LUCY KENNEDY: FEBRUARY BOOK REVIEW

“Words are like stories ... They change as they are passed from mouth to mouth; their meanings stretch or truncate to fit what needs to be said.”

I initially picked up this book because I was enticed by the title, “The Dictionary of Lost Words”. I flipped it over, skimmed the blurb, and knew I had to have it. I am a linguaphile, and a lover of dictionaries. I had always harboured a vague wondering about how exactly dictionaries were compiled - it’s an entire language, how is it possible to correctly define every word? This book is a historical fiction focused on the creation of my personal favourite dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary, OED for short.

Esme, our main character, is the daughter of Harry Nicholl, one of the head lexicographers working on the making of the first ever OED. This allows her to spend most of her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford, England, where work on the dictionary is being done. She crouches beneath the sorting table, watching the men’s shoes as they define, sort, and discuss words above her head. One day, as she is under the table, a scrap of paper flutters down to her. On it is the word ‘Bondmaid’. This spurs a love of language for Esme, as well as a question: Are all words equal? Taking readers through the suffragette movement, Esme collects words from those who often go unheard, people with little to no income, underprivileged workers, women, and more. Esme is making her own dictionary: A dictionary of lost words.

An aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the author’s use of real people as characters. In reality, Esme and her father didn’t exist, but chief lexicographer Sir James Murray, his daughters Elsie and Rosfrith, long time assistants Mr. Maling, Mr. Sweatman, and Mr. Yockney, as well as Esme’s close family friend Edith Thompson were all actual people working to bring the dictionary to fruition. Elsie and Rosfrith Murray gave most of their lives to the dictionary project, sorting slips at the dinner table from as young an age as five. Edith Thompson was a frequent volunteer, sending in words to be included and doing extra research for the project. Despite the years of energy, interest, hard work and commitment these women gave to the dictionary, when it was finally published in 1928 they were done a grave injustice. A party was held in London’s Goldsmith’s Hall in order to celebrate the eventual publication of the Oxford English Dictionary, a full seventyone years after the initial idea was suggested. Women are not invited; however, the three women are allowed to sit out on the balcony and watch the men eat. No food is given to them, they cannot talk and celebrate with the other guests. It was considered a privilege for them to even attend. All this despite Elsie and Rosfrith’s father being the main controller of dictionary proceedings.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and think it to be one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a long while. I found myself really attached to Esme’s character, as the novel traces her entire life from age five until her death. I would absolutely recommend this book to lovers of language and vocabulary like myself, anyone with a special interest in the women’s suffrage movement, and to a reader who wants to be immersed in well-developed and captivating characters.

(LUCY KENNEDY) out of 5!

PN www.lucykennedywriter.wixsite.com/reviews instagram @lucykennedyreviews

Westmere residents Lisa Prager and Verity George discuss Titan, their beautiful cat. Tell us a little about you cat. What’s his name?

We named our cat Titan because we knew he had to be strong and brave to survive living on a main road.

How old is he?

Titan is an old man pretending to be a teenager.

How did you find him?

We had just moved into what was to become Garnet Station. It was in disrepair so we started renovating immediately. I heard a pathetic little meow outside the backdoor and saw a teeny, weeny tabby kitten hiding under the monstera plants. We surmised he had been dropped into our fenced property by his mother, desperate to save his life. It took me quite a while to tame him and he is very wary of strangers.

Whats his favourite play/toy?

His feral start in life means he will attack any fluffy dangling object and his favourite toy is a thin flexible bamboo cane swished through the grass at high speed.

What does he like to eat?

Titan is extremely particular about food having been brought up in a restaurant. He will chow down on raw meat one day and reject it outright the next. But his favourite treat is mild Tandoori chicken as he was an Indian Maharaja in a past life.

Where does he enjoy hanging out?

In summer his favourite place to hang out is in the shade of the parsley bush next to the rabbits’ mansion in the back yard.

How many paper bags/ boxes does he use?

Titan will jump in and out of any abandoned cardboard box or paper bag, but half packed suitcases are his favourite.

Does he have cat friends?

Titan is a lover not a fighter, however the big ginger cat next door is having a turf war with him at the moment.

Does he enjoy a cuddle?

Titan only enjoys cuddles on his terms, either on my lap while watching TV or snuggled up in bed - pre dawn; the rest of the time he is Mr. Independent.