the language of feminism

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: Esme received her introduction to language literally at the feet of the men putting together the Oxford English Dictionary.  Her father was one of them, and as a child, she would hide under their worktable and play with the word slips that fell to the ground.  She starts her own collection of forgotten slips, and begins to notice that many of them deal with things that refer only to women.  As she grows, she starts to deliberately seek out words that will never find there way into such a straight-laced piece of formality as the OED.  Collecting these "lost words" will prove an education in itself for Esme, one very different from what she receives in her formal schooling, or as she begins to work on the dictionary herself.

Esme is a believable and sympathetic character and her quest to have women's words, particularly those of the lower classes recognized is realistically written.  Any reader who's interested in the intersection of feminism and language will be intrigued by this book.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.