This feels like quite an important book, in that it shines a light on the fact that everything in this world, right down to the words we speak, have been decided and defined by "educated" men. Not a new concept to me, but could probably serve as a starting point for some people in unpacking the ideas of sexism, patriarchy, classism etc. 

I wanted to like it more than I did. There were some really great sections and then there were some that just dragged. I did like how the timeline of the dictionary crossed over with so many major world events, and how that played into Esme's journey, but at the same time it felt like maybe there was a little bit too much of that, and sometimes it was at the expense of the characters. 

It's one of those books that when I was reading it, I was enjoying it, but whenever I put it down, I was in no hurry to get back to it. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I just felt like it was lacking a little bit of emotional investment. I think it would be the perfect book to make a mini series out of, and expand on some of the supporting characters, really emphasize the emotional connections they had, especially Lizzie and Esme.