CULTURE EDITION
January Book Club Love historical fiction? Charlotte Griffiths nominates her favourites
THE WOMAN IN THE WALLPAPER
LORA JONES
This extraordinary debut follows three young women from different ends of society, who are all navigating the tumultuous landscape of revolutionary France. Following the tragic murder of their beloved father, young Lara and her sister Sofi find work in the countryside outside Paris at the legendary Oberst Factory, creators of the extremely desirable and complex Toile de Jouy wall coverings for the finest French houses. A chance meeting sees the two sisters strike up a friendship with Josef Oberst, the lonely young heir to the factory who lost his mother in mysterious circumstances. His mother’s likeness appears in some of the factory’s creations, which is unsettling to Lara, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the missing woman. Even more sinisterly, the wallpaper in certain rooms of the family’s manor house seems to depict scenes from Lara’s own life. Is she simply imagining this, or is the outside world’s political fever affecting her judgement? At the other end of the social ladder is Hortense, a young aristocrat used to the finest things in life, yet suddenly promised in marriage to Josef. She must now sacrifice her comfortable life in court for her family’s status, but outside the palace’s ornate gates society is smouldering ominously, just waiting for the right kind of kindling to ignite a revolution. Layers of secrets and lies are peeled back in quick succession, revealing stories and subterfuge that will affect all three women. This is a fascinating and rigorously researched tale which is heavy on details true to this compelling time period: one for lovers of mysteries, historical adventures and feminist-focused political drama.
THE BOOKBINDER OF JERICHO PIP WILLIAMS Oxford, 1914. The men of the Oxford
The sisters live on a cosy narrowboat together, with memories of their much-missed mother and the misprint books she’d saved from being discarded. Peggy scours their pages, dreaming of studying at the colleges and lecture halls powered by the books she helps to create – but the war will change everything. Class lines are blurred by conflict and an influx of war-stricken Belgian refugees causes this small community to reconsider their prejudices and beliefs. The upheaval creates chaos, but also opportunity for those willing to take a chance. An impeccably researched novel that will delight anyone who enjoyed Williams’ debut, The Dictionary of Lost Words . The two bundled together would make a superb winter read.
University Press are to be sent to war, and the women left behind must step up to take the vacant roles on the printworks’ floor. This richly textured novel tells the story of 21-year- old Peggy and her twin sister Maude, who both work in the women’s section of the publishers as their mother and grandmother did before them, cutting and folding the books once they have been printed by the men. Bibliophiles will love the sections where Williams treats us to deliciously detailed descriptions of book creation, including the rhythmic patterns of folds for folios and how Peggy would run ‘silken-smooth’, time-worn cow bones along paper to score the pages.
44 JANUARY 2025 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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