The idea for this book is so intriguing to me— it’s a historical fiction novel about a book binder named Peggy and her chosen family through the war torn years of 1914-1918.

Peggy and her twin sister Maude are bookbinders - a fascinating profession I’d never considered before. As the war begins, we see how each of the characters adapt and respond to the various challenges. The effects of war trauma are prevalent and well researched and represented realistically.

The book is written beautifully- the words come together in places like beautiful poetry and I had to marvel at the skill of the author. That being said, the book read a little slow for me— it took me a good hundred pages before I felt sufficiently invested in the characters. The main character Peg felt very one dimensional to me — there wasn’t any growth from her and her rants and ravings were a bit repetitive. In the light of all that was going on, every character seems to have been effected by the horrors of the war, but Peg has a mind for only one thing- getting a degree at university and how she is a victim of her circumstances… there is a love interest, but it seems to be treated as an afterthought, there are friendships forged and opportunities given, but always approached with resentment and victimization when something falls through. Her fall back excuse is her sister who has special needs and therefore she is trapped and cannot pursue her dreams. Any of them.

It’s all very human… but I did hope to see more growth from the protagonist. The other characters were more dynamic - her sister Maude, special as she is portrayed to be, was more dynamic.

The book is written in some places in stream of consciousness and some inferences throughout the book needed to be read between the lines because the book doesn’t explicitly state anything - sometimes if need to reread a section to make sure I understood what I thought I was supposed to be understanding. Like Maude. It took several chapters to understand the book was trying to tell me she had special needs and that they were identical twins. Another portion is a possible rape? But it never explicitly says what happened- the reader has to assume based on the clues given. Once you get used to the writing, you start paying attention to the clues and it’s easier to understand what inferences you’re supposed to take.

This was an enjoyable read over all. It was a very human look at how lives were touched during the First World War.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1 received the ARC for this and even though I had no plans to start this, one night I thought “I’ll just see how it starts.” It was very clear from the opening scene that this was a book for me - that Peggy would be a character I wanted to spend time with.

Oh Peggy! So intelligent - but relegated to feeding her mind and talents on scraps of thought. So capable of soaring but anchored by her responsibilities toward her twin sister and neighbors/found family.

It takes a war, the removal of the gatekeepers - men - to provide the circumstances needed for her to begin to imagine a life for herself beyond the scraps and anchors.

This story is so well told. I was swept along with Pip - feeling her complexities of emotion and ethics right alongside her. I think Williams is an incredibly talented storyteller and social commentator. While, yes, this is a work of historical fiction, I kept reading it as a social allegory. Long story short - read this book.

A beautiful story of a young town bookbinder in Oxford during WWI. Heartbreaking and powerful, touching on themes of war, class and of course books. A great read.

Peggy and Maude are twin sisters that work in a book bindery. Maude is different than Peggy, she likes to fold paper and repeat sentences and is eternally innocent. Peggy has always dreamed of going to university. Peggy is told to fold the pages and not to read the books. War happens and of course everyones life is turned inside out. I think this book is about both of the sisters finding their independence and reaching their potential. I loved this book.. while it's a slow burn..I really enjoyed the story and immersed myself in the sisters world. I even shed some tears. I am going to need a sequel for the love story though.