What is lost when knowledge is withheld? In 1914, when the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, it is the women who must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who work in the bindery at Oxford University Press in Jericho. Peggy is intelligent, ambitious and dreams of going to Oxford University, but for most of her life she has been told her job is to bind the books, not read them. Maude, meanwhile, wants nothing more than what she has. She is extraordinary but vulnerable. Peggy needs to watch over her.
When refugees arrive from the devastated cities of Belgium, it sends ripples through the community and through the sisters’ lives. Peggy begins to see the possibility of another future where she can use her intellect and not just her hands, but as war and illness reshape her world, it is love, and the responsibility that comes with it, that threaten to hold her back.
In this beautiful companion to the international bestseller The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams explores another little-known slice of history seen through women’s eyes. Evocative, subversive and rich with unforgettable characters, The Bookbinder of Jericho is a story about knowledge who gets to make it, who gets to access it, and what is lost when it is withheld.
“The Bookbinders of Jericho” is a beautifully written and crafted novel that explores the lives of a Peggy and Mae – twin sisters who are working in a bookbinding factory in Jericho, Oxford during the First World War. The author has skillfully woven together a rich tapestry of characters, each with their own unique story to tell. Through their struggles, triumphs, and heartaches, the reader is given an intimate glimpse into the lives of these women and the world in which they lived. Peggy aches for more than her current life gives and shows strength and determination in getting what she desires. Mae is content with her current place in life.
One of the strengths of the book is its attention to historical detail, capturing the sights, sounds, and feelings of the time period with vivid accuracy. The author’s vivid descriptions of the work of the bookbinders, the impact of the war on their lives, and the complex relationships between the characters, bring the book to life and make it a truly captivating read.
A great read for those who enjoy historical fiction and would be a good contributor to the field of women’s studies.
I have just finished this novel and really enjoyed it. Women had to be so strong during the war and they had to get on with life no matter what happened. The twin bond between the girls is so true. (My best friends at school were twins). The novel showed you had to be born into wealthy family to get educated and a lot of people took that for granted. England was so affected by war and their lives were so unpredictable. I recommend this novel to everyone.
I enjoyed The Bookbinder of Jericho more than I expected. (I cannot compare it with the author’s previous novel as I haven’t read it) It is a lovely historical novel set at the time of world war one I. The story unfolds from the point of view of Peg a young woman working in a bindery, with a hunger for books and knowledge. The story weaves around her and her twin sister, Maude’s and their close friends’. It discusses the women’s place in the society at that time and their opportunities to receive an education and enter the world of scholars.
I particularly loved the romance between Peg and Bastiaan, her friendship with Gwen and Tilda’s letters. I enjoyed the writing style and how it brings the characters in to life and take the reader to the bygone era of the early 20th century. I felt the story started a bit slow but soon felt like it picked up pace absorbing the reader into the plot.
Pip Williams blends history with imagination, weaving a captivating, poignant tale of desire, duty, grief and love in The Bookbinder of Jericho, a companion novel to her award winning fiction debut, The Dictionary of Lost Words.
Told in five parts, beginning in 1914 and ending in 1918, The Bookbinder of Jericho is well grounded in historical fact, exploring the gatekeeping of education and knowledge, womens suffrage, the horrors of war, post traumatic stress, and the devastating spread of Spanish Flu. It’s also a thought provoking and emotional story, rendering longing, romance, heartache, and loss with sincerity.
Peggy is a complex central figure, intelligent and dutiful but prickly, her resentment of all she is denied, by her gender, her social status, and her responsibilities, is never far from the surface. Though they are identical in looks, Maude’s contented nature and simple needs contrasts sharply with that of her twin. The supporting characters, including family friend Tilda (who appeared in The Dictionary of Lost Words), and Belgian refugees Lotte and Bastiaan, are well drawn and enrich the story.
Evocative prose effortlessly conjures movement and place. I found it easy to visualise the sisters crowded narrowboat lined with books and manuscripts, the balletic grace of the bindery women sweeping pages into their arms, the intimidating architecture of Oxford University, and Maude carefully folding her array of colourful paper stars.
The Bookbinder of Jericho is a rich, lyrical, beautifully crafted novel I won’t hesitate to recommend.
As a lover of historical fiction with strong female characters. I was looking forward to reading this book. I was certainly impressed by her previous book, The Dictionary of Lost Words
Pip Williams is an extremely talented researcher. In this book, her female characters invited us to get to know their lives and their many hardships. Women’s position at this particular time in the early 20th Century was dramatically changing due to World War One and the Right to Vote
The book highlights privileges such as housing, education and wealth that some women may or may not have. Even the selfless act of volunteering came with a privilege
In my view, the main story is the privilege to access books to enrich our lives. As well as, the importance of reading and writing in our lives. Books were seen as something of great value that needed to be methodically printed and bound with extreme perfection. The main character and her family had access to books when imperfect books were discarded. The pleasure of reading a book versus the hard work of printing/binding a book was a great metaphor to show privilege.
This book seems to have a slower pace than her previous book. However, her narrative grabs you and you cannot stop reading this book.
Lovers of historical fiction and Pip Williams’ “The Dictionary of Lost Words” in particular will doubtlessly relish its companion piece, “The Bookbinder of Jericho.” Set in England during the tumultuous environment of World War 1 the novel captures Oxford University Press bookbinder, Peggy Jones’, quest for truth, knowledge and love beyond that normally afforded to women of her station.
Censorship of knowledge, class barriers, gender imbalance and the disenfranchisement of refugees are dominant themes in this eloquently crafted book. At 426 pages this is no lightweight, and the author’s protracted musings on the minutiae of bookbinding could test the stamina of those with only a fleeting interest in the subject! Persistence has its rewards and readers who faithfully follow Peggy’s intellectual and emotional awakening during one of the most challenging periods in 20th century history will be treated to an indelible insight into the naivete, ambition and resilience of the human mind.