The Bookbinder

Author: Pip Williams

Genre: Historical fiction

Format: ARC via NetGalley

Publish Date: August 2023

Read: May 2023

Favorite Quote: If you shrink yourself to the smallness of your circumstances, you’ll soon disappear.

Story Synopsis: The Bookbinder is set at the start of World War I in Oxford, England. There’s very little crossover with The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. You meet Peggy Jones, a bookbinder who wants to attend Oxford and learn. When the war starts and changes everything, Peggy is faced with how to give her sister, Maude, space, and how to deal with loss, love, and going after the life she wants.

Why does this book beguile? After reading The Dictionary of Lost Words, I was so excited to read The Bookbinder. However, The Bookbinder was a bit of a disappointment. Despite a great start, the book never took off. When I got about halfway through, I kept waiting for the inciting incident, but nothing happened. And then, nothing happened. Then, the book ended. The characters didn’t have much growth or arc, and the novel fizzled out. Sadly, The Bookbinder left little to the imagination and a lot to be desired.

Rating: 3/5

Link*: The Bookbinder by Pip Williams - Amazon | The Bookbinder by Pip Williams - Bookshop.org