The women of the bindery (the men do the printing) aren't meant to read what they're folding but Peggy always tries to and sneakily takes home any pages that have been damaged or misfolded - creating a ramshackle library on the narrowboat she shares with her sister.
Maude is a little different, although no specific condition or diagnosis is given she uses the repetition of other people words to get her thoughts across rather than creating her own sentences and spends much of her time compulsively folding different shapes from paper.
The outbreak of WW1 brings many changes to their lives and expands their small world. Refugees from Belgium arrive and begin work with them at the bindery, wounded soldiers arrive in the city for care and Peggy starts to volunteer to read and write for them. Whilst there she meets Gwen, a student at Somerville - a place Peggy has always dreamed of attending but feels unable to due to the need to care for Maude and because of class differences (town vs. gown) - and Bastiaan, a wounded Belgian soldier.
Although this book tackles many serious issues - social status, gender politics, women's suffrage, war and trauma - it never feels like a chore, the writing is easy to read and really captures not just the time and place but also makes the characters feel authentic.
Highly recommend this, along with Pip Williams' previous book The Dictionary of Lost Words (which overlaps with this one, although the stories are separate)

When the men of Oxford University Press leave for the Western Front, Peggy, her twin sister Maude and their friends in the bookbindery must shoulder the burden at home. As Peggy moves between her narrowboat full of memories and the demands of the Press, her dreams of studying feel ever more remote. She must know her place, fold her pages and never stop to savour the precious words in front of her.
From volunteer nurses to refugees fleeing the horrors of occupation, the war brings women together from all walks of life, and with them some difficult choices for Peggy. New friends and lovers offer new opportunities, but they also make new demands - and Peggy must write her own story.

This is a story of the First World War but not about trenches, mud and death. This is the story of the women and girls who filled the breaches in factories around the country when the men were away. It's about the lives they led and how the war dominated their lives. This is a wonderfully written story and although not billed as a sequel to "The Dictionary of Lost Words" it's very much in keeping with it. A very enjoyable read.

A really interesting read! The Bookbinder of Jericho is set in Oxford in the years of the First World War and describes the journey of Peggy, a bookbinder at the Oxford University Press. She has a twin sister Maude - who Peggy has always had to look after as she is a unique sort of person - after the death of their mother there's been no one else. Peggy has always wanted to be someone who reads books, not bind them but as the separation of Town and Gown is so strict it's always been a dream rather than something she could make a reality.
The war years then introduce people into her life who change her perspective - Bastiaan, a Belgian soldier, Lotte a refugee from the battlefields and Gwen, a true Oxford lady.

It was the first book I had read by Pip Williams and I found the intricacies of the book binding world fascinating. The story itself took a little while to get into but it was very emotive and I found myself shedding a tear or two along the way. Great attention to historical detail and characters who come to life.

Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an early release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful interesting book based in Oxford during the first world wars.
Twins Peggy and Maude Jones live on a barge in Oxford and work at a book bindery, when the war starts their lives fill with refugees and the knock on effects, where hospitals and recovery centres take over some of the buildings.
For anyone who loves all the nooks and crannies and history of Oxford this is perfect!
Fascinating details of how books used to be painstakingly made and finished with gold leaf lettering on the covers. The hell of how people survived and suffered in that war evidenced for the people at home, far from the front and the women’s role in volunteering.
However I found this a hard one to get into as I found the writing abrupt and not flowing to start with, and although the premise is brilliant I didn’t relate to any of the characters.
Interesting but not greatly enjoyable.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another beautiful engrossing and captivating book from this most talented author. Simply beautiful.

Peggy and Maude are identical twins and work in the bindery section of the Oxford University Press in the area of Jericho. Peggy is clever and loves to read and learn unlike Maude who is more vulnerable.
in 1914 its the women who keep the wheels turning and they must welcome refugees from Belgium. These refugees will change their lives forever.

What a lovely book. A historical novel set in Jericho, Oxford during and after WWI and weaving fiction with a lot of factual detail; this is going to appeal to historical readers and book lovers everywhere. I read somewhere that it’s a companion book to the author’s previous novel (which I now want to read) but it read well as a stand-alone. It’s so well written and plotted that there must have been a tremendous amount of research as the level of detail is brilliant. I almost feel like I could make a book myself!

Briefly, twins Peggy and Maude Jones live on a houseboat and work for a bookbinding company folding the printed pages of books. Peggy aspires to go to university and get an English degree but she is ‘town’ and they don’t mix with ‘gown’ the privileged university students. She also worries about looking after Maude who has what would today probably be called ADHD, so has put her dreams to one side.

There were so many facets to this book. The printing process and the books being printed are described in detail, as are the facts around suffrage, the war, socioeconomic factors and gender inequality. Peggy is a wonderful character but it was Maude who stole my heart, she was just special, I wanted to give her a big hug.
This isn’t a fast paced read, but it’s still completely enthralling and I didn’t want to put it down once I started it. A wonderful historical novel, with a bit of romance, a lot of emotional depth, and dreams, dreams of a more fulfilling life. I loved it. Oh and do read the Authors Notes at the end. They make very interesting reading.

I was a little disappointed with <i>The Bookbinder of Jericho</i> having really loved Pip Williams' debut novel <i>The Dictionary of Lost Words</i>. This book is sort of a sequel in that it follows in time and a few characters overlap but the reality it that it is a standalone novel. I spent too much time trying to work out which characters followed on as it wasn't entirely obvious and they weren't main characters in this novel.

My main disappointment was that, being set during the period 1914-1918, there was a lot of rather gory details about injuries sustained during World War I which left me with images I'd rather not have in my mind. The plot revolves about twin sisters, Peggy and Maude, who work in the bindery department of the Oxford University Press. It's a lowly job mostly involving folding and ordering pages and stitching while the menfolk do the more interesting work such as the typesetting and printing. Peggy and Maude's mother died when they were 18 and they are now in their early twenties struggling with life but being occasionally helped by family friend Tilda who's an interesting and formidable woman who was a suffragette. That was quite a theme in the first book but not in this one.

Peggy is very bright and would love to be able to study more and get a place of Oxford University. The sisters live on a canal book which is packed with damaged and rejected books from the Press which Peggy reads voraciously. However, Maude, has learning difficulties so Peggy feels obliged to care for her. Soon after the outbreak of war, Peggy gets involved in volunteering at the local make-shift hospital for the war wounded. Many are coming from Belgium, including women who are fleeing the war in their country. Their presence is not always welcome as many resent the fact that the invasion of Belgium was the reason that Great Britain joined the war.

The main theme of the book is romance and the town/gown divide which Peggy feels especially strongly as she'd like to move from one to the other. There's a fair bit of detail about the process of the book making which reminded me a little of Tracy Chevalier's writing, It is a lovely story and I think will appeal to many.

With thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having enjoyed the Dictionary of Lost Words I was looking forward to this book, and then delighted when I realised that it was a companion piece, but still a standalone novel. Set in Oxford between 1914 and 1920 it's a movng tale of Peggy and Maude and their colleagues, friends and neighbours. A couple of mentions of characters that appeared in the previous book but nothing that makes reading that one first essential. I enjoyed this book very much. and would recommend it to anyone who loves books about books, books set during WW1 or good family stories.

A beautiful, heartwarming, yet sad story about a woman, Peggy, working as a bookbinder in Oxford during WW1.

Peggy navigates the difficulties of the war, while working at the Press and looking after her twin sister, Maude. Peggy and Maude live on a narrow boat and have an extensive book (and parts of books) collection. Peggy goes on a journey of self-discovery and sacrifice.

I really enjoyed this book. It was beautifully written, I loved the characters and their stories. I was fascinated to learn more about what life was like during WW1 for women working, and particularly the detail and depth of the characters was very well done. Reading about other people’s passion for books is always great, but I loved how the details of the bookbinding process really added to the essence of this story.

This was my first read from Pip Williams and I will definitely be adding The Dictonary of Lost Words to my want-to-read list. Some other reviews say this is not a sequel but some characters reappear in this book. I didn’t notice or get lost with characters but I am intrigued what the connections may be.
I would highly recommend this read and will definitely recommending to my book-lover friends!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage, Chatto & Windus AND Pip Williams for this book and the opportunity to review it.

A fascinating, well-written novel. Pip introduces us to the world of bookbinding in the early 2oth century, set against the backdrop of the First World War. The story is narrated by Peggy Jones, a young girl who works in the Book Bindery in Oxford and who lives with her twin sister on a canal barge. Author Pip Williams keeps Peggy's hopes and disappointments at the centre of the narrative, but still manages to touch on a wide range number of the issues of the day, many of which still exist in some form in the 21st century - women's rights and the way we respond to those who are different from ourselves being two examples. A great read, and I look forward to more from this author.

I enjoyed this book as it explored the issues women faced in the early 20th century. Peggy was a lower class women who lived and worked with her twin sister in Oxford. She had aspirations but no expectations of joining Somerville Women's College. As the first world War bought about changes to their lives Peggy faced different challenges. She met Gwen who lived a privileged life, refugees from Belgium. These women broke the routines they were used to. War changed things for all women but what happened after?
A very different book to what I had expected, but a very good read. All the characters were well written. I liked the links with classical novels etc. Well researched.

Beautifully written, this is a great story set in an extraordinary time period in the bookbinding industry- an industry I’ve never really given much thought to.
I was hooked throughout.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Peg and Maude are sisters living on a narrow boat that was filled with books by their now deceased mother. Peggy promised to look after her sister and they both work at the book bindery. Peggy would love to pursue her love of language and books by going to university but has her sister with delayed development and there is still a long way to go for the emancipation of women . War brings them further into their work and also peppered into the tale is the plight of Belgian refugees.
Exquisitely put together book

Peggy Jones and her sister Maude work side by side in the Book Bindery of Jericho.
Peggy has dreams, ambitions, but can a working girl like Peggy, living through the early 1900’s ever hope to realise any?

I found a couple of things about Peggy’s work at the start of the book a little repetitive, but having said that I was also interested reading about it, if that doesn’t sound contradictory?
It was an interesting book that had me hooked, with a range of characters that all added to the story in their own way.
I found myself at the end of the book using the internet to research a few things that I read during the story, and from reading the acknowledgements. New, and very interesting facts to me.
Reading about life during wartime, whether past, or present times, makes me feel sad and humbled.
I really enjoyed reading this book.
I had a lump in my throat, and was teary eyed at the end. I thought it was brought to a good ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

a genuinely clever and thoughtful book. i enjoyed it as much as the dictionary of lost words. very nice read

I have mixed views on this book. If you haven’t read The Dictionary of Lost Words I think you will like this book. Unfortunately for me, I was spoilt by that book and was underwhelmed by this one as it felt far too similar.

Twin sisters Peggy and Maude work at the Oxford University Press book bindery. Peggy has always dreamed of going to Oxford University, but as she is not from the right side of town, there is little chance that will happen for her. She also promised her mum when she recently died that she would look after her differently-abled sister Maude, and feels like that is also a barrier for her. So she feels a bit stuck, until the war breaks out in 1914 and women are tasked with filling the vacant roles vacated by the men, and Peggy can sense a change.

This is a beautifully written piece of feminist historical fiction that shines a light on the women who kept the country going back home while the men were away fighting. With a great bunch of characters and plot, this was a great read.

Another superb book by Pip Williams. I loved the Dictionary of Lost Words and was very eager to read this book. It certainly did not disappoint. Although a slow burner I loved every page and it kept me hooked from start to finish.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.