Splendiferous indeed

 Sometimes there`s no need to do lengthy reviews. Sometimes the books simply speak for themselves and come into that magical category of "un-put-downable" and in the last couple of months there have been two that definitely fell into that category.

First, The Dictionary of Lost Words  by Pip Williams.  It`s based on real events, the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary, and centres round the fictional character of Esme whose father is one of the people working in the Scriptorium, the "garden shed" in Oxford where the work took place. Some of the characters Esme interacts with are based on real people and what emerges is a fascinating analysis of the significance of language and its power to define class and identity. In particular, at a time when women were having to fight for equality, it asks who decides which words are "acceptable." 

And if this makes it sound a bit dry, nothing could be further from the truth. It is also a novel about family and love, set against the turbulent times of the First world War and the battles of the suffragettes. A quite compulsive read.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-09/history-of-the-oxford-english-dictionary/12010628

The second Splendiferous Story is just that - a cracking tale by Chris Brookmyre. The Cut has been described as "highly original" and that must be partly because one of the main protagonists is a 72 year old woman whose age actually is not  the most remarkable thing about her. Her partner in crime, so to speak, is a young mixed race university student who is trying hard to extricate himself from an environment where he might end up making some foolish decisions. 

Together they set out to right a wrong in this rollicking fast-paced thriller which frequently has the reader tempted to glance at the end of the chapter to see if they manage to extricate themselves from yet another apparently doomed situation.

Perfect escapist reading, sometimes quite dark, occasionally a little gory and with more twists and turns than a twisty-turny thing, to say anymore might give the game away.   Enjoy!