Archive for the ‘Oxford’ Tag
Piglet may be the name of a beloved children’s book character, but it’s the fictional main character in Lottie Hazell’s debut novel. And, it’s far from childish. In fact, it’s dark and disturbing.
Piglet and Kit are soon to be married; they’ve just purchased a new home in Oxford, she’s a successful cookbook editor and Kit, who’s from a wealthy family, seemingly adores his fiancé. That is until 13 days before the wedding when Kit confesses to Piglet a transgression that the reader can only guess. Despite his profuse apologies, it is enough to upend Piglet’s world and send her spiraling into a literal feeding frenzy.
Of course, the childhood nickname is enough of a clue that self-esteem may not be the main character’s strong suit. It’s eventually explained which only emphasizes the issues that have been part of Piglet for most of her life.
Although the author doesn’t describe Piglet’s size at the novel’s beginning, the character grows on the page. How could she not after ordering one of everything on a restaurant menu?! The most graphic image comes when her sister, parents and sister’s boyfriend struggle to get Piglet into her wedding dress. If it wasn’t so sad, it would be comical. This is an eating disorder gone off the rails before our very eyes.
Piglet’s anxiety about whether to go through with the wedding is palpable. Initially, she seemed to have everything, but after losing trust in Kit, there’s little that can satisfy her ravenous appetite for more.
Piglet
Three-and-half bookmarks
Henry Holt and Company, 2024
309 pages (includes acknowledgements)
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams is an engaging novel about how the complete edition of the Oxford English Dictionary came to be. In addition to its development, perhaps more importantly, it addresses women’s roles in the achievement.
Along with the words that make it into the initial version is the vocabulary that the mostly male lexicographers overlooked – either by design or ignorance. Here’s where narrator Esme comes in. As a young child she spent most of her time under the table where her widowed father and his colleagues collected words for inclusion in the dictionary.
When not in the “Scriptorium,” Esme is in the nearby home of James Murray where housemaid Lizzie cares for the young girl. Despite class differences, theirs is a relationship that endures as Esme grows up and begins her own collection of words. She starts with some discarded by the men and later adds the vernacular of working class women she discovers with Lizzie’s help.
Williams’s novel is inspired by true events, but isn’t just historical. The story is brought to life by the vivid personalities of the main characters, but also lesser, nonetheless equally important, ones. While the dictionary is being compiled (a decades-long endeavor), the arduous battle of the women’s suffrage movement is underway (another lengthy process). The backdrop of societal mores, the Great War and personal relationships imbues the work with emotion.
Words and their meanings are significant but their power is reflected in how they’re used and by whom.
The Dictionary of Lost Words
Four Bookmarks
Ballentine Books, 2021
388 pages (includes epilogue, author’s notes, timeline and book group discussion questions)
The Blue Page Special 