Autism Spectrum. I felt an instant love for this character. I found her insight into this story and it’s characters highly valuable. I really liked the way that Williams wrote her character, making her presence in the novel one I loved to read.

The prose of this novel is simply beautiful. Williams captures the heart and soul of a scene with a finesse that makes the words shine off the page. I lost count of the number of times I just had to sit there with a phrase after I read it. This novel made me smile, it made me laugh, it made me cry. There is so much pain and heartache as expected with a novel set when this one is, but it is balanced with warmth and love, and in such a way that I feel doesn’t take away from the horrors the war brought.

I cannot finish this review without talking about the seamless integration of both novels. This is well and truly a companion novel as opposed to a sequel. Beginning at the cusp of the First World War, this novel also settles itself nearing the end of it’s companion novel. It brings a few of the well loved characters from The Dictionary of Lost Words and they fit naturally into Peggy’s story while not taking over which I loved. With this novel, William’s yet again demonstrates her skill in blending historical fact with the fiction of the story in such a way that is engaging to the reader. I highly recommend this novel to any reader of historical fiction.

An extremely satisfying follow-up to the author's breakout bestseller, The Dictionary of Lost Words. More of a companion than a sequel, although the two books have a few characters and events in common, I think they could be read in either order. But I'm sure any readers who start with this one will want to pick up DOLW quick-smart to continue the journey.

When the story begins, twin sisters Peggy & Maude have been working as bindery girls at Clarendon Press (part of the Oxford University Press) for a number of years, just like their mother and her mother before them. But now it's just the two of them, as they are grieving the loss of their Ma not too long ago. Whether it's folding, gathering or sewing, Peggy is an old, adept hand whereas Maude is a little different and has her own particular skills. Mostly though, they work side by side where Peg can keep an eye on Maude. At night they return home to their narrowboat, Calliope, filled with books; some bought by their Ma, others rejects from the Press, some little more than damaged pages. But both girls revere their little library as a shared heritage.

At the outbreak of the Great War the men of Oxford, including the Jericho district, are quick to volunteer, leaving the work of the Press mainly to the women. But the women also volunteer where they can. As the colleges are repurposed as hospitals and the wounded begin flooding in to Oxford, Peg volunteers to help. Teamed up with Gwen, a student at Somerville College, she falls into an unexpected volunteer role - reading and writing for the soldiers, even the officers. Not realising at the time that this would be a turning point in her life, Peg thrives in the role and in her independence from Maude, even if only for a few hours a week.

Broad in scope and themes, and with a good balance between plot and character, I loved dipping into this book each time I picked it up. I enjoyed learning more about the technical details of book production and I also enjoyed learning about the Belgian WW1 perspective for the first time (a large number of Belgian refugees were resettled in Oxford) from this novel.

Peg is the focus of the story, and it is told from her point of view. Luckily she's an easy to character to like, understand and admire. Her frustration with her own circumstances (several aspects) was entirely warranted, and I couldn't help but cheer for her victories and commiserate over her disappointments.

On balance I preferred this novel to the earlier one. They are both fascinating, engaging and meticulously researched, but where this one edged ahead for me was in the emotion of the story. This time I think Pip Williams has nailed it.

A companion novel of “The Dictionary of Lost Words” we return to Pip Williams world of Oxford during the first world war. This time out heroin is Peggy Jones, a bindery girl working at the press, and we discover the world of the town rather than the gowns.

This novel is like the first beautiful then the first and a littler grittier. Peggy is so real, her love for her sister, her resentment of her sister and then her hurt when she feels less relevant in her life. It was so great to read. Her confusion over what she wants in life and staying true to herself.

I’m also glad this book isn’t as doomsday as the first. Although there are plenty of moments for heartbreak. It was great to also have a nod to some of the characters from the first novel and they easily fit in place.

A very enjoyable read which is recommend to any historic fiction fan.

This is an excellent sequel to The Dictionary of Lost Words. The narrative has moved from the Scriptorium, where words were being collected for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, to the Oxford University Press where it is being gradually printed. There in the Binding Room, girls and women fold and fold the printed pages ready for binding. Peggy and her twin sister Maude are two of these girls, who left school at twelve to follow in their single mother’s footsteps by learning the precise and careful art of folding pages.

Peggy is bright and could have stayed at school longer except that she wanted to stay by the side of her more intellectually diverse sister, even more so since her mother’s death three years ago, although Maude is more capable than Peggy realises of adapting, learning and looking after herself. Peggy is constantly hungry for words and books, always getting in trouble for reading the pages she’s folding and collecting any damaged sections or books to take home to add to her mother’s considerable library in their houseboat on the canal. Now when she sees young women in gowns arriving to study at Somerville College, across the road from the Bindery, she is envious but knows she could never join their ranks. They are ‘Gown’ and she will always be ‘Town’, unable to cross that cultural divide and instead expected to marry and raise children.

The novel opens in 1914 with WWI on the horizon, when the Press will depleted of men and the women will be expected to take up roles in factories or as nurses. Continuing to work in the Bindery, Peggy volunteers to read and write letters for wounded servicemen in her spare time and meets and falls for Bastiaan, a badly injured Belgian. Letters from her mother’s friend, and surrogate aunt, Tilda who is a nurse in France and from Jack, the son of their neighbours also bring the horrors of war home to them. With a firm grip on historical fact, Pip Williams also weaves in the arrival of Belgian refugees in England, the suffragette movement and the constraints on women, as well as the devastating effect of the Spanish flu as it swept across Europe in 1918. Seen through women’s eyes, this very worthy companion to the Dictionary of Lost Words is an interesting and engaging historical novel, with richly drawn characters and a well crafted plot.

‘The Bookbinder of Jericho’ follow twin sister’s Peggy and Maude, who work in the bindery at Oxford University Press in Jericho. Peggy must put aside her dreams of studying at university to care for her sister and continue working as a bookbinder. Yet, when World War I breaks out and refugees begin to arrive, Peggy can finally can see a different future for herself where she can use her intellect.
I enjoyed the story, told in parts with considerable reference to events that impacted the lives of the twins. In it, we see the impact of war and disease on everyone. Peggy’s determination to rise above, highlights the plight of women as well as class inequity. The detail given in this book to both historical events as well as to the characters, adds greater complexity to the story. I found myself transported into the lives of these women and their friends.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A hugely anticipated read for me as a companion novel to The Dictionary of Lost Words, The Bookbinder of Jericho did not disappoint. Beautifully detailed and thoroughly researched, Pip Williams has a way of transporting the reader into the very heart of the society she depicts, with every meticulous minor detail adding up to a completely immersive and moving novel.

While her previous novel focussed on the research and creation of a book, William's new novel takes us to the Bindery, where books are physically folded, stitched, bound and embossed. We're introduced to the working women who do this repetitive manual labour with skill and pride, with the story centering on Peggy and Maude, twins following in their mother's footsteps as Bindery girls. I found the amount of research that must've gone into the creation and description of Peggy and Maude's world to be absolutely staggering, and cements Pip Williams as a historical fiction writer of the highest class.

The story folds itself around immeasurably large themes - World War I, displacement, prejudice, class, and the fight for women's rights - but does so with a similar empathy, strength, and a richness of feeling that readers experienced in William's first novel. There are some truly tragic and desperate moments that engulf the reader, but they sit alongside beautifully expressed threads of love, duty, friendship and independence.

I do admit that Dictionary held my attention a little more than Bookbinder - there was something so intrinsically fascinating about the origins of words that no amount of detail in this book could quite emulate. But, overall, this is a fitting and thoughtfully executed follow up read, and certainly lives up to the very well-deserved hype. 4.5/5

Another terrific book from this author, set around the same time as The Dictionary of Lost Words and sharing a few of its characters.

The Bookbinder of Jericho is set in the First World War from 1914 to 1918. The main characters are Peggy and Maude who are identical twins. Identical in appearance anyway although Peggy is very clever and Maude is 'special'. They work side by side in a book bindery in Oxford and as the war progresses and all the men leave to fight, Peggy gets chances to improve herself which she would not otherwise have had.

Characters such as Esme, Gareth and Tilda pop up to remind us of The Dictionary of Lost Words, and again the reader experiences the anguish and atrocity of the war, the progress of the suffragette movement, the inequality of women and men, and, in this book, the terrible effects of the Spanish flu.

I enjoyed the whole book very much indeed and even had to reach for the tissues once or twice. The character of Bastiaan was written with great feeling by the author and I was really wishing he would get what he wanted. Tilda was another character who stepped out of the page and was very important in the whole development of the story.

Pip Williams writes extremely well and has a firm knowledge of her topic. I learned a huge amount about book binding, and about Belgian refugees during the war. This was a memorable read and I recommend it highly.

The companion novel to The Dictionary Of Lost Words follows the lives of the female workers at the Book Bindery, where the original dictionary was made.

I loved how this story has been weaved and connects with the story of book one. Set in the time when womens voices are growing louder and our main character, Peggy, dreams of a further education that seems out of reach.

It paints the picture of the true cost of World War 1 to so many, including Peggy and her friends and family afar.

I was enthralled with the process of book making, googling videos of books being binded by hand. Pip Williams, once again, has taught me so much about this time in our history. Loved it!

“The Bookbinder of Jericho” is billed as “the follow up and companion to” Pip Williams’ previous internationally best-selling novel “The Dictionary of Lost Words”. Having not yet read that novel, I was new to the themes and in some cases characters of the second book, which didn’t however detract at all from the reading experience. As the author herself says of this book, “….[it] walks the same streets as ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ and some of its characters may be familiar, but it’s the same slice of history seen through the eyes of a very different woman.”

It's a premise rich with themes of world-shaping events, the turmoil and catastrophe of war, loss, grief and the devastating impact on women at that time of class and gender discrimination. Women’s suffrage is another element, as are the newly emerging condition of shell shock (post-traumatic stress as we know it today) and the Spanish Flu pandemic.

As with Williams’ previous novel, the guiding theme is the love of books and words. Books, the story makes clear, are invaluable as precious objects for themselves alone but also for their inestimable worth as repositories of knowledge, which is of course the lifeblood of Oxford University Press. It is, in its own way a homage to books, especially in passages like the following:

“When we bound these books … they were identical. But I realized they couldn’t stay that way. As soon as someone cracks the spine, a book develops a character all its own. What impresses or concerns one reader is never the same as what impresses or concerns all others. So, each book, once read, will fall open at a different place. Each book, once read, I realized, will have told a slightly different story.”

For readers, like me, unfamiliar with the process of book binding, the techniques involved of folding, arranging, trimming, stitching and so on were fascinating to read about and formed an important storyline in the book.
Peggy, the main character, is employed as a worker in the bindery, struggling to earn a livelihood to support her and her sister Maude, alone after the death of their mother. But she longs to do far more than just binding books. Her dream is to acquire the knowledge contained in them and to be admitted to study at Oxford’s Somerville Collage for women. This establishment is just across the road from the Press but in terms of Peggy's capacity to access it, a world away. Class consciousness was defined particularly sharply at Oxford by the delineation between “town” (the working class) and “gown” (the upper class). In Peggy’s case her aspiration to become a “gown” drives the momentum of the story.

Meticulously researched and employing an original and compelling idea around which to build a story of women’s rights, the book is written with conviction and powerful, emotive prose. It promises to be as successful, if not more so, than its predecessor.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Affirm Press, for giving me the opportunity to read an advance release copy.

Wonderful.
I loved her first novel and was surprised and delighted that this one is even better. The author writes female relationships really beautifully and I loved the dynamics of all the women in this one.
I devoured it.

I knew I would be buying a copy of The Bookbinder of Jericho when I knew it was being published, because I loved The Dictionary of Lost Words!

To be able to read The Bookbinder of Jericho early is a beautiful gift that I am entirely grateful for. I'll still be purchasing a physical copy as well to re-read and keep with The Dictionary of Lost Words.

I love how the two stories are connected, and to be able to see a different experience of the same time period.

My heart is warmed by the good souls in this book that help Peggy, and her sister Maude. I love the strength and quirks.

Definitely a cozy read, and one that makes you feel like you have been transported back in time.

Wow wow wow! Massive shoutout to the team at @affirmpress for this early edition of the amazing new novel The Bookbinder of Jericho from Pip Williams. This book has blown my already high expectations for her writing way out of the water!

In this beautiful companion to the international bestseller The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams explores another little-known slice of history seen through women's eyes. Evocative, subversive and rich with unforgettable characters, The Bookbinder of Jericho is a story about knowledge who gets to make it, who gets to access it, and what is lost when it is withheld.

The thing I truly love about Pip Williams writing is the way that she embraces the power of females during significant periods of history - the suffragette movement, women obtaining the vote, access to university degrees, taking over industry while men are fighting in the war - and the way that she shows just how powerful a sisterhood can be. This book is all about love, family (both born and found), determination, tolerance, acceptance and so much more. It is a love story in more facets than I imagined - the sisterhood between Peggy and Maude, the found family between all the residents of the boats, the friendship of the women from the bindery, and the love story between Peggy and Bastiaan.

This book is a companion to The Dictionary of Lost Words and is essentially told as a simultaneous storyline in terms of events, characters, and relationships. I would recommend reading DOLW first, but as long as you read them both, the story will fit together perfectly ❤️