This book was an unexpected inspirational story. It took me by surprise in a good way. The way that Esme's life is paralleled by the making of the first Oxford dictionary creates an easy-to-follow structure while also giving a deeper look into Esme's life and her work. I don't usually like the stories that follow a character's full life, they tend to drag and have weird pacing issues, but this one did a good job moving the story along and not focusing too long on less interesting parts. Esme's development throughout the book was interesting to read, especially seeing how she changed with age while still maintaining important character traits. Another aspect of the book I really liked was how the personal life of Esme was so well entwined with her professional life, and how the political/historical events of the time were added in as well. It didn't feel like they were thrown in just to make a point, rather they played a real role in Esme's life without her even being entirely involved. I think it's easy to make these types of feminist stories feel cheesy, but this one feels natural and well developed. My absolute favorite part of this book was the end.

While I had a hard time reading about Gareth's fate since I loved their relationship, the end of the book still left me so warm. The last chapter really made the book stand out. I loved how it showed that Esme's struggle and work to preserve the words she believed important ultimately had an impact and wasn't for nothing. I loved seeing the small bit about her daughter, who didn't discredit her adoptive mother but still acknowledged her birth mother. I love how she continues the work and the part when she sees another young woman excited to learn about words, figuratively passing the torch on, was my favorite part of the whole book.

Literary books like this one aren't always the easiest reads, but this one really stands out, with compelling writing and a well-delivered message. I would recommend this book to any word lover.