Wordsworthkeeping

Synopsis: Set in pre-war Oxford, Esme lives with her father who works in the Scriptorium- a community full of dedicated workers aiming to create the first English dictionary. Having spent her childhood under the table of her father’s workplace, Esme develops a strong passion for words: their meanings, their ubiquitous nature, and particularly, the words which are regarded as improper in standard English- the vocabulary used by those rejected in society. Her curiosity leads her down a path of self-discovery, as she divulges into the hidden life of the lower-class, and befriends those few women unafraid to rebel against the patriarchy. Fighting against expectations and societal condemning, Esme navigates her…

Synopsis: The dynamic of the book begins as a simple and relatable tale of a turbulent family living in the depths of New York, until the life of young Theodore Decker is utterly stripped of its foundations. Suffering with the loss of his mother, Theo is subsequently taken in by a wealthy family yet is haunted by isolation and a yearning for familiarity- leaving him grasping on to the one reminder of her- a goldfinch painting, which ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. Characters: Firstly, I want to express my admiration for the enchanting depiction of Tartt’s characters. Its very rare that one reads a book and is left…

Synopsis: This carefully crafted novel published in 2015 by Hanya Yanagihara follows the story of four close knit friends weaving their way through life in the heart of New York. The narrative is focused mainly on the protagonist, Jude St Francis, who suffers with chronic pain in his legs, leaving him often forced to resort to the use of a cane- which only arises questions within his companions, none of whom are willing to ask. Yanagihara solely prioritises the familiarisation with the characters during the first 200 pages, creating an unbreakable bond between a reader and the narrative. As the story develops, we are slowly given more insight into the…