Listen free for 30 days
-
The Dictionary of Lost Words
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Pippa Bennett-Warner
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $23.31
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
You may also enjoy...
-
Lessons in Chemistry
- A Novel
- Written by: Bonnie Garmus
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus, Pandora Sykes
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
-
-
Very boring
- By LW on 2023-04-05
Written by: Bonnie Garmus
-
The Bookbinder of Jericho
- A Novel
- Written by: Pip Williams
- Narrated by: Annabelle Tudor
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1914, and as the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, women must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrowboat in Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press.
-
-
A worthy sister
- By Linda in Nepean, Canada on 2023-10-28
Written by: Pip Williams
-
Remarkably Bright Creatures
- A Novel
- Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
-
-
Beautiful, tragic, uplifting… in my top 5 EVER
- By Patrice L. Gordon on 2022-10-07
Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
-
Our Missing Hearts
- Reese's Book Club (A Novel)
- Written by: Celeste Ng
- Narrated by: Lucy Liu, Celeste Ng
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn’t know what happened to her—only that her books have been banned—and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him.
-
-
Powerful and oh so relevant!
- By Jayne on 2023-10-20
Written by: Celeste Ng
-
Demon Copperhead
- A Novel
- Written by: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 21 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses.
-
-
Brilliant narration of beautifully written story
- By Kareem on 2023-05-28
Written by: Barbara Kingsolver
-
Counterfeit
- A Novel
- Written by: Kirstin Chen
- Narrated by: Catherine Ho
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home—she’s built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava’s world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn’t been used in years, and her toddler’s tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point. Enter Winnie Fang, Ava’s enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances.
-
-
Disappointing and Anticlimactic
- By Anonymous User on 2022-06-15
Written by: Kirstin Chen
-
Lessons in Chemistry
- A Novel
- Written by: Bonnie Garmus
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus, Pandora Sykes
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
-
-
Very boring
- By LW on 2023-04-05
Written by: Bonnie Garmus
-
The Bookbinder of Jericho
- A Novel
- Written by: Pip Williams
- Narrated by: Annabelle Tudor
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1914, and as the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, women must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrowboat in Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press.
-
-
A worthy sister
- By Linda in Nepean, Canada on 2023-10-28
Written by: Pip Williams
-
Remarkably Bright Creatures
- A Novel
- Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
-
-
Beautiful, tragic, uplifting… in my top 5 EVER
- By Patrice L. Gordon on 2022-10-07
Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
-
Our Missing Hearts
- Reese's Book Club (A Novel)
- Written by: Celeste Ng
- Narrated by: Lucy Liu, Celeste Ng
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn’t know what happened to her—only that her books have been banned—and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him.
-
-
Powerful and oh so relevant!
- By Jayne on 2023-10-20
Written by: Celeste Ng
-
Demon Copperhead
- A Novel
- Written by: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 21 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses.
-
-
Brilliant narration of beautifully written story
- By Kareem on 2023-05-28
Written by: Barbara Kingsolver
-
Counterfeit
- A Novel
- Written by: Kirstin Chen
- Narrated by: Catherine Ho
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home—she’s built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava’s world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn’t been used in years, and her toddler’s tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point. Enter Winnie Fang, Ava’s enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances.
-
-
Disappointing and Anticlimactic
- By Anonymous User on 2022-06-15
Written by: Kirstin Chen
-
The Covenant of Water
- Written by: Abraham Verghese
- Narrated by: Abraham Verghese
- Length: 31 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time.
-
-
Stunning Book!
- By Suzanne Flaro on 2023-06-14
Written by: Abraham Verghese
-
Wrong Place Wrong Time
- A Novel
- Written by: Gillian McAllister
- Narrated by: Lesley Sharp
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger.
-
-
Wow!
- By Peg on 2023-05-14
Written by: Gillian McAllister
-
The Personal Librarian
- A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
- Written by: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.
-
-
Dynamic duo
- By Tania A Heinemann on 2023-09-27
Written by: Marie Benedict, and others
-
Anatomy
- A Love Story
- Written by: Dana Schwartz
- Narrated by: Mhairi Morrison, Tim Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry. Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die. When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought.
-
-
Captivating
- By M Farrell on 2022-01-30
Written by: Dana Schwartz
-
The Island of Missing Trees
- A Novel
- Written by: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Daphne Kouma, Amira Ghazalla
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish.
-
-
Beautiful story but wiered performance
- By mehran on 2024-04-11
Written by: Elif Shafak
-
The Christie Affair
- A Novel
- Written by: Nina de Gramont
- Narrated by: Lucy Scott
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1925: In a world of townhomes and tennis matches, socialites and shooting parties, Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie. The question is, why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage, why hatch a plot years in the making, and why murder? How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those 11 mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing?
-
-
Tedious
- By K L on 2023-01-29
Written by: Nina de Gramont
-
Hello Beautiful
- A Novel
- Written by: Ann Napolitano
- Narrated by: Maura Tierney
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all.
-
-
I wept!
- By Sydney Gilchrist on 2023-05-09
Written by: Ann Napolitano
-
Fresh Water for Flowers
- Written by: Valérie Perrin
- Narrated by: Sara Young
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Casual mourners, regular visitors, and sundry colleagues - gravediggers, groundskeepers, and a priest - visit her to warm themselves in her lodge, where laughter, companionship, and occasional tears mix with the coffee she offers them. Her life is lived to the rhythms of their funny, moving confidences. But her routine is disrupted by the arrival of the local police chief, who insists on scattering the ashes of his recently deceased mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger.
-
-
Probably better read in its original French. Poor choice of narrator
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-02-06
Written by: Valérie Perrin
-
The House in the Pines
- Reese's Book Club (A Novel)
- Written by: Ana Reyes
- Narrated by: Marisol Ramirez
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer. Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank.
-
-
Compelling. Easy listening
- By EmSprack on 2024-03-13
Written by: Ana Reyes
-
Horse
- A Novel
- Written by: Geraldine Brooks
- Narrated by: James Fouhey, Lisa Flanagan, Graham Halstead, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.
-
-
Great read or listen
- By Carol on 2023-01-07
Written by: Geraldine Brooks
-
True Biz
- A Novel
- Written by: Sara Novic
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan, Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges listeners into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they’ll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who’s never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school’s golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the hearing headmistress.
-
-
Loved it
- By Anonymous User on 2023-05-29
Written by: Sara Novic
-
The Sleeping Car Porter
- Written by: Suzette Mayr
- Narrated by: Chris McPherson
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Baxter’s name isn’t George. But it’s 1929, and Baxter is lucky enough, as a Black man, to have a job as a sleeping car porter on a train that crisscrosses the country. So when the passengers call him George, he has to just smile and nod and act invisible. What he really wants is to go to dentistry school, but he’ll have to save up a lot of nickel and dime tips to get there, so he puts up with “George.” On this particular trip out west, the passengers are more unruly than usual, especially when the train is stalled for two extra days.
-
-
Distorted sound - could not endure
- By Claire on 2022-11-12
Written by: Suzette Mayr
Publisher's Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “Delightful . . . [a] captivating and slyly subversive fictional paean to the real women whose work on the Oxford English Dictionary went largely unheralded.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A marvelous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress.”—Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of People of the Book
Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, an Oxford garden shed in which her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip and, learning that the word means “slave girl,” begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.
As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women’s and common folks’ experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages.
Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.
WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARD
What the critics say
"A beautiful exploration of history and the power of language. For anybody who loves words and celebrates them, this subversive story weaves together love, loss and literature in a perfectly lyrical way.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club May ’22 Pick)
“This remarkable novel tries to rectify a glaring oversight in the historical accounts of the first Oxford English Dictionary—the contributions of women . . . without whom the English language wouldn’t have evolved as fully and colorfully as it has.”—Boston magazine
“Enchanting, sorrowful, and wonderfully written, the book is a one-of-a-kind celebration of language and its importance in our lives. A must-have.”—Library Journal (starred review)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Dictionary of Lost Words
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-05-18
Fabulous read!!
I love this book!! Easily one of my favourites!!
Great reading, great writing; incredible storyline!!!! Fabulous Read!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jennifer Fink
- 2022-07-03
Beautiful and rich
This book was a delight, from its exploration of history and linguistics and social class, to the very engaging story of Esme that holds it all together. Beautiful and moving without being trite or saccharine. Lovely reading by Pippa Bennett-Warner.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- DARCY R DELAMERE
- 2023-10-10
An excellent book
Very well written and performed. Make one appreciate the value of words and the implicit biases from male domination in our society.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Louise
- 2022-06-26
Brilliantly read but you may need a print copy too
This book tells the story about the completion of the first Oxford English Dictionary.
Sound riveting?
Yes, this book is about words but it's about so much more than words. It's about feminism and social classes in the early 1900's. It's about the woman's suffrage movement and WWI. Mostly it's about decisions and friendships and longing, and self-acceptance.
It starts slow, but stick with it. You need to get to know Esme and Da and the fabulous Lizzie.
This story is so filled with wonderful characters who will make you think. I laughed, I learned a lot, and I cried. No review will do it justice and it may not be for everyone, but I've already ordered a copy for a friend.
Note: I kept a print version handy because there are uncommon words and strong accents and I really didn't want to miss a thing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Danielle
- 2022-08-05
Breathtaking
This book, the writing and narration, is stunning. I've not been so moved by a book in years. If some random comment of some random listener can influence you at all, then take my advice: listen now!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ross Genge
- 2023-11-03
Wonderful story
A brilliant and heart warming story. The characters are so endearing, lovely, real and fascinating
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2022-01-29
Absolutely my new favourite book!
I loved this book so much that I listened to it twice! The narration is brilliantly done and the story griped me. Well worth the listen!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Daphnee
- 2023-02-08
The importance of words and their history
It took me a few chapters to get into this book, perhaps because the beginning is very descriptive, and it takes a while for things to unfold. However, I loved the book, the historical perspective, and the end is very moving. The narrator was also excellent and added to the story. Highly recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- lizz
- 2023-05-23
Both heartwarming and heartbreaking
A simultaneously beautifully imaginative and brutally truthful story. This book makes you realize how much of our language, history, and knowledge has been lost, and will continue to be lost, simply because only certain types of people have the power and privilege to decide what is true, valuable and worth recording. At the same time, you are able to become lost in the fictional wave of a complicated coming of age, romance, bravery, perseverance, and the many forms of love, loss and devastation that come and go throughout human existence. A thought provoking and thoroughly enjoyable read that I highly recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2023-09-20
Captivating
The characters in the book were so well written that I feel like I know them. Their stories will stay with me forever. Absolutely captivating book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!