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The Dictionary of Lost Words
- Narrated by: Pippa Bennett-Warner
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
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The Dictionary of Lost Words
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it.
Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary.
Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word bondmaid flutter to the floor unclaimed. Esme seizes the word and hides it in an old wooden trunk that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world.
Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.
Set when the women's suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It's a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape our experience of the world.
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What listeners say about The Dictionary of Lost Words
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- natandella
- 11-09-21
Unusual and captivating
Beautifully written and read. The characters come alive as you listen.
A very gentle tale that covers the most difficult fights.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- celia burgess-macey
- 09-02-23
Illuminating words
This book took me on an educational and emotional journey that moved me to tears. A very important story of historical significance and though fictionalised true in the best sense of the word.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- james walker
- 18-05-23
The power of language
This is a fictionalised insight into an important moment in history when the Oxford dictionary was formed. What resonates throughout is the power of language to define how we understand and perceive the world around us and who has the power to determine the use and knowledge of such words. Made me think of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis - the idea that language informs our sense of culture and reality.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Manon Deslauriers
- 28-07-23
Beautiful writing!
Set in Oxford, this historical novel is superbly written. The story is infused with the love of words and enticing characters. I highly recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- LizLoz
- 11-09-21
Wonderful narration. More from her please!
Great story, wonderful narration. Loved the story between Essie May and Lizzy especially. And what an interesting history of the dictionary
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Lusi Elliot
- 13-02-22
Fascinating
Slow to start, but I became enthralled with all I learned. Beautiful account and description of our words and the Oxford dictionary, mixed with the life of a very independent and curious young woman. I loved the telling of it, and the narration was superb. Highly recommend
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- S. Bamford
- 28-03-22
Fabulous listen
This is both a great story with characters you want to spend time with and an education in lexicography.
Then add in a superb narrator and you have a fascinating and really enjoyable audiobook. Am already missing the characters now it’s finished
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Alexa
- 02-04-22
The Most Beautiful Book
As a life long reader & lover of books, the books was so special. The story is based on the true story of the Oxford English Dictionary and how women were not involved in the writing & production of it. Don't run away yet! It is the most beautiful story that will have you smiling, wondering & possibly crying. I never wanted it to end and will re-listen again very soon. Please tell all the women you know (and men I suppose)!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Emma Halford-Forbes
- 16-05-23
A beautiful story, beautifully told
An uplifting tale. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it certainly wasn’t a story of such complexity and depth. Esme’s story had me in tears, transfixed with anxiety, and longing for more at every turn. The personal story so cleverly linked a clear fascination with words with women’s place within that, women’s history and the history of the epic tale of the OED. The narration was excellent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Deborah W
- 03-08-23
A wonderful insight!
To learn how the collection of words and lost words came about, and the characters involved was a delight.
My thanks to the author.
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