The English Dictionary has always been something I’ve taken for granted in life because I’ve never known a life without it, or without the ability to google a word I didn’t know the meaning of. I’d never considered quite how great a feat its creation must have been until Williams delved into the world of the Scriptorium in this great piece of historical fiction inspired by true events and people. Her passion for the topic shines through in the character of Esme and her never-ending pursuit of lexical knowledge. Esme was a believable character, and we have the pleasure of watching her grow from a young, curious girl into a woman with political opinions who learns the importance of using your voice and the consequences of its silence.
There is definitely a shift in tone as Esme grows up, and the book handles some difficult experiences and generally becomes more tragic. We do lose the sense of magic it has at the beginning, but this isn’t necessarily a negative as it reflects the hardships of the period and how peoples lives were drastically impacted by the First World War.
As a whole, the novel is well-researched, and even includes verbatim speeches from the real Dr Murray, and I love the inclusion of characters who act as an homage to their real counterparts such as Ditte that acknowledge and credit these people for their valuable contributions to the dictionary.
The family dynamic between Esme and Da is touching and authentic, with short sentences here and there that make you pause and consider the complexity of growing up.
This is an unapologetically feminist novel, with the premise surrounding the importance of women’s words, especially working-class women who could not read or write but had a language rich with words that never graced the dictionary. Not only is this a brilliant piece of historical fiction, but also a great educational piece about women’s history and unheard voices.