The Binding: A Novel
1 journaler for this copy...
"Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, a vocation that arouses fear, superstition and prejudice – but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.
He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, he can help. If there’s something you need to erase, he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible.
In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and memories – are meticulously stored and recorded.
Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it."
Received via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, he can help. If there’s something you need to erase, he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible.
In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and memories – are meticulously stored and recorded.
Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it."
Received via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
Emmett Farmer is a young man who is recovering from an illness. For reasons he is not quite clear on, he is sent by his family to be an apprentice to a bookbinder, an old woman who many refer to as a witch. He soon realizes that the craft of bookbinding is more involved than just binding some pieces of paper between two covers. A true bookbinder binds people's unpleasant memories into a book, leaving them with no memory of the secrets that they've had bound. But one day, Emmett discovers that there is a bound book with his name on it.
I was lucky to receive an Advanced Reader's copy of this book, and I was intrigued for three reasons: (1) the beautiful cover (I'm a sucker yet again), (2) a book about secrets, and (3) well, a book about books. Right up my wheelhouse.
In all honesty, the story started out slowly and I wasn't immediately drawn in as I'd hoped. The setting is a bit vague, but it appears to be circa 1800's England. It's told in three parts, and by the time I'd reached the end of part one, I was sucked in. I'm not going to go anymore into plot at the risk of giving too much away, but part two of the story acted as a bridge between parts one and three. I enjoyed this book mostly for its uniqueness. It's a mix of history, romance, and fantasy. At its heart it's not telling a story that hasn't been told before, but it tells it in a way that really sticks with the reader. I finished this several days ago and I find myself still thinking about it a lot. It's due to be released in April 2019, and I suspect it will get lots of hype.
I was lucky to receive an Advanced Reader's copy of this book, and I was intrigued for three reasons: (1) the beautiful cover (I'm a sucker yet again), (2) a book about secrets, and (3) well, a book about books. Right up my wheelhouse.
In all honesty, the story started out slowly and I wasn't immediately drawn in as I'd hoped. The setting is a bit vague, but it appears to be circa 1800's England. It's told in three parts, and by the time I'd reached the end of part one, I was sucked in. I'm not going to go anymore into plot at the risk of giving too much away, but part two of the story acted as a bridge between parts one and three. I enjoyed this book mostly for its uniqueness. It's a mix of history, romance, and fantasy. At its heart it's not telling a story that hasn't been told before, but it tells it in a way that really sticks with the reader. I finished this several days ago and I find myself still thinking about it a lot. It's due to be released in April 2019, and I suspect it will get lots of hype.
