The Word Trove is a truly beautiful book both inside and out. When it arrived I instantly fell in love with the small format, the stunning faux Victorian cover and the bookmarker – only elegant books have their own bookmarks.
It is actually quite difficult to summarise what this book is about, it is quite different to anything I have ever read before, and I felt as though I was reading something very special.
As the book opens, Word loses her memory and has no idea of her name or her meaning. The reader follows Word on her journey to find her place in the world again. Along the way she meets many other words whose actions reflect their name: Mad was great fun to meet; it was interesting to see how Deaf used other words to communicate; and the character of Lust was disturbingly brilliant! Word’s journey takes her to many thrilling places which are described so vividly the reader can easily imagine being there: the ‘river of words’ where old and outdated words sink to the bottom is both thrilling and immensely sad; the city of Langwich is just as you would expect with words rushing around, while the linguistic games are a true celebration of the importance of storytelling.
Ultimately The Word Trove is a celebration of words and language. It is filled with word games, lessons in grammar, new words and old words and wonderful storytelling. It is about finding your place in the world and being your true self.
This beautiful little book takes longer to read than you would expect, as there is so much in each chapter it takes time to fully appreciate it all. There are beautiful subtle illustrations throughout which perfectly complement the story and add to the magical feel.
What makes this even more special is that the English version is translated from the original German. There is a section at the end of the book where the translator talks about the challenges of translating a book filled with language and ideas. This in itself is fascinating.
This is a delightful book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys and appreciates the magical power of words and reading.
It is actually quite difficult to summarise what this book is about, it is quite different to anything I have ever read before, and I felt as though I was reading something very special.
As the book opens, Word loses her memory and has no idea of her name or her meaning. The reader follows Word on her journey to find her place in the world again. Along the way she meets many other words whose actions reflect their name: Mad was great fun to meet; it was interesting to see how Deaf used other words to communicate; and the character of Lust was disturbingly brilliant! Word’s journey takes her to many thrilling places which are described so vividly the reader can easily imagine being there: the ‘river of words’ where old and outdated words sink to the bottom is both thrilling and immensely sad; the city of Langwich is just as you would expect with words rushing around, while the linguistic games are a true celebration of the importance of storytelling.
Ultimately The Word Trove is a celebration of words and language. It is filled with word games, lessons in grammar, new words and old words and wonderful storytelling. It is about finding your place in the world and being your true self.
This beautiful little book takes longer to read than you would expect, as there is so much in each chapter it takes time to fully appreciate it all. There are beautiful subtle illustrations throughout which perfectly complement the story and add to the magical feel.
What makes this even more special is that the English version is translated from the original German. There is a section at the end of the book where the translator talks about the challenges of translating a book filled with language and ideas. This in itself is fascinating.
This is a delightful book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys and appreciates the magical power of words and reading.