The Binding

This book was gorgeous. I loved the setting, the themes, the plotting, the changing narrative perspectives, and the overall creativity and soul woven through this story. The Binding follows Emmett Farmer as he tries to make sense of his life in a world he may not fit into, and it is a truly unique historical fiction novel that serves as a cultural critique on a lot of different levels, and I absolutely loved it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for sending me a copy of it!

Bridget Collins has written a beautifully imagined piece of fantasy historical fiction, a sumptuous love story, of poor farmer's son, Emmet Farmer, and the wealthy, privileged Lucian Darnay, doomed to be star crossed lovers. In this world, books are not what we would recognise them to be, books are for all those things that people feel destroyed by and cannot live with in their lives. They are extraordinary hand crafted, leather bound repositories of actual peoples memories, their secrets, grief, and pain, erased for good after being stored in a book. Books are feared and forbidden, as Emmet finds to his cost when he is drawn to buy one. An unwelcome letter arrives for Emmet, an apprenticeship he cannot refuse, he will train to be a bookbinder under Seredith's tutelage, a sacred calling. For a while, Emmet has been ill, unable to contribute to the farm as he once did, but he, like others is afraid of bookbinders, a profession surrounded with ignorance, prejudice and superstition. He travels to Seredith's remote home, and surprisingly finds solace in his daily tasks, surrounded by a silence that turns out to be what he needs to bear his illness.

The narrative goes back and forth in time, from the time Emmet and his sister, Alta, meet Lucian Darnay, to the development of their relationship, and to Emmet's experiences with other bookbinders and their clients. The reader comes to understand how Emmet came to develop his mystery illness, and the effects and repercussions of bookbinding on his and Lucian's lives. Seredith turns out to be a remarkably ethical and moral bookbinder, storing and safely locking away the books in her vault. This is in sharp contrast to others, some bookbinders are happy to practice a corrupt, horrifyingly venal form of bookbinding for the rich and powerful that uses and abuses people. These bookbinders illegally sell and trade the books for profit, often to those with a prurient interest in the secret lives of others, and for the purposes of blackmail. In a story of murder, magic, separation and ruthless powerful forces, do Emmet and Lucian's love stand any chance in a hostile world?

Collins engages in complex world building in this utterly beguiling novel, making this world come vibrantly alive with her detailed descriptions of time and place, whilst relating a moving and original love story that charms and captivates. This is Romeo and Romeo for the modern age, the characterisation is compelling, with Emmet and Lucas's love crossing the social class divide, moreover a love story that crosses boundaries in so many other senses too. This is brilliant storytelling, that immerses the reader in a past where books are a dangerous and secret commodity, and a forbidden love that threatens to destroy Emmet and Lucian. Highly recommended. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins & Bridget Collins for my ARC of The Binding. 
First off, can I just express how beautiful this book is to look at? This is one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen! And thankfully it's not all on the outside! The story within is beautiful too.
The Binding is a truly unique story. It begins with Emmett Farmer, a farm boy recently apprenticed to the binder out in the marshes. He knows nothing about Binding, or books for that matter, other than that they are dangerous and his parents were furious the one and only time he read one.

With Seredith's help Emmett begins to learn about Binding. Every person can have their memories turned into a book. The price, is that they forget. And for most this is what they want to achieve, every terrible memory, every bad thing they've done or experienced can be taken away. Seredith is an artist and hopes to raise Emmett in the same way, but some out there are not, there's an increase in the fraudulent selling of people's memories for others to read.

But then Emmett finds a book with his own name on it and his world is turned upside down.

This book was an absolute delight to read, it's ability to completely capture human emotion, it's pace despite not being fast was perfect, it never felt like it was dragging or too slow. The characters were wonderful, the story was immersive and the language and writing was stunning.

I'm definitely going to go ahead and order the gorgeous Goldsboro edition now!

This beautiful looking book definitely takes the spot on the list of my favourite reads of 2018. Breathtakingly magical story that makes you think. What if you could have all bad memories taken away from you, would you do it? Would you want to remember what you have forgotten? This book won't be out until 2019 but definitely worth pre-ordering.

This book is utterly wonderful. I highly recommend it. Even having received a free copy for review, I'm highly tempted to buy a beautiful hardback one when it comes out as well.
It's one of those lush, instantly transportive books that immediately takes you away from the world.
I loved the idea of 'Binding' - in fact, I won't mention any of it, so as not to spoiler the story, but every page was beautifully written, and the feelings of the characters leapt of the page and into me. My heart pounder, I cried, I fell in love. I would love more of this world, but the book does reach a beautiful conclusion and feels complete in itself.
The protags are two men, and it's wonderful to read literary fiction that features m/m relationships.
If you're a fan of richly imagined worlds that take something mundane, like a book, and turning the idea on its head, moving love stories and gorgeous descriptions, please buy it.

To be able to lock away your deepest darkest secrets for ever is the basis for the storyline throughout this amazing book. It gripped me from the first few pages and continued to keep me truly absorbed right until the last page.
There are not many characters however each one is a piece of work!
The book is set in 1800' s (my guess) and as you read you can picture every detail, smell and colour. I wish I could have taken this away on a holiday and was able to read it in one sitting. It is a fantastic novel, very absorbing and I loved every word. I've never read anything by Bridget Collins before but my goodness I cannot wait for her next book.
Amazing

An absolutely brilliant read. I couldn't put it down. The writing style was descriptive and flowed beautifully. The plot was magical, in both it's nature and it's execution, with a torrent of emotion to carry the reader in it's wake. The characters are wonderfully engaging and I found myself desperately hoping for a happy ending for the main character. The only criticism I have for this book is that it ended way too soon, I just want more and have my fingers crossed for a sequel, this story is too good to end there! A fabulous romantic fantasy, it swept me off my feet, don t miss out on this one!

If you have memories that you don’t want to bear anymore, you can be bound. With your consent, a binder will remove those memories to a book, stored securely, no longer impacting you.

Emmett Farmer, a poor farmworker, is a binder as he discovers when he is apprenticed to Seredith in her bindery on the marshes. One day, the shock discovery of the book that shows that he himself has been bound opens a flood of memories that will change his life and future.

Lucian Darney, a member of the gentry, is also held captive by a binding, and his own knowledge that bindings can hide sordid activity – as in the case of his father.

Together Emmett and Lucian’s stories weave together, alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming. A beautifully written, cleverly crafted narrative by Bridget Collins. Highly recommended, and let’s hope Bridget Collins continues her foray into adult fiction!

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from The Binding. Probably something a little like Ink, a YA fantasy, more imaginative than most, intrepid heroes and heroines discovering secrets that make them realise that All is Not Well in their seemingly perfect life and off they go to become reluctant leaders. There is nothing wrong with those books, I love them in fact, and actually there are shades of that journey in The Binding. But it is so much more... this is a lushly written exploration of what makes us who we are.
In the world Collins conjures books are made from real people's memories, ripped from their consciousness by binders and either hidden away or sold to wealthy collectors. Novels are despised as mere imitators, reading a memory book means becoming that person for a time. Some memories are removed because they are too painful to remember, others are sold. Some are bound at the bidding of third parties who would prefer their wife or child or maid to forget... but for most people books are unclean, binders little better than witches and book collectors unsavoury. Emmett Farmer has grown up in such a house. So when, after a long summer of illness, he is sent away to become a binder it is like being exiled, a punishment, although he can't imagine why. And then one day a young man comes to have a memory bound, a man who looks at Emmett with fear and revulsion and anger. A man Emmett can't remember meeting. And yet... When Emmett realises he too was bound, he knows it's connected to the young man and he sets off to try and recover his lost memories.
Set in a familiar yet different past. a world of rustic family life, grey smoke-filled cities and isolated foggy marshes, The Binding is a spell-binding, beautiful, evocative exploration of love, loss and self.

I absolutely loved this book, I was hooked from the beginning and devoured it as soon as I could. So many different points about this book that makes it stand out MILES from anything else.

•Male protagonist – Check

•LBGT Representation – Check

•Magic – Check

•BOOKS – CHECK


Honestly, this book has everything. I’ll briefly explain and do my best to avoid any spoilers because this book really is a MUST READ!


Part One begins with Emmets story – in the present. He is sick, this means he is not any help to his father on the farm. He has been summoned to work in a bindery, much to his parents disgust. They’ve done everything they can to keep books away from him. But they send him on his way where he learns that Binders ‘help’ people, they take away their memories and lock them in a book. The only price is that the person bound will not remember anything. Unless the book is destroyed.

Emmet quickly discovers that he is sick because he had binders fever – and only working in the Bindery will help him get better. Slowly his health does indeed improve – but Seredith is taken ill so Emmet summons help – her son, another Binder. Unfortunately she does not recover from her illness and passes away in her sleep. So her son take’s over as Emmets Master and takes him back to his Bindery. Only, his morals are not quite the same and he sees Binding as a money-maker.. and not the ‘Help’ it is intended for.


Part Two – This is a flashback, it allows us to get to know Emmet better and also introduces us to Lucian (You meet him briefly in part one) and his life on the farm, before binders fever. For me, this part of the book was where I got really wrapped up in the story. You really get to know the characters, where you watch their relationships grow as well as die. It really had it all. Friendship, Love, Betrayal. In fact, this is where I just couldn’t put the book down… so I didn’t.


Part Three– This is Lucian’s story, back to present day. Emmet is still very much present in this part, but it gives you a lot more of the ‘other side’ of the story. There is SO MUCH I want to add, but I really do not want to give any spoilers away so I’m afraid I’m going to leave it that brief.

My ONLY disappointment is that this book is a standalone, I’d very much like to revisit the characters someday. However, it’s an easy recommendation for me! Go see for yourself.

Overall: 5 ***** – Spellbinding brilliance. I was swept away in the magic/secrets and I didn’t want it to end!

I loved this story. It drew me in straight away, and even when I didn’t know where it might take me, I was hooked. I like that its period isn’t spelt out; it’s recent enough that there are factories, long enough ago that transport is by horse. The descriptions of the landscape and weather are beautiful.
Bridget Collins is very good at doling out small pieces of information about the characters and what binding involves, so that my interest was tugged along throughout. Just as I had half an idea where the story might go, the rug was pulled out from underneath me a quarter of the way in. And with part two, a whole new layer of the story was revealed. Great stuff.
I found the characters really engaging, complex and believable – I cared what happened to them. I raced through this book, wanting to delve back into its world and find out what happened next. A joy.

This is such a beautifully written book! Some reviewers have said it was a bit slow in the beginning, but I was caught up in it immediately. The descriptions of rural and city life transported me there, and were a wonderful contrast with the slightly supernatural aspect of binding. The characters' back stories and the nature of binding were gradually revealed, so I couldn't put it down. When I'd finished I immediately re-read part one, with new eyes. I highly recommend.

I was mesmerised! An unexpected tale of mystery, tragic loss and redemption.
Bridget Collins has created an unexpected world, but one I couldn't help comparing to our own, drawing parallels, seeing the innocence and the hypocrisies.

This is a book I will read again and probably again. I loved the way the truth gradually dawns and love finds its own way.

A definitely must read, it reminded me in many ways of Philip Pullman's books.

There are so many words I can use to describe this book; memorising; stunning; beautiful, but I don't think any of them would do it justice. This is storytelling at its best and I can't describe how much I loved it. I first saw the cover of this book and fell in love with it and when I saw it on NetGalley, I crossed my fingers and clicked the request button. The blurb had me intrigued, a story about books and memories and being able to erase grief and pain. It called to me and I knew it was a book I had to read.

The story revolves around Emmett and the book is broken up into three parts. In part one Emmett finds out that he is to be an apprentice bookbinder. He is sent to live with his master, to learn the craft, and so much more. The story is beautifully told and the prose is stunning. I became Emmett, felt his every emotion, confusion, and the conflict that tormented him and when he learns that he too has been bound, my heart stopped. I held my breath as his book was burned and his memories returned. This led to part 2 of the book and the most heartwrenching story of love and loss. It was beautifully told and each word held a magic that as I writer I can only wish I had written myself.

The Binding is a unique story filled with intrigue and discovery and the truth about how powerful memories are and how the judgement and fear of others can destroy lives. It is a story that will stay with me for a very long time and I'm sure this is a book that will hold a place in many hearts in 2019. A stunning debut adult novel from a very talented author and I am so grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to discover this story and live in the world between its pages before it hits the shelves.

If I could give this book more than five stars I would. It's a masterpiece that deserves to be on everyone's reading list in 2019. Powerful, evocative, and emotionally compelling. It's a story that will have you reading way past bedtime and one that you won't want to end.

Wow. I requested this because I was drawn to the description, plus the beautiful cover and thought, as a fan of Carlos Ruis Zafon, I'd enjoy it. And I did. I was utterly absorbed in this from the first page to the last. What an original, intriguing story, with a great twist in the middle. It's up there with Bronte and Zafon!

This is the kind of story that captures the imagination and gives it a life of its own. I absolutely adored the idea of the bookbinders and their special powers. In fact when you think about the idea aren’t authors the same kind of bookbinders? Putting pen to paper to transcribe stories and memories, so hungry readers can satisfy their cravings.

I was mesmerised by the idea of being able to take someone’s memories and keep them locked in a book, thereby extracting them forever from the giver. Also by the idea that books are something evil, forbidden, perhaps even salacious. Imagine if someone had the ability to take away your most awful memory, but of course it also means they would be able to take the most beloved of memories also.

Emmett feels shocked and betrayed when his parents pack him off to work with the old woman everyone calls a witch. His inability to help out on his parents farm has become an obstacle between himself, his parents and his sister. Being unable to pull his weight makes him just another unhelpful mouth to feed, but surely getting rid of him is a little heartless and extreme.

Seredith is an eccentric employer. She believes in the old ways, and that the moral compass of a binder should come before making any profit. She also believes Emmett needs the right supervision and patience to learn how to understand and control his potential. Unfortunately it might mean he has to confront his demons and the secrets swirling in his head.

I’ll admit I was surprised when the story veered off into one of a forbidden love. More so because I really wanted Collins to explore the magic of the bookbinding a little more. It’s such a wonderfully unique idea I hope the author brings us another novel with a focus on this aspect of the story or a sequel to this one. Saying that, it is also a book which has the ability to remain a staunch solitary read.

The combination of fantasy, historical, speculative fiction and the unique story of love creates a remarkable read. It’s enchanting, heart-wrenching and magical. Collins has outdone herself and I applaud her creativity.

The Binding by Bridget Collins is one of them books you will keep thinking about for a long time.
Emmett Farmer is a son of a farmer and lives on a farm with his parents and sister Alta. Emmett is recovering from an illness of the mind and is still quite weak. When a letter arrives for Emmett asking him to become an apprentice bookbinder for a local one. A bookbinder is a person who binds unwanted memories, and experiences into a book. Emmett is worried as books are feared and are told to be evil and his parents told him never to go near them. Emmett at first only learns the basics on binding but after the death of his mentor. He is taken on by their son De Havilland where he finds out more of the trade. But De Havilland sells the books on and not store them in a vault like his previous mentor.
This is a beautifully written historical/fantasy book. Which I think will be a best seller when it is released. This is a story about forbidden love between different classes, betrayal, intrigue. It’s a magical tale. It pulls you in from the very first page. And it leads you on a journey. The story has three parts. What happened before and led up to the present day and what happened after. I highly recommend.

I didn't want this book to end - I would have happily kept turning over the next page and the next. It is truly unique and definitely one of my top reads for 2018.

When my father reads Dickens he always says it takes him hours to read a few chapters as he likes to go back and savour the language. I have never particularly related to that, as I like to devour my books, but with 'The Binding' I finally understood what he means. Bridget Collins' descriptive prose is just sumptuous. Again and again I found myself re-reading sentences just to re-enjoy them. I am just sorry I can't find a better turn of phrase myself to describe how delightful I found the writing.

'The Binding' tells the story of Emmett Farmer who becomes an apprentice 'binder' - freeing people from memories which are too painful for them to bear, and locking them into books. However, while this might give people a new start, a blank page on which to start re-writing their life, it also leaves an emptiness where the memories previously lodged. Are any memories so painful, that this price is worth paying? And what will happen when Emmett discovers his own name on a book?

The book is divided into three parts. I don't want to describe what each section reveals as it is really a story which needs to unfold itself. I liked the way the author shifted to the present tense for the final section, as it really brought a sense of urgency to the text. I suspect that, at this point, I stopped re-reading sentences and went back to devouring the story!

It seems a real shame to have read this book in a Kindle version, when the physical binding is so beautiful and the craft of bookbinding is so vividly described in the book itself. I think when it is published, I may well purchase a hardback copy.

Most sincere thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for a review copy of this wonderful book.

The Binding was one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2019, and so I was more than eager to get my hands on it, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have quite high expectations going into it, because I'd hyped it up so much. And I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint at all. From start to finish this was just, a clever book! The whole premise of the book is so imaginative and immediately intrigued me, it's such a mind blowing concept, that is as terrific as it is scary. The book is split into three parts, which I think really did the story justice and made it more frighteningly realistic, it also brilliantly aided the turning points in the book. When I came to a new part, I would be filled with such nervousness and anticipation, because the book was so cleverly divided into these sections, that something monumental had always just occurred before the next part began. It has to be the most impactful use of dividing a book into parts that I've come across! Each part offered something very different from the others, with there even being a shift in point of view for one of them - which was most intriguing, but each part followed the other so beautifully, this is a prime example of how the structure of a book can impact its overall success.

The writing in this was phenomenal and I cannot even count how many bits I highlighted. Bridget Collins just has a beautiful and haunting way of describing emotions, characters, just everything. My favourite writing is writing that makes you immediately feel something, and I didn't just read this book, I felt my whole way through it, I was afraid, upset, excited, regretful, angry, hopeful. You didn't have a choice or say in whether you felt something, with everything being described so incredibly well, "He was afraid. The realisation took me by surprise. For an instant I saw past my own resentment. He was as frightened and miserable as anyone I’d ever met. He was desperate. He stank of it, like fever. But I couldn’t pity him, because there was something else, too, in the way he looked at me. Hatred. He seemed to hate me." The characters were also incredible, to the point where I either fully loved a character or hated them beyond comprehension. Even though I had such a variation in my feelings towards these characters, I can still appreciate how greatly crafted they were in order to make me feel so strongly. Emmett Farmer is a precious, but feisty little thing, ‘I’m the witch’s apprentice. Who the hell are you?’, and I adore him deeply and offer no mercy for anyone who hurts him.

Another standout thing about The Binding for me, is everything to do with binding. The author created so many different creative aspects to binding, that were fascinating and really made me buy into this world she has created. There were different moral codes that different types of binders followed, one binder created the books by hand and saw this as sacred, whereas another had a team to do it for them. There were also some who traded bindings of people both dead and alive, the latter being illegal, for profit,‘It’s the binding that matters. The craft of it, the dignity. Say a woman comes to me for a book. I make a book for her. For her, you understand? Not to be gawped at by strangers...There are binders who only think to turn a profit, who care about nothing but their bank balance, who, yes, sell books.' Some people even sold their own memories, both good and bad, in order to make money. The binders themselves faced great prejudice from others, being accused of witchcraft and dark magic, ‘We’ve been called witches since the beginning of time. Word-cunning, they used to call it – of a piece with invoking demons … We were burned for it, too.’ I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed all these bits of information, because I was seriously blown away. I find it so rewarding when there are different layers to a concept in a fantasy book, it's so thrilling to learn something new as you go along.

This book is quite a hard one to review without giving away any spoilers, but I'll try my best to not be too vague, or give away too much. Like I mentioned, the book is split into parts; Part 1: Emmett's present life after the binding where he is still in the dark,"I knew that I’d collapsed after midsummer, because Ma had told me so, and that I’d been on the way home from Castleford; but no one had explained where I’d been, or what had happened.", Part 2: Emmett's book/memories, and Part 3: The events after he finds his book (the present). Part 1 mainly detailed Emmett's life on the farm with his family and the initial summoning of him by the binder Seredith, ‘We’re not sending you away. She’s asking for you.’, his arrival at the bindery, his life there learning about what it means to be a binder,‘Memories ,’ she said, at last. ‘Not people, Emmett. 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.’, and ultimately finding a place where he feels he belongs, with work that he can actually do, "I hadn’t belonged anywhere for so long, and now this room, with its smell of leather and glue, welcomed me."

In Part 2 we are flung into the past as we essentially devour all the memories that Emmett had lost in his binding, this was the most interesting section for me as I just didn't know what I was going to find within the pages of Emmett's book. It's natural to assume that the memories concealed in the book were very bad, however, what we find there is far more complex than being just good or bad. If I had to choose a favourite section, I'd probably have to choose part 2, because it contained some of the happier parts, "I didn't know who I was any more. I was new, I was a stranger...I had never been so happy. I didn't know it was possible", and it was very informative in regards to Emmett's life before his book, which I was desperate for. It was very bittersweet to find out what had led to his binding and the memories that he'd lost because of it. This whole section was so surprising and not what I expected at all, but it was fantastic and felt like some sort of reprieve from Emmett's dreary present.

I was so anxious to read part 3 and was even hesitant to start it as I had so many hopes for what I wanted to happen and there was just a general sense of urgency and fragile hope that surrounded it, that I felt on edge the whole time. It also introduced one of the most horrific characters that I've had the displeasure of encountering, I honestly hated this man with every fiber of my being. He was just vile and seriously made my skin crawl. Through this character though, we got to see just how scary the idea of being able to take people's memories away can be, it truly made me sick to my stomach, and yet I couldn't help but marvel at how clever the author was to think of someone abusing the art of binding in this way, 'it’s a double pleasure for him, to read the story from inside her head and then do it all again as if he’s never touched her before.’ This final part of the book took us on a wild ride indeed, but I'm more than pleased about how it ended, although my poor heart could of done with it happening a lot sooner. My immediate thought after I finished it though, was that I already missed these characters and would gladly read anything more about them (probably not going to happen, but still), because they are both my babies. I can't wait to read this again at some point, as hindsight would allow me to appreciate the earlier parts that much more.

This is without a doubt one of the most beautifully written, imaginative and well structured books I've read. Every aspect of this novel speaks to the authors obvious intelligence - from concept to characters. It is a very unique story that is likely to stick with people long after they've read that final sentence, even if it's just missing them like me, or marveling at the sheer genius of it all. Despite being so deliciously detailed, this is also one of the easiest books I've read, I literally floated through it, because it was that well written. As much as this is a story about the power of books and memories, this is a story about forbidden love, family, secrets, second chances, power, morals and understanding ones self. This was harrowing at times, but was also filled with the purest hope and the sweetest romance, "After a long time he reached out and brushed my cheek with the back of his knuckles; and something in the gesture made my heart turn over as much as anything else he’d done that afternoon.", and is definitely a book that I think everyone should experience.

It's impossible not to be drawn into this book. It is beautifully written, so that the people and places come to life. There is a sense of past, though at a time unspecified. And there is magic.
All this and more comes together to draw you in to a fantasy, yet strangely realistic, world.
Highly recommended
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

After a deceptively gentle start this imaginative love story worked its way under my skin, burrowing into my heart - the sort of book I'd undergo a binding for, just for the delight of discovering it fresh all over again. Wonderful world-building and characterisation coupled with beautiful prose make for a breathtaking story superbly told.

I really enjoyed this book that follows the trials and tribulations of Emmett Framer as he tries to discover the mysteries that will lead him towards his destiny to become a "binder". The book is set in what seems to be the Victorian era (trains are mentioned but mostly horse and carts/carriages are used and rich men wear top hats) but it is a different world to ours as some people are born being able to "bind" others in a book. Binders can lay hands on people and if they agree their memories can be bound in a book and they leave with no memory of the events they have shared. The bound book is kept in a vault.. Used well the binder is able to take away only traumatic memories and can help people, but there is an illicit trade in books and in people willing to sell their memories for cash. Reading a book is a visceral experience so much more than the fake experience of reading a novel, people are drawn to it and binders are often feared and reviled.

The book is divided into three parts. In part one, Emmett is living on his family farm (he is described as a young man and also an adolescent) recovering from a terrible illness where he suffered from a raging fever as well as murderous and self harming rages and is very weak. He has always believed his destiny is to take over the farm but his parents tell him he must become apprenticed to the binder (an elderly woman) who lives alone out on the Marshes. Although Emmett can read and write he has never read a book, he purchased one at a fair as a child and his father beat him, he has lived a sheltered life and has no concept of what being a binder involves or its purpose and the binder sets him to learning the manual end of bookbinding, gluing end covers and making marbled paper and the like rather than revealing what she does to people who call on her and go down to the vault. She assures Emmett that she will teach him in time and that he is a "born book binder" but Emmett is confused by the strange flashes and dreams that he has. Part two is a flashback to Emmett's life on the farm before his illness when he played out with his sister in the field and woods of their neighbour, a Lord who is letting his property fall into ruin. There they meet the Lord's nephew who becomes a kind of frenemy of Emmett's, but who has captured his sister's heart and mind as she would like to escape the farm to a life of greater luxury. Gradually Emmett discovers more about himself and his emotions and we learn why he has been so ill. In Part three the action shifts tot he present, Emmett is now living in the city, Castleford with the son of his old master who is also a binder, but a wealthy one. Emmett crosses paths again with his friend and their lives become quite perilous.

This book is great, there is a bit of magic, Dickensian vistas (the lonely marshes, the bustling town grimy and foggy) and skullduggery. The narrative flows and as I was reading it reminded me of the best YA fiction in it style of story telling, so I was not surprised on finishing the book to read the brief bio on the author , who is an acclaimed YA writer.

The book ended with a lot of promise for a sequel

I’ve seen lots of hype over this beautiful book on social media and it definitely didn’t disappoint. A fantastic historical novel which I really enjoyed and would thoroughly recommend

I adored this book.
More than anything else, for me this is a book about the power of memories and the simple joy we get from them and often take for granted.
The love story was beautiful and the mechanic of the Binding was unique and powerful, yet to me it was the realising all the moments I keep within me that are so utterly priceless, and the gladness I feel for them now, that made this book truly spectacular. I love when fiction can affect how you feel in the real world and this did exactly that.

First off you cannot help but notice the beauty of this book cover. That beaut continues within the story.
This is a fantasy historical book- we read about Emmelt Farmer- it comes with loads of secrets, pain and sadness.
You are going to go through every emotional possible.
Beautiful read
Thank you to both NetGalley and Harper Collins uk for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

This is a beautifully written book that manages to create an almost timeless world that is set in an unknown land, but which has easily identifiable references and parallels with our own. It is based on a fascinating idea of 'binding', which holds supernatural powers and a sense of dread, depending on how it is used or exploited. I was totally sucked into the exquisitely described narrative and kept guessing as to the real purpose of the skill. An unusual premise which is both absorbing and at times repellent - a brilliant read!

Quite beautiful: a story with more layers than a mille feuille.

At first I thought this novel was a the average fantasy genre story, with characters living in a world that looked an awful lot like our own past, but with a twist. Indeed, at first, that's exactly what it is. It takes quite a few chapters to get going (too many, really) and I nearly gave up, but then...then it turned into a beautiful love story that in itself would be enough to charm, but it also asks deep questions - about love, society's rules and the role of memory in our lives - that lift it into something quite extraordinary.

Have you ever wished you could simply forget, stop feeling, move on from a painful event in your life? What if you could - would you? I suspect many of us, especially those who have experienced brutality and trauma, would. What about a broken heart? What about the death of a marriage? What about the loss of a child? At what point does memory loss become helpful or damaging? What memories should we want to keep close, no matter how painful? We are who we are because of our memories - our character and behaviours are predicated upon our past experiences, bad as well as good. Wiping the slate clean might be as damaging as learning to live with what we know. This dilemma is beautifully examined in this novel, with answers seemingly clear, and then unclear, allowing you to make up your own mind, if you can.

There was so much hype and build up to this book that i was worried that it was going to fail to live up to the expectation. I shouldnt have been worried, its a fantastic book. The quality of the writing is of the highest level. Collins' prose weaves a subtle yet haunting tale of love and loss, despair and redemption. Its brilliant.

The idea of binding memories into books is unique yet so simply believable. It seriously made me pause and take a look at the books on my shelves, imagining that they were the memories of desperate people.

Last but not least i need to talk about the cover. Its a work of art. Stunning. This is the real reason why i became interested in The Binding in the first place. I've had to go and buy a special edition with sprayed edges - i cant wait to have this book on my shelf.

Magical.

I really enjoyed this book! The premise was intriguing - a binder has the ability to remove someone's memories; but should it be done? The setting was gothic and dark and I was swept away into the world instantly.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

really enjoyed this book, the fear of owning a book and then becoming a book binder was intriguing and this book took me on a whirlwind of a journey

emmett is just a farm lad and nobody he knows owns a book or even reads from a book so when he is summoned to be trained to be a book binder, in fact when he once did possess a book he father beat him...

and the journey that emmett goes on when he becomes this book binder.. well you just cant imagine..it makes owning and reading a book that more fascinating

there are a few dark bits in this book but on the whole a fascinating read, kept me glued

will be keeping an eye out for this author

The binding at the centre of this neo-Gothic story set in an alternative pre-industrial Yorkshire is a magical act in which someone takes away painful memories from a tormented individual, writes those memories down in the form of a narrative, binds the story into a book and locks it away in a vault, leaving the subject with no recollection of the original painful experience or of the binding process.

It's not an entirely straightforward premise. I struggled with the idea that an entire book could be written by hand in an afternoon. However, it has allowed the author the imaginative space to generate a powerful story of transgressive love and to tell it rather cleverly from the points of view of the individuals concerned, both before and after their memories have been taken away. As a result, the reader watches in painful fascination as the characters discover themselves by peeling away layers of misunderstanding

Bridget Collins writes beautifully with an almost a cinematic attention to detail and the kind of narrative patience that one rarely sees these days. Atmospheric and provocative, with a powerful sense of place, The Binding is a story of love struggling to recognise itself in a society concerned only with the protection of privilege.

Spoiler free review.

The idea that books are taboo and the means to erase memories is a wonderful concept that carries the themes of memory and true love contrasted with deceit, betrayed hearts and minds and social injustice throughout the pages of the novel.
The non linear narrative works exceptionally well in this book, and having finished the second section I started to re-think all that I had read in the first section and was tempted to return to the start of the book and re-read it to see if I experienced it differently with my new knowledge.Well, perhaps I would have done if I could see the pages through my flood of tears!
There are no shocking twists in this book, and I had guessed the direction in which it was heading, but the emotional pull of the novel really cast a spell on me and I enjoyed every last minute of it.

I eagerly await the next book from this talented author and my thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

What an extraordinarily mesmerising tale! With its unique concept, this book is spell binding. The tone of the book changes course midway but loses none of its magic. With questions of morality sprinkled throughout this book is thought provoking and entertaining from start to finish.

The Binding, Bridget Collins's first adult novel, is a book full of wonderful magic and searing heartache. A special hybrid of fantasy and historical fiction, it is a sumptuous and emotional affair which is substantial in its sincerity and exquisite in its writing. The premise, that memories you wished to be forgotten can be bound and effectively erased from a person's life, is a unique one and one I was on board with from the beginning. But this original concept is not the end of the story as it brings together two characters, Emmett and Lucian, in a beautiful, heartfelt love story. Two lovers that cross the class divide, with one being rich and one poor, but also many other divides of the time period.

Collins's world is lush, richly imagined and one I really didn't want to leave. This is a breathtakingly spectacular read and rates as one of the first fantastic reading experiences of 2019. The plot is a slow burn for the first half of the novel, which I enjoyed, and from then on it gathered pace a little. The perfect pacing is matched by the equally perfect storytelling ability of the author; it's rare you come across a more exceptional portrayal of time and place. An utterly charming and nuanced story with all the makings of a bestseller that captivated me from first page to last. Stunning!

Many thanks to The Borough Press for an ARC.

Such a gorgeous book!

I adore the concept that you can have bad memories taken away by being "bound", then put away in a book and effectively removed forever. I've only come across this as an idea in the film "Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind", and Bridget Collins weaves a magical tale around it.

The craft itself is absolutely fascinating and described beautifully, in a story that combines history, myth, magic and fantasy. The story itself pulls you in and under, I could not stop thinking about it and was eager to find spare moments to carry on reading it.

I now wish that I could undergo being "bound" myself so I could read this book again!

Highly recommend.

I received this from the publisher via netgalley. What beautiful writing and an unusual concept involving books. I refer of course to the idea of books created to erase memories in a process called binding. Quite a horrifying process when misused.
Excellent world building and brilliant character portrayal. A gradual unfolding of events tangled by the loss of memories reveal an abuse of binding and an understandable aversion by some people to avoid going anywhere near a book. How frightening is that to a book lover.
Nevertheless I digress, I found this book extremely readable and am definitely looking forward to more from this author. No spoilers from me. My advice is to put it in on your reading list. I must also mention the beautiful cover.